This is the best recipe for pecan tassies with a buttery, rich crust topped with a gooey, brown sugar filling of crunchy chopped pecans.
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Some call them a mini pecan pie, pecan tart, tartlet, or a pastry, but nevertheless, these bite-sized sweets are very addicting!
I’ll show you how to make mini and regular-sized pecan tassies.
Ingredients for Pecan Tassies
- All-Purpose Flour
- Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Brown Sugar
- Chopped Pecans
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Dash of Salt
How to Make Pecan Tassies
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a regular-sized muffin pan and set it aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add butter, cream cheese, and slowly add in flour.
- Roll dough into 1″ balls and place each ball into a regular-sized muffin pan. I find it easiest to use a small cookie scoop to make sure each one is evenly sized.
- Press the ball down with your thumbs and press the dough into the sides of the pan to form a cup.
- It should be a thin layer like a pie crust.
- In another mixing bowl, add eggs, brown sugar, chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt. Mix for only 30 seconds to avoid overbeating the eggs.
- Spoon pecan mixture into the dough in a prepared pan. Be sure that no filling overflows the dough as it bakes it to the side of the pan and becomes difficult to take out.
- Bake regular-sized for 24-26 minutes until crusts are golden brown.
How to Make a Mini Pecan Tassies Recipe
- Follow all of the above directions for regular-sized, and still form 1″ balls, but allow the crusts to be slightly thicker and the sides to reach the top of each tin.
- Bake minis for 22-24 minutes, until crusts are golden brown.
Why are the pecan tassies turning out puffy?
I’ve made pecan tassies many, many times. I began to notice they were varying in their texture. One was flatter and a warmer brown color while the other was actually puffy on top like a muffin. The puffy top was not how I remembered them being made, but I did love the crunchy brown sugar topping!
The results? Mixing the brown sugar filling too long ended up whipping air into the eggs and causing a fluffy, yet crunchy top to the pecan tassies.
The solution: Mixing the eggs in the mixture for only 30 seconds prevents it from becoming puffy.
But I actually prefer the puffy, yet crunchy top. The inside was still gooey like a traditional pecan tassie, but that extra bite of crunchy brown sugar over the top of it was the perfect bite.
Can you freeze pecan tassies?
Like most pies, these mini pecan tassies freeze very well. They can be kept frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container.
To thaw, allow them to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours prior to serving.
Try these other tasty treats!
- Banana Nut Bread
- Boozy Apple Slushies
- Butterscotch Blondies
- Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Filling
- Cherry Puff Pastry Turnovers
- Honey Cinnamon Butter Monkey Bread
- Kolacky Apricot & Raspberry Cookies
- Minny’s Chocolate Pie
- Scotcheroos
Enjoy!
Pecan Tassies
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Butter
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
Pecan Filling
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1 ⅓ cup Chopped Pecans
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Dash of Salt
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease mini or regular-sized muffin pan and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, add butter, cream cheese, and slowly add in flour. It should form into a ball and not stick to the sides of the mixing bowl once it is well mixed.
Regular-Sized Pecan Tassies
- Roll dough into 1" balls and place each ball into regular-sized muffin pan tins. I find it easiest to use a small cookie scoop to make sure each one is evenly sized. It should be a thin layer like a pie crust.
Mini Pecan Tassies
- Follow all of the above directions for regular-sized, and still form 1" balls, but allow the crusts to be slightly thicker and the sides to
reach the top of each tin.
Pecan Filling
- In another mixing bowl, add eggs, brown sugar, chopped pecans, vanilla, and salt. Mix for only 30 seconds to avoid over-beating the eggs. (See above for more notes about mixing pecan mixture.)
- Spoon pecan mixture into dough in prepared pan. Be sure that no filling overflows the dough as it bakes it to the side of the pan and becomes difficult to take out.
- Bake regular-sized for 24-26 minutes and minis for 22-24 minutes, until crusts are golden brown.
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