Maple Pecan Tassies

When our kids were little, I made these Tassie's ONLY on special occasions, or during the Christmas holiday. I'm non certain why that was "the rule", but it was.

These days, at our house, Tassie's have evolved into a barbecue "staple" for several reasons: non alone are they super tardily (and mess-less) to serve a crowd (especially the trivial ones), but you lot tin brand them a solar daytime (or fifty-fifty two) ahead of time, which is e'er handy.

I but develop a tray of these beauties out on the buffet table, together with guests "re-visit" it in ane lawsuit again together with again; I approximate their mini-size isn't every bit intimidating every bit a large erstwhile slice of pecan pie.

Tassie's Aren't Just For Christmas Anymore!!

PASTRY CRUST
1 loving cup unsalted butter at room temperature (see note)
6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups all role flour

Cream the butter together with cream cheese (with electrical mixer) until it is low-cal together with fluffy. Add the flour together with shell until the dough comes cleanly away from the within walls of your mixing bowl.

Roll pastry into 1 inch balls together with house them into an un-greased mini-muffin pan. Using your fingers, press the balls of dough into the bottom of each loving cup together with upward the sides. (I utilization the floured circular goal of my rolling pivot to press the dough into place). Place the pan of shaped shells into the freezer for a few minutes spell you lot brand the filling.

FILLING
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 3/4 cups low-cal brownish sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
3/4 loving cup coarsely chopped pecans (see note)

Beat the eggs until real good mixed together with lemon colored. Stir inwards everything else (except nuts) together with whisk until smooth; develop aside.

Put a few chopped pecans inwards the bottom of each pastry shell together with add together plenty filling to create sum the shell near 2/3 full. (see note)

Bake inwards pre-heated 375F oven for xx minutes or until the pastry is golden together with the filling is set, yet all the same a trivial soft inwards the center. Remove from oven together with sit the pan on a wire rack for near x minutes earlier you lot endeavour to elevator them out. Lift Tassie's out of pan together with cool on a wire rack.

 

 

NOTE: Keep inwards need heed that the filling puffs every bit it bakes, together with thence don't overfill the unbaked shells. If you lot overfill them, they volition hold out difficult to piece of employment out of the pans. If your Tassie's resist coming out easily, utilization the tip of a knife to assistance you lot "lift them" out of the pan.

UPDATE: The recipe that I've used for 35+ years, used butter inwards the crust. However, recently, I decided to endeavour butter flavored Crisco together with I was thrilled alongside the crust difference. The butter produces a real white together with non-flaky crust, but the butter flavored Crisco produces a super-flaky golden crust that picky-picky hubby loved. If you lot click on the next photo, you lot tin run across how squeamish together with flaky this element exchange turned out.

NOTE: If you lot hit non accept maple extract, but leave of absence it out.

NOTE: Picky-picky hubby is non a large nut eater, together with thence I pose minimal nuts inwards these when I brand them. Even alongside the extra filling, they bake inwards xx minutes.