This was one of Mom’s “go to” desserts. Little morsels of pecan pie filling tucked into a delicate cream cheese and buttery crust. Teatime Tassies are lighter than a traditional pecan pie making them perfect for casual entertaining!
If making pies is not your thing – rest assured you can handle this. The dough is a simple blend of cream cheese, butter, and flour plus a touch of sugar and a pinch of kosher salt.
Starting with softened butter seems counterintuitive to what we know about making pastry dough. But the softer butter and cream cheese allows the two to blend together in just the right manner creating a soft, almost creamy pastry. The soft dough is easily molded into miniature muffin cups just waiting to hold that luscious pecan filling – made with dark brown sugar, butter and eggs plus pure vanilla extract, a splash of cream and glorious toasted pecans.
A short bake sets the filling in the tender crust.
These tiny cups of pecan and pastry goodness are just the right bite for teatime – or anytime!
Teatime Tassies
Cream Cheese Dough
3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
8 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup flour
Cream the butter together with the cream cheese on medium speed until it is well blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar, kosher salt, and the flour. Continue mixing on low speed just until the ingredients are blended and the dough comes together, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 pieces, rolling each gently into a ball. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Lightly spray the cups of miniature muffin tins. Place a chilled dough ball into the cup of a miniature muffin tin. Gently press into the bottom and the sides of each cup.
Pecan Filling
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup chopped toasted pecans, divided
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Combine the dark brown sugar with the egg, the butter, vanilla extract, cream, and kosher salt. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the chopped pecans evenly into each of the pastry shells.
Divide the filling between each. (Transferring the mixture to a small measuring cup makes it easier to fill the pastry shells.)
Finish by topping with the remaining pecans.
Bake at 325-degrees for 25 minutes or until the filling is set. (The pastry shells will not be brown.) Set the pans on a wire rack to cool for five minutes. Carefully run a sharp knife around the edge of each pastry to loosen them slightly and allow to cool for another 10 minutes. Remove the pastries from the pans and set on a wire rack until they are completely cooled.
Makes 24 Pecan Tassies.
Teatime Tassies
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- miniature tart pan, with 24 wells total
Ingredients
- For the cream cheese dough:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup flour
- For the filling:
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 extra-large egg
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup chopped toasted pecans, divided
Instructions
- For the cream cheese dough:
- Cream the butter together with the cream cheese on medium speed until it is well blended, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar, kosher salt, and the flour. Continue mixing on low speed just until the ingredients are blended and the dough comes together, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 pieces, rolling each gently into a ball. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Lightly spray the wells of the muffin tins. Place a ball of the pastry dough into each ad gently press into the bottom and up the sides.
- For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Combine the dark brown sugar with the egg, the butter, vanilla extract, cream, and kosher salt. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the chopped pecans into each of the pastry shells.
- Divide the filling between each and finish topping with the remaining pecans. (Transferring the filling to a small measuring cup makes filling the pastry shells easier.)
- Bake in a 325-degree oven for 25 minutes or until the filling is set. (The pastry shells will not be brown.)
- Set the pan(s) on a wire rack to cool for five minutes. Carefully run a sharp knife around the edge of each pastry to loosen them slightly and allow to cool for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the pastries from the pan and set on a wire rack until they are completely cooled.
