Sundays in the Kitchen - Pecan Tarts

This weekend I made Pecan Tarts (or Pecan Tassies) for my husband's birthday. They are his favorite cookie and I only make them twice a year: his birthday and Christmas.

Whether you call then Pee-kens or Pee-cahns I'm sure you will love them too!

These cookies are not difficult but require time so it is important that the baker fuel up on caffeine first. My drink of choice today was a pumpkin spice latte in my RENT mug.

First, you have to make the dough. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of softened butter and 3 ounces of softened cream cheese.

Slowly add 1 cup of flour until it's all mixed in well and looks like dough.

Wrap it up (I use tin foil) and put in the refrigerator for one hour. Trust me. You will thank me later --probably in about an hour

After 45 minutes has passed, you can now make the filling. In a bowl, mix 1 egg, 3/4 cup pf packed brown sugar (I use light), and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Mix it together until it becomes syrupy.

I, apparently, blacked out as I was taking this photo but this is all I have of what it should look like after you mix it. Add in 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped pecans.

Has it been an hour? Good. Grease a mini cupcake pan. Take your dough out of the fridge and pinch off a piece. Shape it into pan like mini pie crusts. Since you had the dough in the fridge for an hour it will be easier to shape and mold. Are you thanking me yet? Well, you should be because the fridge part is not in the recipe. I thought of that part myself!

This next part I also added in myself. Take a piece of pecan and place it in the bottom of each mini crust. It adds a little something when you bite into it.

Spoon your filling into each mini crust. You can fill them pretty full because they won't rise much. I fill it at about 95% full. If it's too full the filling will stick to the pan and make it a pain for you to get the tarts out after baking.

Put in the oven at 325 degrees for 25-30. Any more than 30 minutes and they dry out. After you take them out of the oven, allow them to cool until it's bearable for you to touch. Do not let them get cold.  Pop them out of  the tin and onto a cooling rack, or, if you are like me and don't have a cooling rack, then they go right onto a plate. Both work just as well.

Sprinkle powdered sugar onto the cookies while they are still warm. That makes for some extra goodness later.

Looks like I'm going to have to refill my cup before I get some pecan tarts. Yum! Yum!