The Maids’ Cottage

Best butter tarts in the Greater Toronto Area

Butter tarts are one of the few food specialties of Ontario and indeed, Canada. It’s not famous because it’s not much different from other tarts nor is it a craveable food. But if you want to taste what the fuss is all about, head to The Maids’ Cottage or anywhere that carries their goods.

Exterior of Maids' Cottage
The Maids’ Cottage

Butter tart components

Although butter tarts contain butter, the predominant flavour is indistinct sugar. A butter tart is made of shortcrust pastry and a filling of butter, egg, and lots of sugar. It is almost identical to sugar pies from Quebec or American pecan pie. From this basic recipe, it is not unusual to add other ingredients like pecans or raisins. At commercial bakeries, they are usually palm-sized so that customers can mix and match flavours.

The most difficult component to pull off is the filling. Nobody likes a liquid filling, so the key to getting a right consistency lies with temperature control and ingredient mix. Personal preferences may vary but I think the best consistency is one where the filling has just set. No liquid should run out when one bites into the tart, but the filling should bulge a little.

The pastry is just standard shortcrust pastry. Any decent baker should be able to create a crumbly shell while still being solid enough to hold the filling and withstand slicing. Traditionally, the pastry shell is thick.

The food

The Maids’ Cottage has the largest variety of butter tarts in the country. They have seasonal specials and gluten-free (GF) options. When I went, there were these flavours:

Butter tart display case at Maids' Cottage
Butter tart display case
  • Top row: Raisin GF, Plain GF, Pecan GF, pumpkin GF, plain, pecan
  • Middle row: Blueberry crumble, raspberry crumble, apple crumble, mincemeat, raisin
  • Bottom row: Ginger spice, currant, pecan chocolate chip coconut, coconut, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pecan/raisin

They also offer discounts on “imperfect” butter tarts.

For first-timers, I recommend the plain butter tart and a flavoured one of your choice. The plain butter tart is the true test of a baker’s skill and the foundation of other butter tarts.

Butter tarts from Maids' Cottage
Plain butter tart (left) and pecan butter tart (right)

The filling was set like a paste. It was not dense like a pumpkin pie filling but neither was it runny. It was moderately sweet. The taste was an indistinct mix of cane sugar, eggs, and butter. The pie shell was thin, crumbly, and baked golden throughout. It’s an exemplar of a butter tart. 8/10.

Butter tart filling from Maids' Cottage
Butter tart filling

The pecan butter tart tasted the same, but with pecans. To switch it up, I went for a more assertive flavour: pecan chocolate chip coconut. It literally followed the same mold as the other tarts.

Pecan chocolate chip coconut butter tart from Maids' Cottage
Pecan chocolate chip coconut butter tart

The addition of chocolate chips and desiccated coconut gave the tart a festive feel. These are strong components layered on top of a regular butter tart, but they weren’t overwhelming. Any more flavours would go overboard. 8/10.

Filling of pecan chocolate chip coconut butter tart from Maids' Cottage
Filling of pecan chocolate chip coconut butter tart

The place

The Maids’ Cottage is located in historic Main Street Newmarket. You can combine a trip here with minor sightseeing and stop by the revamped Upper Canada Mall.

The layout of The Maids’ Cottage has been reorganized for COVID-19. The open kitchen takes up 90% of the space and the counter is pushed all the way to the front.

Interior of Maids' Cottage
Counter and kitchen

There is a small, sheltered patio just outside the restaurant.

Verdict

Representative butter tarts and the best in the region. 8/10.

Practical information

Name
The Maids’ Cottage
Rating
8/10
Recommended dishes
Plain butter tart
Prices
Most butter tarts: $3.57 ($3.40 excluding tax); $19.95 for 6; $35.70 for 12
Gluten-free butter tart: $4.62 ($4.40 excluding tax)
Imperfect butter tart: $2.63 ($2.50 excluding tax)
Address
223 Main Street South, Newmarket
Hours
Monday to Thursday 0900h – 1400h
Friday to Saturday 0900h – 1600h
Date of visit
August 2013, October 2020