Are butter tarts the ultimate holiday treat?

Are butter tarts a better treat for the holidays than shortbread?

Listeners to CBC Radio's northern British Columbia programDaybreak Norththink so, and have crowned the Canadian pastry the winner of the Sweet Sixteen Ultimate Holiday Treat Tournament.

For the month of December, online polls were set up to narrow the field from over 30 initial contenders, with listeners calling in and making their pitches in order to sway the odds in favour of their favourite seasonal snack.

Butter tarts were the surprise winner, defeating the heavily-favoured shortbread in the final round of voting by taking just over 54 per cent of the total.

The decision did not sit well with some listeners.

"Brexit. First-past-the-post. And now butter tarts," wrote Peter Orgyzlo.

"Where will all this end?"

Othersargued butter tarts are not seasonal and shouldn't have been considered in the first place.

"It's Christmas," said Lori Merrill of Terrace. "Butter tarts are a year-round treat."

Butter tart boosters

The butter tart boosters, however, made a strong case for considering the pastry a seasonal snack.

"Homemade butter tarts were always a special treat at Christmas," said Tammy Danshinof Fort St. John.

"It was the only time of year that my mom made them. Still my favourite as it brings back memories."

Doug Kydd of Prince Rupert said his wife only makes butter tarts in December a practice started after he discovered abatch of frozen tarts in November and consumed nearly all of them beforethe holidays even started.

And Maria Mikic of Prince George wrote a poemOde to a butter tart:

Raisins dark and treacle brown,
Juicy currants glow,
Crimpy edges all around
Light and crisp as snow.

Buttery, butter tart my friend

Noel should be your name
For when the platter comes around

Christmas is proclaimed.

Shortbread traditions

Although shortbread failed to take the top spot, for many there is nothing else that tastes like Christmas particularly when baked from family recipes passed on over generations.

"When I was a kid, on Christmas morning there would be two large tins of shortbread that my dear old grandma would make," said SheilaSeidemannof Prince Rupert.

"As she became older, my sister-in-law and I took over making the family shortbread and we have done that every year."

A similar story was shared by Scott Barron of Prince George.

"My mom used to make a big bunch of shortbread for Christmas," he said.

"After my mom passed on, my dear, sainted sister... in Sidney, B.C. took up the practice ofsending out a care package, including shortbread cookies made exactly as my dear mom did, and still does to this day even though we're all retired."

And in the true spirit of the season, some listeners found a way to bridge the divide between the shortbread and butter tart camps.

"My friend...makes her butter tarts using shortbread as the crust," said Shannon McCloskey of Prince Rupert.

"The ultimate fusion."

Listen to a recap of the tournament:

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