These mini pecan pies are flakey, sweet, and perfect for the holidays! You may choose to eat them with a scoop of ice cream or with a dollop of whipped cream. This recipe makes about 45 mini pies depending on the size of your cupcake tin. The bigger the tin the less pies this recipe will make.
Ingredients for the pastry crust:
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1 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature
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6 ounces of cream cheese
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2 1/2 Tbsp of granulated white sugar
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2 cups of all purpose flour
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1/4 tsp of salt
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Olive oil or canola oil spray
Ingredients for pecan filling:
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3 eggs
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1 1/2 cups of tightly packed light brown sugar
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4 Tbsp of unsalted butter (melted)
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1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
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1/4 tsp of salt
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1 – 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans
Kitchen utensils:
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1 bowl
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Electric hand mixer
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Whisk
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Measuring cups and spoons
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Knife
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Rolling pin
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Plastic wrap
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Circle cookie cutter that’s slightly larger than your muffin tin round
Pastry Crust:
Step one: Using the bowl and your electric mixer, combine 1 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature with 2 1/2 tablespoons of granulated white sugar, and 6 ounces of cream cheese until fluffy.
Step two: Next, combine 1/4 teaspoons of salt and 2 cups of all purpose flour to the mixture and mix until well combined. At this point, the pastry should be formed.
Step three: Cut the pastry into four even pieces and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to an hour, or overnight.
Step four: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray your muffin tin pans with olive or canola oil spray.
Step five: Once the pastry has been chilled, lightly flour your countertop surface. Take out one of your chilled pastry rounds from the refrigerator and roll it out until it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Using a circle cookie cutter that is slightly larger than the muffin tin cup, cut the pastry into rounds. Then, fit each round into the muffin tin. Re-use your scraps by rolling it into a ball and re-rolling it with your rolling pin. Repeat this process with the other three rounds of chilled pastry. Place the already lined muffin tins in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
Pecan filling:
Step one: In a large bowl, whisk 3 eggs until lightly beaten.
Step two: Then add 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract,1 – 1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the egg mixture until well combined.
Step three: Spoon 1, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of the filling into each of the pastry-lined muffin tin spaces. The amount varies depending on your muffin tin size. You want to fill them until they are about 3/4 full.
Step four: Bake the miniature pecan pies in the preheated oven for about 16-20 minutes, or until the pastry crust has lightly browned around the edges. Make sure that the filling is set, use a toothpick to poke it and if nothing sticks on to the toothpick, then it is ready. This will let you know if the center is fully baked.
Step five: Remove from oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!