Butter tarts are unique to Canada and consist of flaky pastry shells that are filled with a sweet mixture of butter, brown sugar and eggs. There are many opinions as to what makes the perfect butter tart. What is the best pastry crust? Should the filling be firm or runny and should it contain raisins or nuts? So proud are some Canadians of their butter tarts that even today at county fairs there are special awards for the best butter tarts, and this award is vied for and coveted by the winner. Butter tarts are always small, not to be eaten daintily with a fork but picked up and eaten in a few delicious bites. These little gems are excellent warm from the oven, at room temperature, or even chilled.

There are many recipes for Coconut Macaroons. Although many think of macaroons as a combination of ground almonds (or paste) and egg whites, in North America we like our macaroons to contain sweetened coconut. Bite into one of these, still warm from the oven, and you will enjoy the contrast of a crispy exterior to a soft and chewy, coconut flavored interior. Although not often used in Coconut Macaroon, adding flour gives these cookies a dense texture and a dome-like shape, rather than the more common haystack-like shape. For the chocolate lover, you may want to add either 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or 1/2 cup of small chunks of chopped semi sweet chocolate to the batter or, better yet, dip the bottoms of the baked and cooled cookies in melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. Another great idea would be to make the macaroons in miniature and then take two macaroons and sandwich them together with melted chocolate. Coconut Macaroons store very well in the refrigerator. In fact, they are sometimes better after a day or two, when their flavor has softened.

Homemade raspberry jam made from frozen, unsweetened raspberries is recommended for these bars. It is better than store bought and less expensive. Make the jam at least the day before you plan to make these squares. To make raspberry jam: Place 2 cups (8 ounces) frozen unsweetened raspberries and 1/4 cup granulated white sugar in small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 - 25 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Do not let it burn. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup of preserves. Stir in a drop or two of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.