These delicious little pecan tassies are a great addition to cookie trays! You can dress them up in mini paper cupcake liners and include them with other treats in your gift packages. These are often referred to as miniature pecan pie cookies as they are often found on holiday dessert tables with other finger food treats.
Why this recipe works
The holidays (in the kitchen at least) are all about getting the most bang for your buck. While pecan pie is a favorite, pecan tassies are the perfect little sweet treats to get your pie fix in!
There’s no frosting or fussy decorations, so these little mini pies make the perfect addition to your edible gift boxes and bags.
Ingredients you will need
How to Make Pecan Tassies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or standing mixer) to beat together softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Beat in flour until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
- Scoop the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, forming the shape of a log. Wrap the log in the plastic wrap and roll until the log is 12 inches long. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
- Stir in half (1/3 cup) of the chopped pecans into the filling mixture.
- Remove the chilled dough log from the refrigerator. Slice into 24 even slices, approximately 1/2” thick each.
- Press each slice of dough into the cavities of the muffin tin. Use your fingers or a small wooden roller to press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin tin.
- Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of filling into each muffin cup. The mixture should be divided evenly among the 24 crusts.
- Sprinkle the other 1/3 cup of pecans over the tops of the filling.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust begins to turn light brown and the filling puffs up and sets. Allow tassies to cool completely before removing from the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the flaky cream cheese crust is very easy to make, you can certainly use a refrigerator crust or box mix.
You can also mix ground pecans into the crust for some extra texture and flavor. Use 1/2 cup of pecans and process in food processor until finely ground. Reduce the flour to 3/4 cup. Mix ground pecans and flour together before mixing into butter/cream cheese mixture.
These little beauties store very well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. This is an ideal solution if you want to make them ahead!
Yes you can freeze pecan tassie cookies! Wrap them in freezer paper or waxed paper, then put the wrapped cookies into a zipper freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 4 months. To defrost, simply remove from the freezer and thaw at room temperature.
If you like to prep, the dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before pressing into muffin tin.
If you don’t care for almond extract you can replace that with vanilla, but the combination of both is delicious.
Toasted pecans add an extra level of flavor. Toast pecans in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and they begin to lightly brown. Remove from the pan immediately so the pecans do not continue toasting or burn.
Pecan Tassies are a wonderful addition to your holiday baking list. Pecan Pie (and pecan pie bars) are popular for both Thanksgiving and Christmas!
More Holiday Sweets
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Strawberry Christmas Trees
- Chocolate Turtles
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Candied Pecans
- Caramel Apple Cheesecakes Bars
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Pecan Tassies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
Crust:
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans toasted
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- If you don’t care for almond extract you can replace that with vanilla, but the combination of both is delicious.
- You can mix ground pecans into the crust mixture for some extra texture and flavor. Use 1/2 cup of pecans and process in food processor until finely ground. Reduce the flour to 3/4 cup. Mix ground pecans and flour together before mixing into butter/cream cheese mixture.
- If you like to prep, the dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before pressing into muffin tin.
- Toasted pecans add an extra level of flavor. Toast pecans in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and they begin to lightly brown. Remove from the pan immediately so the pecans do not continue toasting or burn.
Instructions
Prepare the Crust
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or standing mixer) to beat together softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Beat in flour until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
- Scoop the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, forming the shape of a log. Wrap the log in the plastic wrap and roll until the log is 12 inches long. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Prepare the Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
- Stir in half (1/3 cup) of the chopped pecans into the filling mixture.
- Remove the chilled dough log from the refrigerator. Slice into 24 even slices, approximately 1/2” thick each.
- Press each slice of dough into the cavities of the muffin tin. Use your fingers or a small wooden roller to press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin tin.
- Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of filling into each muffin cup. The mixture should be divided evenly among the 24 crusts.
- Sprinkle the other 1/3 cup of pecans over the tops of the filling.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust begins to turn light brown and the filling puffs up and sets.
- Allow tassies to cool completely before removing from the pan.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Priya says
I’m a fairly experienced baker and I found these time consuming and messy. The cooking time was closer to 30 minutes and the flavor was just average. I won’t be making these again but maybe adding maple syrup would help the flavor?
Rhonda says
Would it make a huge difference to the crust if I used Gluten Free Flour (celiac)?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Rhonda. I am not familiar with using gluten free flour. If you have successfully used GF flour in a pie crust then it should be fine
Ai Lin says
May I know if the crust is hard and crispy?
Linda says
Easy recipe with delicious results. Filling was better than a traditional pecan pie….in fact, I might make a full pecan pie using this recipe for the filling.