Mini Pecan Pie Tarts

This was a recipe I had originally planned to make for my Thanksgiving meal. But things didn't go as planned and I had to derail this cute little pie tart for another time. Fast forward to new year's and voila. One of my favorite pies in the whole wide world is the old fashioned pecan pie. I'd eat up the whole pie before anyone could get their forks into it. Okay maybe not, but I could eat a slice or two or three in one sitting. Sad isn't it?

Traditional recipes call for corn syrup.  I'm not much a fan of the stuff, but I know it's found in a lot of the things I've eaten. So I scoured the interweb and found a recipe on All Recipes. It's contains ingredients conveniently found in your pantry and without the corn syrup. It still tastes like a pecan pie. Woohoo... It was a good way to cap off a good New Year's night meal. I simply made the filling and baked them in some keebler mini graham cracker crusts. You can make your own if you have some extra time. But the recipe below just takes a bit of a shortcut using the premade stuff.

Serve this warm or cooled along with a side of vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm... It may be some time  before I make this again, so I enjoyed it as much as I could while it lasted. I guess there's no need for me to go to Marie Calendar's for pie.

Make 12 mini pie tarts or 1 9-inch pie

Mini Pecan Pie Tarts
adapted from All Recipes

12 keebler mini graham cracker tart cups
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c melted unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp milk
2-3 c whole pecans

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the melted butter. Then beat in each egg. Mix in the flour, egg, vanilla, milk. Once combine mix in the pecans

Evenly distribute the mixture among the 12 tart cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Let it cool before serving.

 

Post #100: White Choco Brownies

Yay!!! I've reached a milestone in this little bloggy of mine since starting it back in March. I've reached 100 posts. Woohoo... I'm actually surprised by the recipes I've posted thus far. And so many, too. Some of you readers may know of my love for chocolate when I've commented on some of your blogs. But I have yet make a chocolate concoction on this site. Never fear! I've finally made a chocolate dessert/snack recipe. What better way to start then with the classic brownie. A white chocolate brownie with peanut butter chips and pecans to be exact. Have I got your attention now?

Btw...I had my first taste of bacon chocolate a couple days ago. Holy cow was it good!!! A wonderful blend of salty and sweet. I must get me more!

Anyway...we're all used to seeing the cocoa version of the brownie. Not too often does white chocolate play a role. We got to give it some star appearances once in a while. I mean it is good stuff.

Don't mind my hack job of a square cut on those brownies seen in the pictures. I could never wait for them to fully cool down. To eager? Yes, but they were begging to be sliced. Really, they were. They were moist and chewy with the slight flaky top crust. Goes perfect with a tall cold glass of moo juice. Better yet, how about a couple mini scoops of oreo sundae ice cream from Baskin and Robbins? When I say mini, I mean mini. Golf ball sized scoops. That's why you see three on the dish slightly melting next to the warm brownie. When that happens, you're in for a fun and delicious time.



White Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter chips and Pecans

1 c white chocolate chips (plus extra)
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter or margarine (softened)
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 c cake flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c peanut butter chips
1 c pecan pieces (plus extra)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350˚F

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

Melt the white chocolate white chocolate chips in a bowl with the water. Heat in the mircowave for 1 1/2 - 2 min or until melted. Stir the mixture after the first minute to combine. Or use the double boiler method. Bring some water to a boil in a small pot. Once the water is boiling bring it down to a simmer. Place the chocolate and water in a metal bowl and place on top of the pot. Stir chocolate ocassionally to combine until melted.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Then add in the eggs, mixing after each one. Add in vanilla, then the melted white chocolate. Combine well then slowly add the flour mixture. Mix well until there are no lumps.

Add in the peanuts butter chips and pecan pieces.

Lightly grease prefered baking pan and pour in the batter. Sprinkle a little more white chocolate chips and pecan pieces on top.

Baked for 25 min. Let it cool for at least 5-10min then cut into squares.

Enjoy with a cold glass of moo juice or ice cream.