BUTTER TARTS (with mincemeat tarts in the background) The annual baking of butter tarts is a seasonal family tradition here, and believe me, they eat `em as fast as I can make `em...! They are a favorite among my family, and christmas wouldn`t be complete without a plentiful serving of butter tarts to go around! Mincemeat tarts is also a Christmas traditional here in Canada (and in the UK as well) - and unlike most Americans who prefer pumpkin pie, mincemeat is much more commonly preferred here. Lucky for me, half of my family loves butter tarts, and the other half loves mincemeat - so there`s enough for everybody! Butter tarts have long been a favorite of mine also - and they are the first ones I reach for at any Christmas table! Not for the cholesterol-faint-of-heart!! Recipe follows below: BUTTER TARTS ---------------- Pastry: 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt 3/4 shortening 4-5 tablespoons cold water Filling (the good stuff!): 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/4 cup butter, softened 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup currants (*not* raisins!) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts DIRECTIONS: prepare your pastry: Combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time, gently mixing together until pastry starts to hold together. Gently gather into a ball, and divide in half. Roll out pastry dough on a floured surface. Cut into large circles with a fluted cookie cutter and fit into tart/muffin tins. Now for the good stuff: soften the butter and cream together with the brown sugar. Add the lightly beaten eggs. Add the corn syrup, vanilla. Mix well. Lastly, stir in the currants and walnuts. Spoon the filling into each tart shell, filling each approx 2/3 full. BAKE: 375F degree oven for 20mins. Let cool. ------------------------ Yummy!

Day 306 of 365 Project 100 Good Cookies 1 C White Sugar 1 C Brown Sugar 1 C Oil 1 C Margarine 1 Egg ? t Salt 1 t Baking Soda 1 t Cream of Tartar 1 t Vanilla 1 C Oatmeal 1 C Rice Krispies 3 ? C White All Purpose Flour Mix together all the ingredients in order given. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut by hand. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 11 mins, until lightly browned and dough ball is slightly flatten. Cool on rack. The original recipe, which I don’t remember where I got it from, says to drop them by teaspoon, this method would yield 100 small cookies. By rolling them into a ball the size of a walnut, you will yield about 50 larger cookies; if you want 100 cookies, double the ingredients. I had a small bag of cashew pieces at home, so I threw them into this batch that I made for the MSU vs. UM office tailgate party we had today. © 2007 BarGal Photography all rights reserved All photographs may not to be used without my written permission. DSCF2522