As far as we know, Ackroyd's Bakery is the only bakery in the United States baking and shipping butter tarts across the country. What is a butter tart? A butter tart is a classic Canadian dessert made with a delicate tart crust filled with butter, egg, sugar, raisins, and sultanas. Some versions omit the raisins and sultanas, but we do not. 

Like many traditional recipes, the exact origin of the butter tart is difficult to pinpoint, but some food historians believe it could have been the Filles du Roi, umarried women who emigrated to Quebec in the mid to late 17th century. They baked a "sugar pie," which was made with butter, vanilla, salt, and cream. Again, this is conjecture, so this early recipe may not have anything to do with butter tarts!

With our close proximity to Canada, a brief ride over the Ambassador Bridge or through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, Butter Tarts have been part of the Ackroyd's dessert repetoire for decades. You can watch us make them in this Instagram video.