A rich and tasty Southern dessert, Pecan Tassies are often served at Christmas or other holidays. They’re simple to make, and almost like mini pecan pies! The buttery cream cheese crust melts in your mouth and is perfectly balanced by the sweet pecan filling.
Mini pecan tarts, or as they’re commonly known, Pecan Tassies, are a simple-to-make bite-sized dessert that fits beautifully on a holiday cookie tray.
Somewhere in between a pie and a cookie, these treats feature a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust filled with a sweetly spiced pecan filling.
Made in a mini muffin pan, Pecan Tassies are the perfect two-bite treat, and I dare you to try and just eat one!
Tassies with pecans are quite similar to Canadian Butter Tarts. You’ll also get some use out of your mini muffin tin by making my easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies or fun Football-themed Cookie Cups.
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Why You Will Love This Pecan Tassies Recipe
- Perfect for parties! Just like hors d’oeuvres, these tiny desserts are easy to pick up and eat without making a mess. They work well as part of a party snack spread, a cookie platter, or a dessert bar at any type of party.
- Wonderfully Balanced Flavors. The rich and buttery crust paired with the sweet pecan filling creates a perfect balance of flavors. You’ll have an explosion of nutty sweetness and buttery flakiness in every bite.
- Easy to Make. This pecan tassies recipe might look complicated, but it really isn’t! The crust dough comes together quickly with just three ingredients, and the filling is easily stirred together in a bowl.
Key Pecan Tassie Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Cream Cheese and Butter: The crust for these tarts is made with an equal amount of cream cheese and butter, plus flour to hold it together. Be sure to let both the butter and the cream cheese soften fully at room temperature before mixing.
- Brown Sugar: light brown sugar has more flavor than regular sugar, and adds to the caramel flavor of the pecan tassies filling.
- Cinnamon: Pecans and cinnamon are a classic flavor pairing.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans are a must for this recipe. I prefer to buy pecan halves and chop them myself into small pieces. Chopped pecans sold in the baking aisle will usually be too big for this recipe, so chop them a bit extra if you need to.
How To Make Pecan Tassies
- Make the Dough: Start by creaming together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then add the flour and mix well. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it with plastic wrap, then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Form the Tart Shells: Divide the chilled dough into 24 equal portions and place each into a mini muffin tin cavity. Press down and up the sides with your thumb to create a mini tart shell. Chill the pan in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Add the Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg, melted butter, light corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the chopped pecans. Then fill the tarts about halfway with the pecan filling.
- Bake: Bake pecan tassies in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Top Tips
- Let your ingredients come to room temperature. In order to get a creamy, smooth crust mixture, the cream cheese and butter must be very soft.
- Finely chop the nuts: Since these pecan tassies are small, we want the nuts to be chopped fairly small as well.
- Don’t overfill the tassies: They’ll still taste wonderful if they’re filled too much, but the filling will overflow and stick to the pan, so they’ll be difficult to remove. Try to only fill the dough a bit more than halfway.
- Corn syrup is optional: This ingredient makes the filling extra soft and gooey. If you skip it, the filling will be firmer.
- I’m using a non-stick mini muffin tin for these, but if your pan isn’t non-stick, you will want to grease the cavities with oil or shortening.
Storing Tips
You can store leftover pecan tassies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will taste best if eaten within 4 days.
You can also freeze these mini pecan pie cookies for up to 2 months. Place parchment paper in between layers to keep them from sticking to each other.
Other Easy Desserts to Bake
- Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
- Stained Glass Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Classic Spritz Cookies
- Rugelach
Recipe FAQs
What is a Tassie?
The word “tassie” is thought to come from the Scottish word meaning “little cup”. When used to describe a dessert, you should expect a tassie to be a bite-sized pie baked in little muffin tins or little cups.
Can Pecan Tassies Be Frozen?
Yes! These cookies freeze very well and can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Can I Make Tassies with Other Nuts?
You definitely can. Try this recipe with almonds, cashews, or pistachios, or use a mixture of nuts.
Will This Recipe Work With Low Fat Cream Cheese?
I don’t generally recommend using low-fat cream cheese in any of my dessert recipes. The fat in the cream cheese is key to the luscious texture of the tassie dough.
These little pecan tassies will be a huge hit on your holiday cookie platters this year! Be sure to Pin the recipe so you can easily find it later.
Pecan Tassies
Equipment
- Mini muffin pan
Ingredients
Crust:
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
Filling:
- ⅔ cups brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup optional (if you leave it out the filling will be a little firmer)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup chopped pecan pieces
Instructions
- Prepare the crust by creaming together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, add the flour and mix well.
- Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), or 160°C if using a fan oven.
- Divide the dough into 24 equal portions (about a tablespoon each) then place into a mini muffin tin and press down into the center and up the sides to create a mini tart shell. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, egg, melted butter, light corn syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans until evenly distributed.
- Fill the crust about halfway with the filling, being careful to not overfill.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling
- Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan
Notes
- Let your ingredients come to room temperature. In order to get a creamy, smooth crust mixture, the cream cheese and butter must be very soft.
- Finely chop the nuts: Since these pecan tassies are small, we want the nuts to be chopped fairly small as well.
- Don’t overfill the tassies: They’ll still taste wonderful if they’re filled too much, but the filling will overflow and stick to the pan, so they’ll be difficult to remove. Try to only fill the dough a bit more than halfway.
- Corn syrup is optional: This ingredient makes the filling extra soft and gooey. If you skip it, the filling will be firmer.
- I’m using a non-stick mini muffin tin for these, but if your pan isn’t non-stick, you will want to grease the cavities with oil or shortening.
- Store: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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