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Pecan Tassies are like a mini pecan pie (but not as sweet) made with a cream cheese tart shell. They’re buttery, lightly sweet, nutty and oh-so easy to pop right in your mouth! These mini pies are really great for gifting during the holidays. They freeze well and travel great. All you need is a mini-muffin tin and a mixer.
Pecan Tassies Recipe
These little treats have been around for ages. Everybody’s got a recipe for Pecan Tassies proclaimed to be the best ever. While I haven’t actually tried all recipes in existence, I’m here to say that this version is terrific, failproof and very similar to many I’ve found through research in cookbooks, online and from friends and family.
This recipe came from my husband’s sister-in-law Rita, which she got from her mother Annie. (I’ve tweaked it a bit by reducing the sugar, etc.) Annie was a phenomenal baker and shared many of her favorite recipes with me. Many years ago I wrote about Annie and her “family famous” Roczki Cookies which are a must-make!
Ingredients overview
For the tart shells:
- unsalted butter at room temperature
- block cream cheese at room temperature
- all-purpose flour, sifted after measuring
- table salt
For the filling:
- unsalted butter melted
- light brown sugar
- dark or light corn syrup (or maple syrup)
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- table salt
- chopped toasted pecans
Equipment needed for Pecan Tassies:
- mini-muffin tin (affiliate link)
- electric mixer (affiliate link)
- tart shaper – not required but very helpful (affiliate link)
- small (one tablespoon) cookie scoop – not required but helpful (affiliate link)
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How to make Pecan Tassies
1. First prep the pan and oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Next make the tart shells
Combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or electric hand mixer beat until combined. Add the flour and salt and blend until a soft dough forms.
Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into a ball and place in the prepared muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan using your fingers or a spoon to form a tart shell. A tart shaper (tart tamper) is very helpful for quick and easy forming of tart shells.
Freeze the shells while preparing the pecan filling. This helps the dough hold its shape when baked.
3. Prepare the filling
In a medium bowl combine the melted butter, sugar and corn syrup. Add the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla and salt until blended. Fold in the chopped pecans.
4. Fill the tart shells and bake
Fill each tart shell with one tablespoon of filling taking care not to overfill. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops and crust are light golden brown.
Pro Tip: If you have any filling leftover (a tablespoon or two), simply pour it in a small ramekin lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray. Bake along with the tarts until the edges are bubbly and the center is set. This treat belongs to the baker!
Cool the cookies in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar or add a dollop of whipped cream just before serving.
Can you freeze Pecan Tassies?
Pecan Tassies freeze very well. Store in a well sealed airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Substitutions and Add-in’s
- For this recipe you can use light corn syrup, dark corn syrup or maple syrup
- Light or dark brown sugar both work well
- Substitute walnuts for the pecans
- Fold in a few tablespoons of sweetened shredded coconut
- Stir in a few tablespoons of mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Add a teaspoon or two of bourbon or whiskey to the filling before baking
Storing Pecan Tassies
Store Pecan Tassies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 5 days.
Serving Pecan Tassies
When ready to serve simply dust the tops of the tassies with powdered sugar. You can also add a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
These little pies disguised as cookies are great on a buffet. The recipe is easily doubled to make 48 tassies. You can eat these cookies out of hand in two average size bites or one big one!
What is a Tassie?
According to the Washington Post, tassie comes from a Scottish word meaning little cup or glass. Therefore, these mini pies are baked in little cups or a mini muffin tin.
It’s said that Pecan Tassies first appeared in US Newspapers back in the 1950’s and 60’s and have been a Southern staple ever since!
Pecan Tassies
Equipment
- mini muffin tin
Ingredients
For the tart shells:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g or 8 tablespoons)
- 3 ounces block cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted after measuring (126g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed (170g)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (like Karo)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans (112g or 4oz)
Instructions
To prepare the tart shells:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a mini muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until combined. Add the flour and salt and blend until a soft dough forms.
- Working with scant 1 tablespoon of dough (about 13 to 14g) at a time, roll into a ball then press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup. Make sure the dough reaches the top (or slightly over the top) of the pan so you can add a decent amount of filling.
- PRO TIP: To make the process easier I use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough and a mini-tart shaper to press the dough into tart shell shapes.
- Once filled freeze the muffin tin while preparing the filling. Chilling will help the dough hold its shape when baked.
To prepare the filling:
- Stir together the melted butter, sugar and corn syrup until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir until blended. Fold in the chopped pecans.
- Fill each tart shell to the top with about one tablespoon of the filling taking care not to overfill. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown. Cool the cookies in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar or add a dollop of whipped cream just before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for longer storage. You can also freeze tassies for up to one month well sealed in an airtight container.
- Toast the pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly fragrant. Cool then chop fine.
- You’ll have about 1/2 cup of leftover filling depending on the size of your muffin tin wells. My pan from Williams Sonoma holds approximately 1.1 ounces while other pans may hold only .8 ounces. Simply bake the filling in a small ramekin lightly coated with vegetable cooking spray and enjoy!
Nutrition
More great recipes featuring pecans
Pecans are terrific in everything from salads, breads and pies. Homemade Turtles are one of my favorite sweet pecan candies. What’s yours?
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Ken P
I made 2 batches of these. The first I did exactly like the recipe and they turned out great. Then on the second batch I added 1/2 teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon to the filling and I rolled out the crust about the thickness of a pie crust and I used a 2.3” round cookie cutter to cut them out and they fit perfectly into the muffin tins. Both ways seemed to work out nicely. Thanks
Tricia Buice
I love the addition of cinnamon Ken. Thanks for the tips and for taking the time to comment. We truly appreciate it!
DB
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for & having grams listed and suggestions for weighing the dough to get the 24 tassies were very helpful.
Tricia Buice
Thanks DB! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I LOVE these little bites of deliciousness. Happy holidays!
Susan
These tassies came out wonderful. I followed the recipe exactly. My second batch did come out better than my first. Practice makes perfect. Just like my moms tassies
Tricia Buice
Thank you Susan. I’m making my tassies next week and can’t wait!
Doreen Caputo
I made these by rolling out the cold dough and using a large Mason jar ring as a cutter. I also used a regular cupcake pan and it worked perfect
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Doreen. So glad it turned out great for you. Happy baking!
Beth
These turned out better than any of my older recipes. So little ingredients for such pretty desserts!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Beth! I’m so glad these worked for you.
Dee Bee
First, I’ll say these are delicious. But here is what I found about the recipe. As an experienced baker, I weigh everything. When I went to roll out the dough balls, I weighed on the lighter end at 14 g each. I only had enough to fill 22 muffin tins. I also had over a cup of the filling left over. So I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get 24 tassies and had so much filling left over. It seems like a waste of a fine filling. I did bake the leftover in a ramekin, but it’s way to sweet to eat much on its own.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Dee. I mentioned you should have a little leftover filling (about 1/2 cup) but you shouldn’t have had that much. The amount of filling placed in each tassie may vary depending on how high up over the edge of the pan you push the dough and the actual size of your mini muffin tin wells. My pan is from Williams Sonoma and appears to have larger muffin wells which would explain why you couldn’t add as much filling. Since I’ve received several comments I had an independent recipe tester remake the recipe. She was able to get 24 shells measuring out at about 13 to 14 grams each. She ended up with about 1/2 cup of leftover filling which was baked in a ramekin. They loved the recipe and found the small amount of leftover filling a very nice treat for the baker. Glad you thought they were delicious and hope this explanation helps!
Debbie
I double this recipe to make 48 nine pecan tassies.. my trick after making the dough is to roll small balls and drop them in the prepared pans before using a mini wooden pie press on each. I also use the whole 8 oz cream cheese, 2 sticks of room temperature butter. 2 cups flour. Plus salt. Mix with hands in the end. Mixture I use 3 eggs, 3/4 cup packed organic dark brown sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, and just 3 tbls honey or corn syrup. 1 1/2 cup of chopped pecans (kinda small) I bake all same time on one rack for 25 minutes, until light brown crust. They dissappear quickly.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the tips and feedback Debbie. have a wonderful holiday!
Karla
I haven’t tasted one yet but the ingredient quantities are off. Using a measuring spoon “Tablespoon”, I got 19 dough balls, not 24. And a measuring Tablespoon amount of filling does not fit inside the shells without overfilling…I had to use a spoon such as you’d eat cereal with. And, there is quite a lot of filling left, which I’ll freeze to make something later, but these two parts of the recipe don’t fit each other.
Tricia Buice
If you have a scale Karala I recommend weighing the dough balls to ensure you are dividing the dough correctly. There shouldn’t be a lot of filling left but as noted in the recipe, there will be a little. The two parts fit fine for me the many times I’ve made them. If you don’t make the dough shell high enough to the top of the pan, you won’t be able to add as much filling.
Sandra
I’m an experienced baker and weighed all the ingredients. The dough when portioned was 12-13 g because at 16g it did not make enough tart shells. The filling was good but had lots left over. Rather than waste expensive ingredients I put the rest of the filling in silicone lined muffin cups to bake. I baked the tassies for 22 minutes and the tops were very brown, and after resting a lot of the inner shells were not very brown and slightly underbaked. It may be my oven but I would bake on a lower third rack to get the shells more baked. They taste good but requires a bit of time to assemble.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Sandra. I mentioned that you’ll most likely have leftover filling depending on how high/tall you made the tart shells. Sounds like you should check your oven for sure. This is a very old recipe that’s been around for ages. We love these cookies! Thanks for giving them a try.
Dianne
Trish – could these be made as regular size tarts? I don’t have mini tart pans and am reluctant to invest in something for a one-time use.
Thanks….
Dianne
Tricia Buice
Hi Dianne. Yes you can! I would make them a little more shallow (about one inch high) using double the amount of cream cheese dough. Watch the baking time closely. If you only bake half at a time, keep the dough refrigerated until needed. Thanks for the great question!