These butterscotch tartlets might be small, but they deliver the most irresistible combination of flavour and texture. Each one has a beautifully crisp, buttery pâte sablée filled with smooth, rich butterscotch that melts softly as you bite into it.
Once chilled, the filling sets firm enough to hold its shape without becoming hard or chewy. Elegant enough for a celebration yet comforting enough to enjoy with a quiet cup of tea, these gorgeous little tartlets are made for sharing - although keeping a few just for yourself is highly recommended.
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❤️ Why this recipe works
- The perfect soft-set butterscotch filling: Firm enough to hold neatly inside the shells and so that it doesn't run when you bite through, but soft enough to bite into.
- Pâte sablée is the perfect tart shell: This rich pastry bakes into a crisp, buttery mini tart shells with a cookie-like texture.
- Real homemade butterscotch flavour: With no artificial flavourings, this butterscotch is the real deal. Brown sugar for caramel notes, vanilla and plenty of butter.
- Proportions are just right: Their miniature size gives every bite a generous balance of crisp pastry and soft butterscotch.
- Ideal for making ahead: Prepare the dough or shaped shells in advance so you can bake when it suits you. Or bake them and store them in the freezer. They can chill in the fridge for 3-4 days before serving.
What's the difference between caramel and butterscotch?
Caramel and butterscotch are very similar. They differ in the type of sugar they have - caramel uses white sugar while butterscotch uses brown sugar - and in the quantity of butter. In addition, butterscotch has vanilla added while caramel does not.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Flour: I use pastry flour but you can also use plain flour (aka all purpose flour). Pastry flour just has a lower protein content which reduces the risk of shrinkage in this sweet pastry recipe and gives a slightly softer texture. Don't use self-raising flour.
- Almond meal / almond flour: This adds a slight nutty quality and helps to give a delicate texture but you can leave it out. Almond meal is just finely ground almonds. It is also often called almond flour.
- Butter: Use a good-quality unsalted butter with no added water - check the ingredients label to make sure. Salted butter is not suitable as it will give these tarts too much of a savoury flavour.
- Icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar) is used to help with the crumbly texture.
- Egg: A whole large egg is used though it's best weighed since egg sizes vary around the world.
- Salt: Just a little fine sea salt is used to intensify flavours - it doesn't make the pastry taste salty so definitely don't skip it.
- Brown sugar gives butterscotch it's deeper molasses notes.
- Cream: Use cream labelled thickened cream or heavy cream.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla is classic in butterscotch and adds a depth and roundness to the sweet filling.
How to mak butterscotch tartlets
This mini butterscotch tarts recipe starts with these beautiful Pâte sablée miniature tart shells. Aside from chilling time (which is hands-off), they're easier than you may think. This section will give you all the steps with images - it's always easier trying something new when you can see how it's made.
For the tart shells, you can use tart rings or a muffin pan. The former is arguably prettier but the latter is far easier. I show you here how to use either of them.
⬇️Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
Make the dough
(2 minutes) Place the flour, almond flour, sugar, salt and cold, cubed butter into a food processor. Pulse until it looks sandy - you don't want any big lumps of butter but fine pieces are perfect. It should have a sandy-looking texture when it's ready.
You can also do this by hand: Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients in a bowl and blend with your fingers, being careful not to melt the butter. Or you could use a stand mixer.
The act of working the butter and flour together coats the flour in fat which stops gluten from forming. This means the tart shells don't tend to shrink as much as a basic shortcrust or flaky pastry. This is also the reason pastry flour will work best as it doesn't develop so much gluten.
Add the egg
(1 minute) Add the egg and process on low until the mixture starts forming clumps of dough.
Knead & smooth
(1 min) Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it until it comes together smoothly. Push it out, then drag it back together 5-6 times.
Roll and chill
(40 min) Cut the dough into two pieces (if using tart rings) - roughly shaped into rectangles.
Roll each one out between two sheets of baking paper or silicone mats to 2mm / ¹⁄₁₆ inch. Place these onto a chopping board to keep them flat and chill for 30 minutes.
Muffin pan tart shells
(10 minutes) If you want to use a muffin pan, cut out circles of dough slightly larger than the top of the muffin hole and gently press the dough down into the hole keeping one side away from the edge to let the air underneath escape. Press it down into all the corners. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Tart ring tart shells
(15 minutes) To make your tart shells using 5cm / 2 inch perforated tart rings, use the tart ring first to cut out a base, the use a ruler and knife to cut a strip for the sides. Carefully transfer the side piece into the tart ring and nudge it up flat to the edges, then use your finger to gently create a seam between the side pieces and base in the corners. Finally, trim the tops. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Frozen is even better if you have the space in your freezer.
