This Pecan Tassies recipe was given to me by my (very dear) Great Aunt Betty -- one part flaky buttery cream cheese pastry crust and one part gooey, caramelly, nutty pecan filling. These delicious pecan tarts taste like mini pecan pies that you can eat in just two bites!
My Aunt Betty has talked about making tassies and (how delicious they are) for years. She sent me her recipe and I'm embarrassed to say it stayed in the archive for way too long. So, I finally baked them and I'm a complete convert! These pecan cookies are incredibly good!
What are Pecan Tassies?
Pecan tassies are the perfect holiday cookie or dessert to bake and take to any gathering whether it's your office party or family celebration. Tassies are as easy to make as cookies but taste like little pecan pies.
And while nut tassies are often considered cookies, they're actually little tarts and are usually made in muffin tins or small tart pans.
Pecan tassies consist of a cream cheese and butter pastry dough that takes about 5 minutes to make and doesn't need to be rolled out. The filling is a caramel-tasting gooey brown sugar and butter mixture with a familiar toasted pecan pie flavor. They're delicious!
Why We Love This Recipe
- It takes just 5 minutes to prepare the cream cheese pastry dough
- The pastry dough is very forgiving (even for beginner bakers)
- No need to roll out this pastry dough (just press it in)
- You can make these as pretty (or sloppy) as you want and they still taste great
- There are only 8 ingredients in these pecan tassie cookies
- They taste like mini pecan pies (without having to worry if the filling sets!)
- Easy dessert to make for a crowd
- It's an easy holiday dessert recipe for kids to make
- Tassies freeze really well so make them ahead and freeze for the holidays
Can You Freeze Pecan Tassies?
Yes, you can freeze pecan tassies which makes this recipe one of the best holiday desserts ever. Allow the cookies to cool completely and layer them between parchment paper or freezer paper in containers with lids.
Freeze for up to 3 months and simply remove them from the freezer and allow them to rest at room temperature until thawed before serving.
Best Way to Remove Tassies From the Baking Pan
Baking pecan tassies requires you to either use a paper muffin mold OR to butter or spray the muffin tin (baking pans) before placing the pastry dough in and shaping it into a "cup".
Making sure the pans are greased well and avoiding adding too much filling will ensure an easy release from the baking pans once the tassies have finished baking.
I like to use a small offset spatula or paring knife to loosen the edges of each tassie as soon as I remove them from the oven. Then let them cool for about 2 minutes and tilt the pan a little to allow gravity to help them release. If tassies seem stuck, tilt the pan while also using the offset spatula to help carefully pry them out.
What Can I Do With Extra Pecan Tassie Filling?
It's not uncommon to occasionally have a tiny bit of tassie filling left over and this can happen for a few reasons:
Sometimes it's because the dough wasn't exactly portioned or because you didn't press the dough in well enough to make a "cup" that can accommodate the right amount of filling. Or maybe you just added too many pecans.
You'll be happy to know none of this matters and you can still bake that last bit of tassie filling so it doesn't go to waste. Depending on how much filling you have left (and whether you have any unfilled spots in your muffin tin you can do either of the following:
- Add a cupcake liner to the empty muffin tin slots and pour the filling in and bake.
- Fill a small buttered ramekin and bake it alongside the tassies which created a gluten-free pecan tassie. I recommend spooning baked and cooled tassie filling over ice cream.
How to Customize Pecan Tassies
Pecan tassies are essentially little pecan tarts. If you want, you can add extra ingredients to compliment the pecans, substitute the nuts to make walnut tassies, or switch out the filling altogether.
Below are a few easy ways to customize pecan tassies and/or make mini fruit tarts instead. You can also make mini chocolate chip pecan tassies.
- Substitute ¼ cup of pecans with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to make chocolate pecan tassies.
- Add ¼ cup unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut to make coconut pecan tassies.
- Add ¼ cup of ground pecans to the cream cheese dough for even more nutty pecan flavor.
- Make bourbon pecan tassies by adding 1 teaspoon (5g) of bourbon to the filling.
- Substitute all or a portion of the pecans for another nut like almonds, peanuts, pinenuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, or pistachios to make tassie mixed nut tarts.
- Replace the nut filling altogether and use your favorite pie filling like pecan pie filling, apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, or pumpkin pie filling.
- Substitute mascarpone or Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese in the pastry dough.
- If you're having trouble pressing the dough into the muffin tin, chill the portioned balls of dough for 15 or 20 minutes longer and then press them into the baking pan.
- Use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe, or substitute white sugar minus one tablespoon and add 1 tablespoon of molasses.
- If you don't want to worry at all about whether or not the tassies will release from their pan, use cupcake liners (even though if you butter the pans well, you really don't have to worry about them releasing).
- Use the scoop and level method when measuring the flour to ensure you don't add too much. The dough should not be crumbly, but rather a little stretchy or springy.
How Long to Bake Pecan Tassies
You can bake tassies a couple of different ways and they turn out great either way. If you prefer a light blonde crust (or if your oven bakes a little too hot), I suggest baking them at 350°F/180°C.
No matter which temperature you decide to bake them at, be sure to keep an eye on them checking periodically to ensure you reach the desired color on the dough (and also to make sure the tops don't get too brown before the crust has a chance to crisp up).
- Bake at 350°F/180°C for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is set, or...
- Bake at 375°F/190° for 15 to 20 minutes.
