Ecclefechan Butter Tart

So woweee! Look-y here! If it isn’t an Ecclefechan Butter Tart! This rich, scrumptious delight is reminiscent of a pecan pie, but has so much more than just nuts. It is bursting with warm cinnamon spiced fruit which is enrobed in a rich buttery whisky caramel. Yup. You heard me. Whisky caramel!

But what is up with the name you might ask. This tasty treat hails from the Scottish border town of Ecclefechan (Scottish Gaelic: Eaglais Fheichein – pronounced Ekel – feck – an) in Dumfries and Galloway. I must admit I love the name. It sounds a bit like the butter tart has somehow annoyed me and I’m cursing and blinding at it!

And today is perfect timing for a Scottish recipe. That’s right- January 25th, which is coming soon, is the birthday of Robert Burns. Robert Burns was born in 1759 and is regarded as the National Poet of Scotland. On January 25th folks throughout the world, though especially in Scotland, will be remembering him with a Burns Night Supper. Indeed, this Ecclefechan Butter Tart would be a very welcome addition to any Burns Night Supper. I’ve actually posted quite a few tasty Burns Night dishes in the past. Last year there was this gorgeous Cock-a-leekie Pie:

And remember my  Steak Auld Reekie served over Crispy Tatties & Neeps:

Or how about these Scottish Pies with Mushy Peas? This post is really fun because it is one of my travel postings telling you all about a fun trip (remember when we used to be able to travel…) we took to Glasgow a few years ago.

And if you are intrigued by Scottish travel – just take a look at these Scottish Oat Cakes which are featured in my post about our journey to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands for their annual Up Helly Aa celebration, which is a Viking Fire Festival. How exciting it that?!! (Sadly, yet understandably, Up Helly Aa 2021 and 2022 have been cancelled. Yup…thanks once again Covid.)

But back to more Burns Night recipes, how about some infamous Scotch Eggs:

Perhaps you would like your Scotch eggs deviled?

Or maybe nestled within a meat pie?

If pie is not your thing (and I have no idea what you’re like if it isn’t…), how about this Cock-a-leekie Soup:

which I served with delicious, crusty Struan. Struan, also known as Celtic Harvest Bread, is thought to have taken its name from a town in Western Scotland called Struanmoor, on the Isle of Skye. It was originally enjoyed once a year as a harvest bread, using whatever grains were available from the previous day’s harvest. This is my absolute favourite bread, so it is almost always available in my house. It toasts up particularly brilliantly.

And for dessert, could I possibly tempt you with Chranachan. (My Chranachan recipe has a more Irish bent, but that is easy to change. Just use a good Scottish Malt Whiskey rather than the Jamesons and skip the Bailey’s drizzle. This dessert is typically served in a tall glass, though I served it in little chocolate cordial glasses topped with raspberries once, which was quite fun.)

Or maybe you’d enjoy this Dundee Cake with Hot Whiskey Marmalade

I think you get the picture. My blog is chock full of inspirational tasty Scottish dishes! A Burns Night cornucopia if you will. And let me add another delicious tidbit with today’s offering: Good ole Ecclefechan Butter Tart! (See…sounds like you might be a bit miffed at the Butter Tart huh?)

Well there is absolutely no reason to be angry! No, instead you will be exceedingly pleased with this silky gorgeous buttery tart! And no doubt Robbie Burns would’ve been pleased as well. After all, he was familiar with the town and likely it’s tarts as well (Ha! I just had to get a tart joke in there…We all know Robbie Burns was quite the ladies’ man). He did pen The Lass O’ Ecclefechan, a polite adaptation of the traditional bawdy song “O Gat Ye Me Wi’ Naething“. I wouldn’t be surprised if that Ecclefechan Lass he was talking about could bake up a tasty version of this Tart!

Easy to make, you can serve it slightly warm or at room temperature. It is absolutely fantastic all on its own, but is over the top with a big dollop of Whisky Whipped Cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So on January 25th I hope you will make some of these fine Scottish dishes that I shared with you today and join me in raising a wee dram and toast to Robert Burns, Scotlands favorite son.

