This year marks Canada’s 150th birthday and it’s got me thinking about some of the classic recipes that have been shared from coast to coast. In my family, we’ve all got a real soft spot for mom’s homemade butter tarts. The rich filling in a flaky crust is a Canadian classic, but I’ve been looking for a way to update it a little. These Butter Tart Squares are easy to make and contain a secret ingredient that I’ve recently fallen in love with – Organic Coconut Sugar from Lantic-Rogers. Contrary to what you’d think, it doesn’t taste like coconut at all, but has a deep brown sugar-like taste.
For 125 years, Lantic-Rogers has been making quality sweeteners across Canada and they’ve recently expanded their product line to include two new natural sweetener choices – Organic Coconut Sugar and Smart Sweetener Blend made with Sugar + Stevia. These nature-inspired sweeteners contain no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or chemicals. For this Butter Tart Squares recipe, I used the Organic Coconut Sugar in place of brown sugar. It has a rich caramel note making it perfect for not only baked goods but coffee or tea too. Not only is it 100% natural and organic, it’s also been named the most sustainable sweetener in the world by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization
Their Smart Sweetener Blend made with Sugar + Stevia has become a morning staple around here too. Garrett loves it in his coffee and I only need a little bit in my tea. The Stevia + Sugar blend combines calorie-free stevia extract with sugar to give you twice the sweetening power of sugar. For every cup of sugar in recipes, simply replace with 1/2 cup of the all-natural Sugar + Stevia blend, for up to 50% less calories than sugar. With no filler, artificial flavours, preservatives or chemicals, it’s a simple way to make healthier baking too.
Now there is often a heated debate amongst Canadians as to whether you should include raisins into butter tarts or not. I’ve made these Coconut Sugar Butter Tarts a few times and I’m definitely in the pro-raisins camp. They help to keep the filling together and add to the gooey texture.
- BASE:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup
Lantic -Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar - 1 cup flour
- FILLING:
- 1 cup
Lantic -Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar - 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup raisins
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8” x 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, letting two sides hang over the edge.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together
Lantic -Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar and butter. Blend in flour. - Press dough into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling in the same bowl.
- Cream together
Lantic -Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar,eggs and butter, until smooth. Blend in flour, vanilla, bakingpowder and salt. Stir in raisins. - Pour filling over base. Return pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes to until the top springs back when lightly touched.
- Let cool in pan completely. Remove from pan by lifting out with parchment paper; then cut into 16 squares.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8” x 8” square baking pan with parchment paper, letting two sides hang over the edge. This will make it easier to remove them once they’ve cooled.
In a mixing bowl, cream together Lantic-Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar and butter. Blend in flour. Press dough into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling in the same bowl. Cream together Lantic-Rogers Organic Coconut Sugar, eggs and butter, until smooth. Blend in flour, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Stir in raisins.
Pour filling over base. Return pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes to until the top springs back when lightly touched.
Let cool in pan completely. Remove from pan by lifting out with parchment paper; then cut into 16 squares.
With their crunchy cookie base and thick caramel filling, you’d never know they were made with coconut sugar!
I’m always looking for ways to make healthy choices for our family and both the Organic Coconut Sugar and Smart Sweetener Blend make it easy. Available at Loblaws. Try them for yourself with this $1.00 off coupon and be sure to check out all the great recipes too!
Disclaimer – This post was sponsored by Lantic-Rogers as part of the YummyMummyClub.ca. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