At any point during baking if you think they're browning too fast and your pastry isn't golden brown enough, cover them loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking them a few minutes longer until perfectly golden.
Overview: Pecan Tassie Ingredients
Tassies are basically mini pecan pies without corn syrup! This pecan cookie-tart consists of 8 ingredients and you probably have at least 7 of them in your kitchen right now.
For the most balanced flavor, be sure to use a hint of salt to even out the sweetness of the filling. I bake with unsalted butter because I can fully control the amount of salt in recipes. But if you're using salted butter omit the ⅛ teaspoon of salt and instead add just a pinch to the filling. You can find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
For the Cream Cheese Pastry Dough
- all-purpose or 00 flour
- butter
- cream cheese
For the Filling
- raw unsalted pecans
- dark or light brown sugar
- butter
- egg
- pure vanilla extract
- salt
How to Make Southern Pecan Tassies From Scratch
Here's a brief overview of how to make the most searched Cookie recipe in the South! If you love pecan pie, but not the thought of making homemade pie crust this is the only cookie recipe to make for the holidays this year!
Perfect for feeding a large crowd, these mini pecan tassies are easy to pull off. And if you're really short on time, you can chill the dough in the freezer for just 15 minutes. But if you have a little extra time, allow the dough to rest in the fridge for one hour before filling the pans. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the pastry dough. Add the cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together. Add the flour mixture to combine and chill the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C & prepare the baking pan. Butter the muffin tins well.
- Make the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients except pecans and whisk vigorously. Add ⅔ cup, stir, and set aside.
- Fill the baking pan. Portion the dough and press them evenly into the pans. Fill each cup evenly and sprinkle with remaining pecans.
- Bake the tassies. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is slightly puffy and set. Tent the tassies loosely with aluminum foil if you notice the tops browning too much before the pastry is golden brown enough. Remove the tassies to a wire rack to cool for 2 minutes before removing them from the pan to finish cooling, Enjoy!
Best Pecan Tassies step-by-step recipe photos
Looking For More Pecan Desserts?
If you love pecans as much as we do, then we think you'll love this pecan pie recipe (Meryl Streep at this pie!) and a few more of our favorite desserts featuring pecans.
- The Very Best Southern Pecan Pie (made for the Oscars)
- Easy Apple Rum Cake with Pecan Crunch
- Best Ever Arkansas Possum Pie (100% Scratch-Made)
- Torta Di Mela (Easy & Delicious Italian Apple Cake)
- All-Natural Kabocha Pumpkin Pie Tart w/Pecan Crunch (no canned pumpkin)
- Mom's Famous Cinnamon Rolls (Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever)
- Easy and Moist Pistachio-Pecan Banana Nut Bread
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Aunt Betty's Pecan Tassies (Southern Pecan Pie Cookies)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 20 to 24 Mini Pecan Tassies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This super easy mini pecan tassies recipe was given to me by my (very dear) Great Aunt Betty♡ -- one part flaky buttery cream cheese pastry crust and one part gooey, caramelly, nutty pecan filling. These delicious little pecan tarts taste like mini pecan pies that you can eat in just two bites.
A great cookie recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any time of year. Make them a day or two ahead, or freeze them so it’s one less thing to bake during the holiday rush.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose or 00 flour (121g to 140g)*
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened (113g)
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened (85g)
- 1 cup raw unsalted pecans, chopped (125g)
- ¾ cup dark or light brown sugar (160g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (15g)
- 1 large egg (50g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5g)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt (0.5g) *sub a pinch of table salt or sea salt
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the pastry dough. Add the cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or to a regular mixing bowl using a handheld mixer), and beat them until smooth and fluffy (1 to 2 minutes). With the mixer on low, add the flour a little at a time just until combined and no flour streaks remain. Cover and refrigerate, covered for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C & prepare the baking pan. Butter the muffin tin (or tart pan) well with butter or non-stick cooking spray to ensure full coverage.
- Make the filling. In a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients except pecans and whisk vigorously to combine until smooth. Add ⅔ cup of chopped pecans and stir them in to combine. Set aside.
- Fill the baking pan. Portion the dough equally into 24 pieces and roll them into balls. Press them evenly into and up around the sides of the pan to create a "cup" to hold the filling. Fill each cup evenly and sprinkle them evenly with remaining pecans.
- Bake the tassies. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is slightly puffy and set. Tent the tassies loosely with aluminum foil if you notice the tops browning too much before the pastry is golden brown enough. Remove the tassies to a wire rack to cool for 2 minutes before removing them from the pan to finish cooling, Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're really short on time, you can simply chill the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes and these tassies are still great (I've done it:), but if you have time, allow the dough to rest in the fridge for one hour before filling the pans or up to overnight.
- Easily double this recipe to make 48 pecan tassies.
- Freeze pecan tassies by first allowing cookies to cool completely, then layer them between parchment paper or freezer paper in freezer containers with lids and pop them into the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove them from the freezer and allow them to rest at room temperature until thawed and serve.
- Do not be tempted to add sugar to the pastry dough because you need the unsweet crust to balance the sweet nutty caramel filling. Adding sugar would create an imbalanced too-sweet tassie in my opinion.
For even more tips for making the best pecan tassies, see the main post.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Cookies + Bars
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Mini Pecan Tassies
Elena S. says
Mini pecan pies is what my husband calls these!🤣 The only recommendation is not to save them just for holiday baking and give some away because otherwise you'll be sneaking one at midnight and again at breakfast😐. Lovely recipe!