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.
Notes
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.