Serve these up on a warm, sunny afternoon with some cider and you’re good to go (and by go I mean take a nap).

One of my mom’s favourite baked goods are butter tarts, but since she’s been gluten-free for about 10 years they are a rare treat. I know that gluten-free baking can be really frustrating since the dough often dries out or crumbles, so I was determined to make a decent tart crust. Since the filling is really moist, it helps prevent the dough from crumbling.

Plus, you really can’t go wrong baking with booze. Whisky gives these tarts that extra kick of flavour they need. In the ingredient list, when I say use real maple syrup, I mean it! Do not use that garbage mystery “table syrup”, the results will not be the same and Canadians everywhere will cry.

Now, I know in previous posts I’ve truly hated on raisins (and I still stick pretty closely to it). But once you soak them in water, bake them in maple-whisky filling and eat them warm out of the oven, they really aren’t so bad. Feel free to sub them out with chopped nuts or other types of dried fruit!

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
• 6 tbsp. sweet rice flour
• 1 tbsp. pure xanthum gum
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/8 cups cold butter, cubed
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

**Keep a spray bottle full of water on your work surface to keep the dough moist and workable—not necessary but definitely helps with the gluten-free dough.

Filling:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (get the real stuff!)
• 4 tbsp. Canadian whisky
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup raisins, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

Method

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well until combined. Adding a few cubes of butter at a time, rub the butter into the dry mix. When all of the butter is used up, it should have the texture of almond meal. Turn out onto a dry, clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Break the eggs and pour the lemon juice into the well, and work gradually into the flour mix until a rough dough it formed. Shape with your hands into a ball and cover with a damp paper towel to keep moist.

Whisky together brown sugar, maple syrup, whisky, butter, eggs, cider vinegar and salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the dough into equal parts (this will depend on whether you choose to use mini-muffin tins or regular) and press into greased tins until the dough just comes up the top, and there is a thin layer of dough evenly around the edge. Place a couple of raisins in the bottom of each tart, then spoon filling into each tart, filling them about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 15-23 minutes until the tops are just browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the tins.