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Baking using a muffin pan
(20 minutes) You can bake the miniature tart shells with a filling in them or bake them on their own. It will depend on the filling you choose. If your filling doesn't require cooking, then bake the tart shells on their own first.
Muffin pans can make the tart shells get too brown unevenly so the best way I've found is to first, place a cupcake paper inside each pastry case and add a tablespoon of rice. Sit the muffin pan on top of a Silpat lined baking sheet - this will help them bake evenly.
Bake them in a preheated oven until golden brown.
Baking using tart rings
(20 minutes) You can bake the miniature tart shells with a filling in them or bake them on their own. It will depend on the filling you choose. If your filling doesn't require cooking, then bake the tart shells on their own first.
Set the frozen or well-chilled mini tart shells on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. I personally find the best combination is an air-silicone mat on an insulated baking tray. A Silpat is better than baking paper/parchment paper. The insulated baking tray helps even out the heat beneath the tart shells.
Bake them in a preheated oven until golden brown.
Butter, sugar, flour
(5 minutes) Over low heat whisk together the sugar and flour, then add the butter and stir while it melts. Swap to a whisk once the butter is melted and whisk it all until fully incorporated.
Add cream and boil
(5-7 minutes) Let the mixture come to a bubble and let it boil away for 4-5 minutes until it reaches a temperature of 120C/250F on a sugar thermometer or instant read thermometer. Whisk it regularly so it doesn't catch on the base of the pan.
Vanilla and salt
(10 minutes) Stir in the vanilla and salt and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
Fill the tart shells
(3 hours) Once the mini tart shells have cooled for a little while, they'll firm up nicely. Fill them with your butterscotch filling, then chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Tips and tricks
- Weigh ingredients for the best results. Use a kitchen scale with the ability to change the units to grams. This will give you the very best tart shells. I prefer not to use cups when baking as just a tiny bit too much of anything can throw off the end result.
- Cube the butter then chill it until required.
- The pâte sablée dough must be kept cold. If it becomes too warm when working with it, it will lose it's shape and break into pieces. Keeping it cold will ensure you get neat tart shells. Move it in and out of the fridge as required.
- If it's hot where you are, work with the AC on or in the morning or evening when it's cooler. It may even be worthwhile chilling everything for 10-15 minutes (including the flour) before starting.
- Roll the pâte sablee dough between silicone mats or baking paper very lightly dusted with flour. It's a sticky dough and has a tendency to break easily so rolling it this way means you have an intact dough that you don't need to add much flour too to handle it.
- Don't skip chilling: You must chill your sweet shortcrust pastry or you risk the pastry shrinking or becoming misshapen as it bakes. It will also be easier to remove the silicone mats or baking paper after chilling.
- For professional looking tart shells that look like you just bought them from a French pattiserie, use 5cm/2inch perforated tart rings.
- If the dough is too soft when you press it into the tart rings it may get stuck and you won't be able to get the baked tart out. It will contract slightly as it bakes so maybe just bake it for an extra minute or two.
- All ovens vary: You can do a test tart shell if you like to test exactly what temp and time work for you. Or just make notes with each batch you bake so you can make changes as you need to for your oven. Keep a digital thermometer in your oven to check that it's heating to the correct temperature.
- Add the butterscotch after cooling for 10 minutes. Don't let it completely cool or it will be too firm.
- Let the tart shells cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the butterscotch filling.
😥 Troubleshooting
This is likely because it hasn't been chilled or frozen long enough or has become too warm as you work with it. The longer it chills the less it will shrink. If you feel like it was chilled long enough it may be caused by the oven temperature being too low - the pastry isn't cooking before the butter melts.
This will happen if you don't prick the base right through. Sometimes using just baking paper will do this too. Make sure the vent holes go right through the base. If not, steam will develop underneath the tart shell and the base will puff up.
This can happen if the dough was too soft and/or you pressed it too firmly into the sides of the tart rings. It could be that they just need to bake another minute or two so they easily release from the rings. You should be able to lift the rings and the tart shell drops out.
This is likely due to the butterscotch not being cooked to the right temperature. It's best to use a thermometer to be sure. Or you may not have chilled them long enough.
This is likely due to overcooking the butterscotch and making it too thick or adding too much flour to the butterscotch.
Make sure to whisk the flour into the sugar as the very first step to disperse it properly. As the butter melts, keep stirring it into the sugar and flour mixture.
