Mini Pecan Pies
Pecan pie is an undeniably favorite fall dessert. These mini versions pack all of the rich, buttery, caramelized goodness into perfectly personal portions. With a flaky crust and a sweet, nutty filling, they're great for holiday gatherings, potlucks, or neighborhood gifting.
Mini Pecan Pies
Makes 12 mini pies
Crust Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus, extra for dusting)
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), well-chilled, plus extra for greasing pan
4-6 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
Pecan Pie Filling Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1-1/4 cups light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1-1/2 cups pecan halves, coarsely chopped, plus a 12 halves reserved for the tops of each mini pie.
Flake salt (such as Maldon) for sprinkling on the tops of the pies
Directions:
1. Prepare the crust. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to evenly distribute the ingredients.
2. Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes. Use a little of the flour mixture to keep the butter pieces from sticking together. Chill the cut butter cubes for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare the ice water by filling a small bowl with ice cubes and adding water. Stir until the water is well-chilled.
4. Place the butter cubes into the food processor with the flour mixture. Pulse 4-5 times to cut the butter into the flour. The flour-butter mixture will be coarse with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. (Resist the urge to keep pulsing.)
5. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water by sprinkling on top of the flour and butter mixture. Pulse 2-3 times. Continue adding ice water by the tablespoon, pulsing after each addition until a rough dough is formed. Test the dough by pinching together --if it holds together, enough water has been added. If it crumbles, add another tablespoon of water.
6. Remove the dough from the food processor, and gather it into a rough ball. Flatten the dough ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour, or overnight.
7. Once the dough has been chilled and it's time to make the pies, preheat the oven to 350 F.
8. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a 4" circle cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles.
9. Prepare a 12-cup small muffin tin by greasing each muffin cup with butter. Cut strips of parchment paper and secure them in each well to assist when removing the mini pies once baked. Press the cut pie dough circles into the prepped muffin tin. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
10. Make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir in the chopped pecans. Evenly distribute the mixture into the mini pie crusts. Top each one with a pecan half.
11. Bake the pies for roughly 35 minutes, or until the tops are browned and the centers have set up. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Pull up on the parchment strips and allow the pies to pop out from the tin. Place on a cooling rack until cool enough to eat. Enjoy!