Teatime Tassies
Little morsels of pecan pie filling tucked into a delicate cream cheese and butter crust. Teatime Tassies are lighter than a traditional pecan pie making them the perfect treat for casual entertaining!
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- miniature tart pan(s), 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 and pat it into a round. Divide the dough into 24 pieces, rolling each gently into a ball. (A small ice cream scoop works great for this task.) 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 well and 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 half 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 be light in color.
- 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.
Notes
To toast pecans, spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and place them in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. You can toast a batch and keep them in the freezer.