As a teenager, I started helping my mom make Christmas cookies. She made (and decorated) butter cookies, Russian Teacakes, coconut macaroons, and Czechoslovakian cookies. I made mini pecan pies, likely a recipe I tweaked from a cookbook. Sometimes they are called Pecan Tassies and originate in the American South. My mom loved them so much, she asked me to make them every year. Mini pecan pies or Tassies are a 2-step process, yet still easy to make. Here is the recipe for 12 cupcake-sized pies:
Mini Pecan Pies
Ingredients for the Crust:
3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
Directions for the Crust:
1) Combine the butter, cream cheese and all-purpose flour.
2) Refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes to make the dough easier to work. (While chilling, you can make the filling.)
3) Form into 12 balls of dough.
4) Press the 12 balls of dough into 12 sections of an ungreased muffin pan. Press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of each section. They should not stick, but you can brush the pan sections with butter and sprinkle with flour if you wish.
5) Bake at 350 degrees F in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and set aside for the filling. This extra step will stop the pies from sticking and crumbling after they are fully baked.
Ingredients for the Filling:
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Optional: A splash of Kentucky bourbon
Directions:
1) Toss the brown sugar and butter into a mixing bowl and incorporate using a fork.
2) Slightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture, along with the vanilla and salt.
3) Stir in the pecans and slash of Bourbon.
4) Fill the pecan mixture into the 12 waiting pie crusts about 3/4 full. I like to lay a few big pieces of pecans on top.
5) Return to the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 - 30 minutes.
6) Take them out of the oven, let cool down, but while the pan is still warm, remove the mini pies from the pan.
