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 exclusively are they super slow (and mess-less) to serve a crowd (especially the fiddling ones), but you lot tin brand them a twenty-four hr menstruation (or fifty-fifty two) ahead of time, which is e'er handy.
I simply ready a tray of these beauties out on the buffet table, too guests "re-visit" it in i trial to a greater extent than too again; I justice 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 operate flour
Cream the butter too cream cheese (with electrical mixer) until it is calorie-free too fluffy. Add the flour too vanquish until the dough comes cleanly away from the within walls of your mixing bowl.
Roll pastry into 1 inch balls too house them into an un-greased mini-muffin pan. Using your fingers, press the balls of dough into the bottom of each loving cup too upward the sides. (I usage the floured circular halt 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 calorie-free dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
3/4 loving cup coarsely chopped pecans (see note)
Beat the eggs until really good mixed too lemon colored. Stir inwards everything else (except nuts) too whisk until smooth; ready aside.
Put a few chopped pecans inwards the bottom of each pastry shell too add together plenty filling to fill upward the shell almost 2/3 full. (see note)
Bake inwards pre-heated 375F oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden too the filling is set, yet withal a fiddling soft inwards the center. Remove from oven too sit the pan on a wire rack for almost 10 minutes earlier you lot endeavour to elevator them out. Lift Tassie's out of pan too cool on a wire rack.
NOTE: Keep inwards heed that the filling puffs every bit it bakes, too then don't overfill the unbaked shells. If you lot overfill them, they volition hold out difficult to exit of the pans. If your Tassie's resist coming out easily, usage 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 too I was thrilled alongside the crust difference. The butter produces a really white too 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 come across how prissy too flaky this component division exchange turned out.
NOTE: If you lot orbit non convey maple extract, simply leave of absence it out.
NOTE: Picky-picky hubby is non a large nut eater, too then I set minimal nuts inwards these when I brand them. Even alongside the extra filling, they bake inwards 20 minutes.
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