Julie Clark
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Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies
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Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies. Step-by-step instructions for a delicate caramel center and a crunchy pecan topping, packed inside a cream cheese shortbread.
If you flip through an old community cookbook filled with family favorites and holiday treasures, you’ll usually spot pecan tassies tucked between the Christmas sugar cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies. These little two-bite treats were popular in the 1950s. The magic comes from the cream cheese dough, which bakes up tender with a slight tang that balances the rich pecan filling.
The Forgotten 1950s ‘Cookie’ That Is Replacing Traditional Pie This Christmas
Matt loves homemade pecan pie, but I prefer cookies. There’s one way we compromise, and that’s with these bite-size pecan tassies cookies. Have you ever heard of them? They’re a vintage cookie that are making a comeback with all the coziness of the holidays.
If you’ve ever had pecan pie, then you know what these generally taste like. The tart shell is buttery and rich thanks to the special addition of cream cheese, but it’s not sweet. All the sweetness comes from the dark brown sugar filling. And maple extract adds a depth of flavor that is delicious.
“Tassie” is a Scottish word for cup, so these cookies are like little cups filled with a pecan filling. Other names for this recipe would be pecan tarts or mini pecan pies.
These take a little time to make but are a great make-ahead cookie for the holidays. Store in the freezer, then add them to your cookie tins and holiday dessert tables. You’ll also love our pumpkin pecan pie recipe!
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients
Notes about the ingredients:
- Light brown sugar will work just as well, but the flavor will not be as deep.
- The crust is made of cream cheese, flour and butter. Use store bought pie crust or your favorite pie dough if you’d like.
- A teaspoon vanilla extract will work just as well as maple extract.
- If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the crust and then add a dash of salt to the pecan pie filling.
This recipes bakes in mini muffin pans, just like our apple butter tarts
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and amounts.
Before you being: How to keep the pecan tassies from sticking.
There are three keys to keeping the pecan tassies from sticking:
- Grease the mini muffin tin well. Use Baker’s Joy spray for the best results.
- Don’t overfill the cups. If the sugar overflows, it will bake on the pan and be hard to remove.
- I slightly “loosen” any edges of the tarts that may look like they will stick, then leave the tarts in the pan until they are mostly cooled before removing.
Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies
Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies. Step-by-step instructions for a delicate caramel center and a crunchy pecan topping, packed inside shortbread.
Servings 36
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 48 minutes
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup salted butter room temperature
- 5 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
For topping:
- 36 pecan halves
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a small bowl, use hand mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the flour and mix until smooth. ¾ cup salted butter, 5 ounces cream cheese, 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Spray three mini muffin pans (36 tarts total) with cooking spray. Using a mini cookie scoop, scoop dough balls into the muffin pans, dividing the dough between the 36 cups evenly. Refrigerate the dough while making the filling.
Make the filling:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, maple extract and finely chopped pecans. 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons salted butter, 2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon maple extract, ½ cup finely chopped pecans
Assemble the tarts:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. After the tarts have refrigerated about 15 minutes, remove one pan from the fridge. Press the dough on the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cavity to create a “cup” with the dough. After the first pan is done, remove the other pan and do the same. (I use the end of a wooden kitchen tool to start the process and make it a little faster. Then use my fingers to finish forming the cups.)
- Fill the dough shells ⅔ full with the filling. (They rise slightly so if you fill them too much they will overflow.) Place a pecan half on top of each cup. 36 pecan halves
- Bake for 18 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown on top. Allow the tarts to cool, then loosen them with a small knife and remove to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Store the pecan tassies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They do freeze well in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 207IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg
How to Make Pecan Tassies
This pecan tassie cookie recipe is slightly a labor of love, but use our methods to make the process go more quickly.
Make the dough. In a small bowl, use hand mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the flour and mix until smooth.
Divide into balls. Spray three mini muffin pans (36 tarts total) with cooking spray. Using a mini cookie scoop, scoop dough balls into the muffin pans, dividing the dough between the 36 cups evenly. Refrigerate the dough while making the filling.
Make the filling. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, maple extract and finely chopped pecans.
Tamp the dough. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. After the tarts have refrigerated about 15 minutes, remove one pan from the refrigerator. Press the dough on the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cavity to create a “cup” with the dough. This works well if you have a tart tamper, but you can also use the end of a large kitchen tool. I used the wooden end of an ice cream scoop.
Fill the cups and bake. Spoon the sugar mixture into the dough shells til they are ⅔ full. (They rise slightly so if you fill them too much they will overflow.) Place a pecan half on top of each cup. Bake the pecan tassies for 18 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown on top.
Have leftover pecans? Make our sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel or cranberry pecan bread. And you may also love our coconut cheesecake tart!
Hello,can I used small cupcake liner on it?
Help! I made these but the filling turned out “crunchy”….the sugar seemed to crystallize after baking? What did I do wrong?