Pecan tassies are simple, classic holiday cookies, with a buttery pecan taste similar to that of pecan pie.
When I was a young girl, I remember my grandmother making Pecan Tassies and bringing them to our house for Christmas. I also remember that I did not really like them at all! But now, I’m a huge fan. Blame it on the 30+ years of living in Texas and my taste for native pecans, and there’s not a whole lot that I’ll refuse if it includes pecans.
Now I will say I’m still a little bit picky about pecan pie. It can’t have too many pecans, nor have too much of the filling. I like it to have a balance. So I dug out my recipe for grandma’s Tassies and I’m glad I did. (Remember, last week I posted a Peanut Butter Fudge recipe from my grandmother? That was from my grandma on the other side of the family).
Pecan tassies offer just the right balance of pecans to filling to crust.
I’d venture to guess that they freeze well, although I’m not a great judge, since I’ve probably eaten half a pecan pie’s worth since I made them! That’s the downside, they’re just so darn easy to pop into your mouth and enjoy. I’m pretty sure it’s been a while since my mom and dad have had pecan tassies, so I may just need to make up an extra batch to share with them this Christmas!
Pecan Tassies
Ingredients
Shell
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 6 oz. of cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 T melted butter
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- For crust:
- Combine butter and cream cheese until creamy and smooth (original recipe suggested just using spoons but I used my stand mixer). Add flour, ½ cup at a time, blending thoroughly until smooth dough forms.
- Pinch off small pieces of dough and shape into balls (I used my small scoop to make this easier). The original recipe said you would get 48 balls. I got about 32 but probably could have gotten 40 if I was a bit more conscious about it. Place balls in mini-muffin cup pan. Shape in pan with fingers to make it into a cup. Or you can use a mini-tart shaper tool like I did.
- For filling:
- Beat eggs only enough to combine white part with yolk. Add brown sugar. Beat well after each addition. Add melted butter, salt and vanilla.
- Sprinkle half of chopped nuts in unbaked cups. Add about a scant tablespoon of the liquid filling over the pecans. Top with remaining nuts. Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes or until filling is almost set. Reduce heat to 250° and bake an additional 10 minutes longer until firm.
- Remove to cooling racks until fully cooled.
Just a few simple ingredients are all you need to make pecan tassies.
Add the flour a little at a time.
You can use your fingers to press the dough into the cups. This neat mini-tart shaper tool that I have makes it a bit easier!
Tassie cups waiting–first step to fill–use half the pecans.
This is what it looks like with the pecans on the bottom and the filling but before the final pecan topping.
I used a butter knife to help me pop the tassies out of the pan.
Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop… you’ll have no excuse of “I don’t know what to make!” And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us!
so cute, I would not be able to stop after just one.
We just had pecan pie at Thanksgiving, and boy was it delicious. I agree with you-there needs to be the right balance between pecans and filling. These are so cute and look fantastic!
Oh my gosh, my grandmother ALWAYS made these for Christmas. Thanks for the great memory! I’ve pinned these to make.
Pecan pie is one of my favorites and I love the idea of making these bite-sized. Thanks for hosting!
You can never go wrong with pecan tassies. After spending a few years in Texas, I can honestly say that my appreciation for pecans has grown exponentially.
Yes, I find that I like them on all sorts of things. Two other favorites ways: toasted and as a salad topping and finely chopped and as a fish or chicken “breading”. Yum!
These cookies bring back such great memories of my grandma!!!
I’m addicted to pecans at the moment so I love the look of these!
These look adorable. Too bad my husband doesn’t like pecans or walnuts. I wonder if I could make them with chopped almonds. I followed you on Twitter a little late in the blog hop especially since I’ve been posting every week.
those look so good, I haven’t made those in years
Helen
These look fantastic! I wasn’t a big pecan fan as a kid but love them now.
These look delicious and I can’t wait to try them! One question….do you need to spray the mini-muffin tin or do they come right our because of the butter in the crust?
Thanks! I have a non-stick muffin pan so I don’t spray but you might want to if you don’t have non-stick pan. Just a very light spray though is all that would be needed. Enjoy!