Pecan Tassies
Pecan Tassies are the perfect bite-sized treat! Bring these homemade tiny tarts to your next holiday party.
This vintage recipe for Pecan Tassies was given to me by my mom, who got it from my grandmother. I love a family recipe passed down through the generations because even if I’m making it alone, I can feel the love of my family in my kitchen!
This is one of the very first “complicated” recipes I attempted to make after I had a few years of cooking experience. I was still pretty inexperienced at this point, and I remember being so careful and cautious. They came out good, but it took me all day the first time!
Try adding a few of these to your next cookie tray, people will think you spent a lot of time making them, and I bet you will be one of the few that actually take the time and love to make them.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter — a cup softened for the dough and 2 tablespoons melted for the filling
- Cream cheese
- Flour
- Eggs
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Diced pecans
For this recipe, I recommend using diced pecans. These tarts have a small opening, and pecan pieces can be too big.
If you are determined to use whole pecans, I would place a pecan into each individual tart. Mix the other ingredients, omitting the diced pecans, and then spoon the mixture over your whole pecan.
Just like with a pecan pie, the pecans will float to the top!
Try adding a few of these to your next cookie tray, people will think you spent a lot of time making them, and I bet you will be one of the few that actually take the time and love to make them.
HOW TO MAKE IT
You’ll need mini pie pans for these Pecan Tassies, and I suggest a tart tamper if it’s in your budget. You can mold these with clean hands for an all-vintage approach, but the tamper speeds up the process and makes them uniform with ease.
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and prepping your mini pie tins by spraying with baking spray.
- Next, start mixing. Combine the softened butter with the cream cheese and beat until fluffy. Once fluffed, add the flour and mix until it’s all absorbed. That’s your dough!
- Now, roll your dough into 48 equal-sized pieces and place each into the mini pie tins.
- Mold the dough around the bottom and up the edges of the pan with a tamper or your clean fingers.
- Time for the filling! Mix your eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and diced pecans in a large bowl. Divide evenly between dough cups.
- Then, place mini pie tins into 350°F oven and bake for about 25 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.
- Once done, remove tins from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before handling.
- After they’ve cooled, carefully remove each cookie from the pan and set on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
If I’m making these for a party, I plan to bake them a day before I need them. Unlike most cookies, these aren’t best fresh from the oven! You want them to cool completely to let the filling set.
Recipe and photo credit: Pear Tree Kitchen
