Pecan Tassies

pecantassies Pecan pie cookies come in many forms. Among the most common are drop cookies, thumbprint cookies, and (my personal favourite) tassies. While the first two are cookies with a pecan pie flavour, tassies are the closest to the classic pie - with a crust and filling. The real magic here is in the crust. Whereas most tassie recipes have you beat softened butter and cream cheese with flour, this recipe takes the pie crust approach, pulsing cold, cubed butter and cream cheese with a blend of flour, sugar and salt to form the dough. This means the crust is light and flaky.

Dough:
nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (168 g)
1½ tsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. sea salt
10 Tbsp. butter, cold and cubed (141 g)
5 oz cream cheese, cold and cubed (141 g)

Filling:
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed (52 g)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted (28 g)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon, optional
¾ cup pecan halves, finely chopped (88 g)

Garnish:
confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly spray the cavities of a 24-cavity (or two 12-cavity) mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the Dough:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and cream cheese and pulse until the dough comes together in one mass, about 30-50 one-second pulses.

Portion and Press the Dough:
Divide the dough into 24 (1 Tbsp.) portions (~ 19 g each). Use your hands to roll each portion into a ball and place a ball into each cavity of the prepared mini muffin tin. Chill the dough in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.

Use a tassie press, small measuring spoon, skinny shot glass, or your knuckle to push the dough into the cup and all the way up the side, creating a well in the center. Take care to press the dough and create wells that are deep and wide because the dough and filling will puff as they bake. Return the muffin tin to the freezer while you make the filling.

Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon (if using) until combined and there are no lumps of sugar. Add the pecans and stir to coat the nuts in the maple syrup mixture.

Divide the Filling and Bake:
Equally divide the pecan filling into each dough well, about a heaping ½ Tbsp. each.

Bake the cookies until puffed, the dough is golden to golden brown around the edges, and the filling is set, 25-30 minutes.

Cool and Serve:
Cool the tassies slightly in their pan set over a wire rack, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies directly to the rack to cool completely. If desired, very lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Leftover pecan pie cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Makes 24 cookies.

Cook's Notes:

Take care to press the dough in the tin and create a deep well. The dough filling will rise a good amount which can lead to the syrup from the filling spilling over if the well isn’t deep enough.
If the dough chills too long - I recommend just 5 minutes - it’ll crack along the top edge and will look jagged after baking. If it cracks, you can press the dough back together and the heat of your fingers will smooth it out.
When you divide the filling into the wells, give it a stir every few portions. This helps evenly distribute the pecans and syrup.
A small offset spatula or tip of a paring knife slid along the side helps pop the tassies out of the pan.
Don’t let the cookies cool completely in the pan. If any sugar bubbles over, which is totally normal, it can make the tassies stick to the pan, making it a bit more difficult to remove.
How To Store and Pack the Cookies: Pecan pie cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They’re the absolute best the day of as the crust will be at its lightest and most flaky, but they do keep well.
They also travel well. To avoid the outer crust from flaking in transit, you’ll want to nestle the tassies against one another and avoid a vessel that's too big. Pick an airtight container that is just large enough to hold them. If you need to stack them, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between the layers.