Description
Bite-sized southern charm shines through these Mini Pecan Pies, delivering classic holiday sweetness in one perfect handheld morsel. Sweet buttery pastry cradles rich caramel-like pecan filling, promising delightful indulgence you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
Pecans:
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup corn syrup (light or dark)
Dough Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2–3 tablespoons ice water
Filling and Seasoning:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pastry foundation by combining flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Utilize a pastry cutter to incorporate cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse, crumbly texture.
- Gradually introduce ice water, blending until the dough coheres into a unified mass. Shape the mixture into a compact disk, encase with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour to firm up.
- Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Extract the chilled dough and roll it out to a delicate, thin layer approximately 1/8-inch thick.
- Employ a circular cutter or drinking glass to create precise dough rounds. Gently press these delicate circles into mini muffin tin cavities, molding them to form petite pie shells with delicate edges.
- Craft the luscious filling by whisking brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a separate bowl until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Fold chopped pecans into the liquid mixture, ensuring even distribution of the nutty elements throughout the filling.
- Carefully ladle the pecan mixture into each prepared pie shell, filling to about three-quarters full to prevent overflow during baking.
- Slide the muffin tin into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, watching for a golden-brown crust and set filling.
- Remove from the oven and allow the mini pies to rest in the tin for 10 minutes, enabling them to stabilize and cool slightly.
- Gently extract the delicate mini pies from the tin, transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Choose cold butter for a flakier, more tender pie crust that melts perfectly in your mouth.
- Add water gradually to prevent the dough from becoming too wet or sticky, which can make the crust tough.
- Pre-chill the dough to relax the gluten and ensure a more delicate, crisp texture when baked.
- Use a light touch when pressing dough into the mini muffin tin to avoid creating dense, heavy crusts.
- Toast pecans briefly before chopping to enhance their nutty flavor and add depth to the filling.
- Consider using maple syrup instead of corn syrup for a more natural, rich sweetness.
- Swap out regular flour with gluten-free flour blend to make these mini pies celiac-friendly.
- Reduce sugar content by using a sugar substitute or cutting the amount by one-third for a less sweet version.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg