Mini Pecan Pie Tarts With a Cream Cheese Crust
Mini pecan pie tarts are one of life's great little pleasures. A Southern tradition at weddings, parties, and of course Kentucky Derby parties. A flaky cream cheese crust surrounds a richly sweet, gooey pecan pie filling. Like a mini pecan pie but better, no fork required.
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 8 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cups pecans (chopped)
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Place the cream cheese, butter, flour and salt in a food processor and pulse until it forms a ball. Form the dough into 24 small balls and set them on a baking tray. Refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes.
- Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and press each ball into the pan pushing the dough up the sides of the cup until it reaches the top.
To make the filling:
- In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add chopped pecans.
- Fill each cup to the top, being careful not to go above the crust.
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until the edges of the crust have started to brown. Let cook for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove with a butter knife or offset spatula before the pecan filling sticks to the edges. Allow to fully cool.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- For a Southern flavor, use bourbon instead of vanilla.
- This dough recipe can be frozen for later. Freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before you use it.
- Chop up the pecans very small so they'll fit in the mini tart pan.
- Don't over fill the muffin pan, extra filling will make it difficult to remove the tarts.
Nutrition
Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg
