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There’s almost nothing better than a freshly made homemade pie. The flaky crust and the smell that fills the kitchen make the experience just about as cozy as you can get. But, take a pecan pie and shrink it down to miniature size and you not only have the cutest thing ever, you also have a wonderful (and personal) treat to serve for dessert. And, let’s face it, one of these little pies would make the perfect decadent breakfast.
To make this recipe you’ll start by preparing the crust. It might not be a shock to find out that this crust is very indulgent, but the taste is beyond wonderful so we think it’s a nice once-in-a-while treat to have. This particular crust is very rich and flaky thanks to both cream cheese and butter in the dough.
When you’ve got the dough mixed up you’ll need to do a bit of prep work. Once you divide the dough into 2 parts you’ll need to roll each part to about 1/8″ thickness. Refrigerate the 2 rolled-out sections of dough for at least 30 minutes. This extra step helps to keep the dough from spreading too much in the hot oven.
Using a 2 3/4″ cookie cutter cut out 40 circles from the dough, reworking the scraps if need be. Take 20 of the dough rounds and cut small a X into each of them. Then you’ll prepare your pecan filling which is made from melted butter, brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, and salt. Place the filling onto each of the unmarked dough rounds, then cover with the X dough rounds. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork and then give each one an egg wash so that they end up a mouthwatering shade of golden brown.
Then just bake for 20-25 minutes and allow to cool before serving. Anyone who has ever been impatient in waiting for a pecan pie to cool knows the risks of going in too early!
These little pies turn out wonderfully flaky, luscious, and with just the right amount of that very sweet filling in between the dough layers. I personally love this recipe because the dough is my favorite part of any good pie and these little guys really let dough be the co-star of the show instead of just lingering in the background. If you also love a good pie crust then these mini pecan pies might become your new favorites, too.
Mini Pecan Pies
Allergens: Nuts
Diet: Vegetarian
For the pie crust:
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened & cubed
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For assembling the pies:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Preparation
- Add dry ingredients for crust to large bowl. Cut in butter and cream cheese using two forks or a pastry cutter. Do not allow mixture to melt or become warm. Alternately, you can combine all crust ingredients into a food processor and pulse for 1 minute or until a dough begins to form.
- Cut dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll out each dough portion then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough disks for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- Roll out each portion of dough to 1/8” thickness. Use a 2 3/4” round cookie cutter to cut out 40 circles. Make an X in the center of 20 of the cut outs, leaving plenty of space at the edges.
- In a medium bowl combine butter, brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, and salt until blended. Arrange cut outs without X on baking sheets.
- Place roughly 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of the dough rounds without a slit. Leave at least 1/ 4” border along the edge of each one. Place X pie tops on top of filling and seal to the bottom dough using a fork pressed gently along the edges.
- Whisk egg and water in a small bowl and brush each mini pie with egg mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pies are golden brown. Allow to cool on wire rack before serving.
Recipe adapted from Bake or Break.