• Servings: 11 inch tart
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: The Sugar Boat via The Scotsman Food & Drink

Ingredients:

For the Sweet Pastry:

• 250 gram All-purpose Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50 gram Icing or Confectioner’s Sugar
• 15 gram Cornstarch
• 125 gram Unsalted Butter, Cold
• 1 Whole Egg

For the Tart Filling:

• 200 grams Dried Currents
• 100 grams Raisins
• 100 grams Golden Raisins
• 50 grams Mixed Peel
• 100 grams Chopped Walnuts
• 15 grams Mixed Spice (a good substitute for folks in the States is Pumpkin Pie Spice)
• 35 grams Breadcrumbs
• 200 grams Butter
• 200 grams Dark Brown Sugar
• 60 grams Golden Syrup
• 50 grams Whisky (The type with no “e” in it. Whiskey is Irish, like Jameson for instance. Whisky is Scotch.)
• 4 whole Eggs

Directions:

For the Pastry:

Preheat the oven to 170°C or 325°F.

Place dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.

Scatter butter cubes over flour mixture and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Add the egg to the mixture and pulse until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto your clean workspace and knead the dough just enough to form a ball. Take care not to overwork the dough. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.

Once the pastry has rested, remove from the fridge and roll out to a 12″ diameter circle. Place the dough into an 11″ tart pan, pressing down into the corners to make sure there are no cracks. The dough should crest 1/2″ above the rim of the pan. Cover tart pan with aluminum foil and place back in the fridge to chill, about 1/2 hour.

Remove the tart pan from the fridge, pull back the aluminum foil and pierce the dough everywhere with a fork. Replace the foil and add pie weights or chain. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the weights and foil and place back in the oven to bake for another 7 – 10 minutes, or until the crust is a warm golden brown. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. While pastry is still warm, brush it with a beaten egg yolk to seal any small cracks.

For the Filling:

Place the Currents, Raisins, Golden Raisins, Mixed Peel, Mixed Spice, Walnuts and Breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

Place butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Stir until butter and sugar are melted. Whisk to ensure the sugar has melted and the butter is emulsified. Add whisky. It will bubble up when you do this, just keep whisking.

Pour the caramel over the fruit mixture and stir well. Add the eggs one at a time and stir well after each addition.

Once all the eggs are mixed in add the Filling to the tart pan and bake at 170°C or 325°F for 25 minutes.

Once cooked the tart should have a very very slight wobble. Allow to cool fully before trimming and portioning the tart.

Ideally overnight. Dust with confectioners sugar if you desire. Serve it room temperature or slightly warm with whisky whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Ecclefechan Butter Tart:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Nickel Plated Brass Pie Weight Chain

English Mixed Spice

Salted Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, so while we’re talking cookies…like you know, those cookie recipes that I wanted to share before the Christmas holiday, ‘cept didn’t….Today I have a truly tasty treat to share with you. And I guess the good news is that although I often bake them for Christmas, just like my Vermont Maple Shortbread, these darlings are delicious year round. So, drum roll please… may I present: Salted Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies! Packed full of three different types of chocolate chips and topped with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, these chocolate chip cookies are crisp and chewy, sweet and salty perfection!

Now I know some of you are rolling your eyes around in your head and thinking ‘Good Lord Woman, we know how to make a chocolate chip cookie!” I’d wager you are correct. But hear me out – You don’t know how to make these chocolate chip cookies and let me tell you, they are da bomb!

Well, I guess you might know how to make them, that being said. This recipe is from the New York Times originally. I really just decided to add a blend of chocolate chips to the mix rather than the solely 60% dark chocolate that they indicated. I also decided to change the size. The Times had recommended making really large cookies, batter scooped out in the size of large golf balls! That makes for one big cookie. Not a skillet cookie mind you, but still…I use a medium cookie scoop for these little gems.

These cookies are pretty easy to make but do require a bit of planning both time wise and ingredient wise. You do have to keep in mind that there is an overnight (24 hour) chill involved and instead of good ole all purpose flour you use a combination of cake and bread flours. But believe me, the effort is so worth it. And another fun thing you can do with this recipe is keep that 24 hour rested dough in the fridge for up to 72 hours. This will let you scoop out dough for batches of fresh baked cookies over several days. Hold on. I said, Fresh baked cookies. Every day. I bet everyone will want to weekend at your place once the news of your hospitality gets out!

• Servings: 48 cookies
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe adapted from: New York Times

Ingredients:

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour 
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter 
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar 
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar 
• 2 large eggs , room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
• 6 oz. dark chocolate chips
• 5 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 oz. white chocolate chips
• Flaky Sea salt for sprinkling over top

Directions:

Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until very light. This will take about 5 -6 minutes and please do not cut this time short. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix on low speed until just combined. Seriously, as soon as the four is just combined turn the mixer off. This should only take 5 – 8 seconds. Mix the blend of three chocolate chips into the dough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop out dough balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. (For instructions for larger cookies, see below) You do not need to leave any space between them. Sprinkle the dough balls with flaky sea salt. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 -36 hours. (If you would rather not scoop out the dough balls ahead of time, you can just press plastic wrap onto the dough and pop the whole bowl into the fridge. Then when you are ready to bake you can portion the dough. I prefer to scoop while the dough is at room temperature. Once it is refrigerated it is definitely a bit more of a challenge to scoop.)

Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the chilled cookie dough to the baking sheet, leaving about 1″ between cookies. Bake until golden brown, about 8 – 11 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

***I will sometimes make up a batch of the dough and once it has chilled in the refrigerator for 24 hours, I remove the dough balls and place them in gallon freezer bags. The dough keeps well for 1 – 2 months. When ready to bake, remove the desired amount of dough balls and bake as usual. You may need to add 1 minute or two to the baking time if baking from frozen.

***If you would like to make big cookies, scoop our 3.5 oz of dough, the size of a large golf ball. When ready to bake, make sure you give them plenty of room to spread out on the baking sheet, probably only getting 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Salted Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Chiptastic Chocolate Chip Blend – King Arthur Baking has a ready made blend of chocolate chips which includes milk, semisweet and white. I make my own blend which is white, semisweet and dark chocolate. Love dark chocolate around here. But I thought you might want to know about this time saver.

Vermont Maple Shortbread

Happy New Year ya’ll! Hope it has gotten off to a great start for everyone. How are those resolutions going so far? Well I’m here to tempt you with a fantastic recipe for Vermont Maple Shortbread! Who doesn’t love the decadent taste of buttery shortbread? And this shortbread adds the irresistible flavor of maple into the mix. Yup it is just bursting with maple goodness! Maple sugar has replaced regular granulated sugar in this recipe and the finished cookies are also brushed with a slick of maple syrup once they are hot out of the oven for good measure. Maple lovers will go wild I tell you!

And this shortbread doesn’t only taste amazing, it isn’t too hard on the eyes either. How adorable are these little snowflakes?

Now I had hoped to share this recipe with you before Christmas. I actually made several batches of this shortbread with my usual round of Christmas cookies. Alas time got away from me, so I figured it would be better to go ahead and share it right now, you know when folks were trying to lay off the sweets. I just want to see how strong your dieting commitments are. Just kidding! Although I often bake this shortbread around Christmas, it is delicious year round. I usually bake it in an adorable Nordic Ware snowflake pan (check out the links below – King Arthur Baking has a big sale on this pan right now!), but you can also simply bake it in a 8″ round cake pan. It won’t have the fancy embossed snowflakes on it, but it will taste just as good. So without further ado, here you go!

• Servings: 16
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: King Arthur Baking Company

Ingredients:

• 16 Tablespoons (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature, at least 65°F
• 3/4 cup (117 grams) maple sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon maple flavor, optional, for enhanced flavor
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla-butternut flavor, optional, for enhanced flavor
• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) All-purpose flour
• 1 cup (113 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
• scant 2 tablespoons (28 grams) maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Melt a tablespoon of butter and brush it onto the bottom and sides of a shortbread pan. Alternatively rub soft butter onto the bottom and sides of an 8″ round pan.

Beat together the remaining 15 tablespoons butter, maple sugar, salt, and flavors until well blended.

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Mix in the flour to form a smooth, cohesive dough. The dough will be crumbly at first, but will come together as it’s mixed.

Fold in the chopped nuts.

Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic and set aside. Press the second half into the prepared pan.

Use a fork to prick the dough all over; this allows any steam to escape, and prevents the shortbread from bubbling as it bakes.

Bake the shortbread for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface is a light golden brown, and the edges are a darker golden brown.

Remove the shortbread from the oven, and immediately turn it out onto a clean work surface. Gently brush the shortbread with the maple syrup (you want to be careful not to brush away the pattern if you used a shortbread pan).

Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut the shortbread while still warm into 8 equal wedges and transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Repeat the bake with the remaining half of dough.

Store the shortbread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Enjoy!

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Vermont Maple Shortbread:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Le Creuset Silicon Pastry Brush

Nordic Ware Snowflake Shortbread Pan Ya’ll! As of today (1/6/22) King Arthur Flour has this Snowflake Shortbread Pan on sale for $9.99! What a steal!

Pure Vermont Maple Sugar

Cooks Maple Extract

LorAnn Vanilla Butternut flavor