If your butterscotch filling is grainy, it's likely due to undissolved sugar crystals or heating too rapidly. Keep the heat low-medium and make sure the sugar is dissolved before you let it boil.
How to serve butterscotch tartlets
Serve the tartlets while cold or after being left at room temperature for a short time. I like to sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top. You can also press a nut like an almond into the top or drizzle over melted chocolate.
Storage
Baked tartlet shells
The baked miniature tart shells can be kept in a cool spot, like the pantry, for 7-10 days before use. In saying that, I have kept them in my pantry for 2 months before and they were still good.
Any longer than 7-10 days and I suggest freezing the tart shells in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
They may soften slightly over time but you can easily re-crisp them in an oven at 160C/320F for 4-5 minutes. Or you can even purchase silica gel sachets to put in the container with the tart shells to help keep them crispy.
Once filled
Once filled, they are best kept chilled and eaten within 3-4 days
Variations
Check out my collection of fillings recipes to create your own tarts or try these combinations.
- Salted butterscotch: Add ½ a teaspoon of fine sea salt or 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt.
- Don't have/like vanilla? Leave it out and you'll still have delicious almost-caramel tartlets.
- Caramel tartlets: Swap the brown sugar for white sugar and leave out the vanilla.
- Chocolate Butterscotch Tartlets: Swap 30g of pastry flour for 30g of cocoa powder in the pastry dough then add a drizzle of melted chocolate to the top of the tarts once set.
- Add nuts: As soon as you've added the butterscotch filling to the tart shells, sprinkle over toasted and chopped almonds, hazelnuts or cashews.
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Butterscotch Tartlets
Equipment
- Food processor helpful but not essential
- Silicone "air" perforated baking mats helpful but not essential
- 24 5cm / 2 inch performated tart rings or 2x muffin pans
- Rolling pin guides very helpful but not essential
Ingredients
FOR THE MINI TART SHELLS
- 130 g unsalted butter cold and cubed (4 ½oz)
- 260 g pastry flour (or plain flour/all purpose flour) (2 cups)
- 30 g almond meal (almond flour) (¼ cup)
- 95 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) (¾ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 45-50 g egg cold (this may be a large or medium egg depending on where you live)
FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
- 200 g light brown sugar (1 cup/7oz)
- 32 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (¼ cup)
- 113 g unsalted butter room temp (4 oz)
- ½ cup thickened cream (heavy cream) room temp (125ml)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- MAKE THE PATE SABLEE DOUGH: Weigh out the butter, cube it and leave it in the fridge right up until you use it.
- Add the flour, almond meal, icing sugar, salt and cold, cubed butter to a food processor (or see notes for other methods). Process on low, pausing every 10 seconds, to check, just until the butter and flour mixture looks like sand. There should be no big chunks of butter left but it should not be clumping.
- Add the egg and process on low until it starts forming large clumps and there is no flour visible.
- Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface and pull it together with your hands then knead it, pushing the dough down and away from you then gathering it back up, just until it looks smooth. This should take no more than 30-60 seconds.
- For tart rings or small tart shells, cut the dough into 2 even pieces and roughly shape each one into a smooth rectangle shape. For larger tart shells, leave it as one piece.The butterscotch in this recipe only makes enough to fill 12-16 mini tart shells, so you can freeze half of the dough at this point if you like, or fully make and bake all the tart shells and freeze half of them at that point.
- Take a baking mat, silicone rolling mat or sheet of baking paper and dust very, very lightly with flour. Place one portion of dough on top, dust the top of that lightly and place another mat on top. Roll the dough out slightly, trying to keep a rectangular shape.
- Roll the dough out to 2mm / ¹⁄₁₆ inch thick (or 3mm for larger tarts). If using rolling guides, roll the dough to 1cm / ½ inch thick, then place a guide on each side of the dough.
- Lifting the mat or paper, place the dough onto a chopping board so that it lies flat. Repeat with the second portion of dough. If using tart rings, to get as many tart shells and the side pieces as possible from the first roll, roll one of the pieces a little more square to at least 25cm (10 inches) on one side.
- Place both in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight (best).
- SHAPING THE DOUGH: - Keep the dough as cold as possible as you work. If you feel it getting too soft or sticky, return it to the fridge for 10 minutes.- For best results, make the dough the day before and chill in the fridge overnight.- Make some room in your freezer (enough to fit your muffin pans or a tray with the tart rings on it in a single layer - Line that tray with a baking mat or baking paper.)- At all times, you want the dough to be pliable yet firm. If it's too soft, your tart shells won't be as neat. If it's too firm, it may crack as you're trying to lift your pieces into your rings or pans.
