Pecan Tassies

Pecan pie does vary quite a bit when it comes to the filling.  Some are sweeter than others and the filling can be runny or be pretty solid.  However, just like peanut brittle, there is never enough nuts there to satisfy.

These little gems turned out to be less like a pecan pie than I thought they would.  Instead of a nut topping with a filling, they were packed with pecans and the liquid filling baked up to be just enough to clump all the nuts together.  Between the taste and the size, these tarts are perfect for any get together or afternoon snack. The recipe below makes 24 tarts, 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Pecan Tassies
adapted from The Essential Baker

Ingredients/Pastry Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup softened butter
3 oz softened cream cheese

Ingredients/Filling
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs dark corn syrup
1 egg
2 tbs melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of pecans

For pastry dough, cream together butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  This should take about 2 minutes on medium speed using a stand mixer.  With the mixer still running, add the flour in 1/4 cup increments, beating until the mixture becomes a ball of dough.

Flatten the ball of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for no less than 2 hours.  Remove and let stand for about 10 minutes until it becomes flexible.  The dough should be able to be rolled easily without breaking and should not require a lot of flour.

Lightly dust 2 wax sheets of paper with flour.  Then sandwich the dough disc between the wax paper with the flour side facing the dough.  Roll until dough is 1/4 of an inch thick.  Remove the top sheet of paper and dust off excess flour from the dough.  Cut out rounds in the dough measuring 3 1/4 inches in diameter.  Keep cutting and rolling scraps until there is no longer enough dough to cut out.

Place each circle of dough in the mini tart pans. Press and shape to fit all crevasses, making sure it clings to the bottom as well as the fluted sides. Smooth off the excess dough sticking above the top edges with your fingers.   Place the pans on a baking sheet and chill in the refridgerator while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the nuts in a shallow foil pan or on a baking sheet.  Let nuts toast in oven for 5 minutes.  Remove and once the nuts have cooled, coarsely chop and set aside.

Fill a medium bowl with the egg, vanilla, butter and corn syrup.  Whip together with a wire whisk.  In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and salt together.  Add this dry mix to the egg mixture, whisking until completely blended. Put mixture into a container with a pouring spout.

Take out the mini tarts.  Evenly fill each one with the chopped pecans. Then pour the sugar mixture into each, dividing the liquid filling equally.

Leave the tarts on the baking sheet and place in oven to bake.  Tarts are done when filling is set and crust is a light brown.  This should take about 25-30 minutes.  Remove pans and place on rack to completely cool.

Tarts should come out of pans easily by tapping on the bottom.

Notes and Tips:
1. The tartlet pans I used were not non-stick and the instructions stated they needed to be greased.  I used a paper towel dipped in oil to grease the inside of the tart pans
2.  Even with greasing the pans, the spilling of the filling on the top edge of the tart will cause it to stick, so be careful when pouring the filling.
                       **LAST YEAR: Brown Sugar Peanut Squares**


 

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie Pie

The name "cookie pie" makes me think of those big chocolate chip cookies at the mall that you can have decorated.  However, this particular recipe does not fall into that category.

As you can tell by the picture, it looks to have a closer resemblance to pie rather than cookie.  There is a pie crust layer with melted butterscotch chips, pecans and a brown sugar filling.  As far as the oatmeal, it has enough to give it some chewy texture but is not overwhelming.

I have always considered butterscotch one of the forgotten flavors,  It was a nice change of pace and well liked by the crowd of eaters.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie Pie
adapted from Pie by Ken Haedrich

Ingredients
1 basic single crust pie pastry, refrigerated
1/4 cup whole milk or light cream
3 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup or one stick of butter
1/3 cup cake or regular flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup rolled oats

Roll the pastry on a floured surface into a 13 inch circle.   Place the pastry evenly into a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan.  Press the pastry into the pan, taking care not to stretch it.  Shape the top edge of the dough as desired.  Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, use a mixer and cream the butter until smooth.  Then add the brown sugar in 1/2 cup increments, beating 30 seconds after each addition.  Then scrape down the sides and add one egg and beat for 30 seconds.  A the rest of the eggs, one at a time, and beat each for 30 seconds or until completely blended.

Beat in the vanilla extract.  Then fold in the flour, oats and salt until no dry streaks remain.  Mix in the milk until blended.  Lastly, add the pecans and butterscotch chips.

Place pie in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Then rotate back to front and bake for 30 minutes more.  Once the time is up, the pie should not jiggle when moved and should have a brown filling. Transfer to rack and let cool.  You can either serve warm or refrigerate for 2 hours and then serve cold.

Tips and Notes:
1. Feel free to mix up the type of chips in the batter.  The recipe also suggests 1/2 butterscotch and 1/2 chocolate chips.
2. For people with nut allergies, add an extra 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips and eliminate the pecans.

                                          **LAST YEAR: Jade and Suede Cheesecake**