- Take the square piece of rolled dough out of the fridge and peel back the top baking mat/sheet then place it back on. Flip it over and peel away the second one, setting it aside.
- TART RING STEPS:Using the tart rings, gently press down into the dough to cut out the bases, from one piece of rolled out dough. Transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper. If the circle of dough falls out, just gently insert it back in.
- Using a ruler to guide a straight line, a dinner knife, and the second sheet of dough, cut 32 strips just slightly taller than the sides of your tart rings and long enough to go all the way round the inside.For the 5cm perforated tart rings these strips are about 1 ½ x 15cm / ~½ x 6 inches.
- Moving quickly so the dough doesn't soften too much, use an offset spatula to help you lift each strip and place them into the tart rings immediately. Making sure the strip is up against the inside of the tart ring all the way around, cut the overlapping dough off leaving just a tiny overlap and gently seal that seam with your fingers.
- Very gently run the tip of your finger around the bottom inside corner of each tart to help to get a seal between the sides and the base. You don't need to press it together with any force. The dough should have softened just enough at this point that just running the tip of your finger around will help to push the seam together a little.
- MUFFIN PAN STEPS:Cut circles of dough using a cookie cutter slightly larger than the top of the muffin hole. Place the circle of dough on top of the muffin pan hole and lift one edge (this will allow air to escape). Gently press down to the base then into the corners of the muffin pan hole, then finally press the open edge neatly into place.
- Tart rings or muffin pan: Use a sharp knife to make little pricks in the base of each tart shell. Freeze the tart shells for a minimum of 30 minutes but 1-2 hours is better. You can also just chill in the fridge overnight.
- BAKING THE TART SHELLS:You can add fillings now that require baking, or you can par-bake the shells or you can fully bake them. Below are the details for fully baking them.Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (not fan forced).
- Tart rings or muffin pan: Using an insulated baking tray (best) or using a regular baking sheet stacked onto a second, line it with a silicone baking mat (mesh is best but regular is fine, baking paper is the third best option but will still be fine).
- Place the tart rings or muffin pan onto the lined baking sheet. If you missed it, make sure to prick the bases a few times with a knife tip.
- Tart rings: Bake for 17-18 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.Muffin pan: Bake for 12-22 minutes until golden brown inside, removing the cupcake liners (if using) in the last 3-4 minutes. Baking time depends heavily on your tray/baking mat configuration. Quicker baking is not necessarily a better result- Muffin pan alone, no cupcake liners - 12 minutes- Muffin pan alone, with cupcake liners - 14-15 minutes- Muffin pan on a baking sheet, no cupcake liners - 15-16 minutes.- Muffin pan on baking sheet with silicone baking mat and with cupcake liners - 22 minutesOnce you notice them turning golden, very carefully remove the cupcake cases by lifting them from side to side until they let go of the base, then bake until the bases look dry.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet. They will be slightly soft after you take them out of the oven and will crisp and firm up as they cool. Remove the tart rings, or gently twist to remove them from the muffin pans, once cool.
- FOR THE BUTTERSCOTCH:Add the sugar and flour to the saucepan and whisk to combine, then add the butter and place over low to medium heat. Stir until the butter melts then use a whisk, stirring vigorously until the mixture is fully incorporated.
- Whisk in the cream, and stir to dissolve the sugar fully before letting it come toa bubble.
- Let it boil away, whisking regularly, for 4-5 minutes until it thickens and reaches 120C/250F on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the butterscotch from the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.
- Let the butterscotch cool for 10 minutes, then pour it into your tartlet shells.
- Chill for 2-3 hours until fully chilled and set.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes enough pâte sablée for 32 tartlet shells using a regular muffin pan or 5cm/2inch tart rings. The butterscotch will only fill 12-16 shells depending on how full you fill them. The other half of the tartlet shells or the dough before making them can be frozen.
- Methods for making the dough:
- Food processor: I always get the best results with this dough using a food processor and it just happens to be the easiest method.
- Stand mixer: You can use a stand mixer, making sure the butter is cold first blending the butter into the flour then mixing in the egg. This way can take 10 minutes just to get the butter to blend into the flour.
- By hand: You can use your hands - cold butter is great but it can be tough on your fingers. Slightly softened butter works just as well using the hand method. Just use your fingertips to blend the butter into the dough. Try not to melt the butter and use light hands. Then mix in the egg by hand. This method tends to be quicker than using a stand mixer but messier than a food processor.
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