Pecan Sand Tarts Recipes

SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a stand mixer, cream together butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Add flour and pecans and mix on low until incorporated.
• Shape dough into small balls about the size of a walnut and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 30 minutes.
• While cookies are still hot, roll in a bowl of sifted powdered sugar. Let cookies cool, then roll again in the powdered sugar. Store in airtight container.

PECAN SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
• Add the pecans and 1 cup (120g) of the flour to a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times to grind the pecans into a coarse powder, the consistency of sand. Dump this mixture into a bowl and add the remaining 1 cup (120g) of flour and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
• Cream the butter and 4 tablespoons (29g) of powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy - about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
• Add the flour and pecan mixture to the butter and sugar and beat on low just until all the ingredients are combined. If you are adding mini chocolate chips, stir them into the dough now.
• Add the remaining 1 cup (115g) of powdered sugar to a bowl. Form the dough into 1 to 2-inch balls, rolling each piece between your palms, then rolling the ball of dough in the powdered sugar to coat.
• Lay the balls of sugar-coated dough on the parchment lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2-inches apart.
• For plain sand tarts and sand tarts with mini-chocolate chips, press a fork into the balls of dough, pressing down across the cookie in one direction, then again perpendicular to create a grid pattern.
• For sand tarts topped with a chocolate kiss, press a chocolate kiss into the top of each ball of dough, pressing the dough down a bit to cradle the chocolate kiss in the cookie dough.
• Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a wire rack. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store Sand Tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

PECAN SANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer on low, gradually add flour, beating just until combined. Fold in pecans.
• Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and place on 2 baking sheets, 2 inches apart. With the dampened bottom of a glass, lightly flatten each ball.
• Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.

PECAN TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy; blend in flour and salt. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape into 1-in. balls; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased mini-muffin cups. , For filling, in a small bowl, beat the egg. Add brown sugar, butter and vanilla; mix well. Stir in pecans. Spoon into tart shells. , Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before carefully removing from pans. Garnish with maraschino cherries if desired.

SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Beat butter in large bowl until light. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until just blended. Stir in nuts. Shape dough into a ball, then flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on prepared sheets, spacing evenly. Bake about 20 minutes, or until firm and lightly colored.
• Sift 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Transfer cookies to confectioners' sugar while still warm and roll gently to coat. Immediately transfer cookies to plastic bag and seal (this makes the cookies sweat and form an icing). Let stand 5 minutes in the bag. Transfer to rack and cool.

SOUTH CAROLINA PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375. Toast the pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for about 8 minutes. Cool the pecans; coarsely chop half of them and leave the other half intact.
• Beat the eggs with a mixer until they are foamy. Beat in the sugars, salt and butter. Warm this mixture in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot to the touch; do not boil. Stir in the vanilla extract and the pecans.
• Spoon the mixture into a greased or nonstick 12-cup muffin tin; bake 20 minutes, until the mixture shakes like Jell-O but is still quite moist. Cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

TINY PECAN TARTS

Steps:

• To Make Pastry: Cream butter or margarine and cream cheese. Add flour and mix well. Make into 48 balls; place one ball in each cup of a mini tart pan. Use your fingers or a tart tamper to press out into a tart shell.
• To Make Filling: Break the eggs, but do not beat. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans. Mix well. Fill the tart shells. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until delicately browned.

MARTHA'S PECAN TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights; transfer to oven. Bake until edges are set and golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove paper and beans or weights and continue baking until bottom is dry and golden, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Whisk together eggs in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, and salt; mix to combine. Stir in butter, vanilla, and zest until thoroughly combined. Add chopped pecans and stir to combine.
• Pour filling into tart shell. Neatly arrange pecan halves in rows over filling and transfer to oven. Bake until pastry is lightly browned and filling is set, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on rack before cutting and serving. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

PECAN SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Chop the pecans rather finely but don't pulverize into a powder. Set aside. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• Combine the butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer set at medium-high or creaming speed, beat until light and fluffy for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice with rubber spatula.
• Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat 30 seconds longer.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the chopped pecans and mix well. Stir in the flour and mix only until blended.
• Gather the dough into a ball in the center of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 1/2 hours.
• When ready to bake, combine the grated chocolate and the granulated sugar and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
• Dampen your fingertips with cold water. Using level tablespoons of batter for each cookie, shape the dough into bars about 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long, patting into shape with your fingers.
• Place the bars on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• Set the pan of cookies in the center of the preheated oven on the middle shelf and bake the cookies for 8 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the cookie tops with some of the chocolate-sugar mixture, using about 1 teaspoon per cookie. Return the cookies to the oven, reverse pan from front to back, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes longer, or until lightly browned and the topping is melted.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 or 3 minutes, and then remove from the pan with a metal spatula and cool completely on the rack.
• Bake the remaining cookies, one pan at a time, in the same way.

PECAN SANDIE CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once, 10 minutes; let cool. Set aside 1 cup perfect pecan halves for topping.
• Transfer the remaining 1 cup pecans to a food processor with the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt; process until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and egg yolk and pulse until the dough is moistened and starts to clump together. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Line the crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until firm and dry around the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the crust is lightly browned all over, about 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the granulated sugar, golden syrup and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; stir until dissolved. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a deep amber color, thickens slightly and registers 300˚ on a candy thermometer, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the diced butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and thickened. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Let cool slightly, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Pour the filling into the cooled crust and arrange the reserved pecans on top. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or overnight.

NANA'S CRESCENTS OR SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• With an electric mixer or by hand, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add vanilla and then stir in flour and chopped nuts until combined. Roll tablespoon-sized pieces of dough into crescent shapes. Repeat until no dough remains. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cookies are lightly golden.
• While cookies are in the oven, put 2 cups powdered sugar in a large resealable bag. Remove cookies from baking sheet and add them to the bag of powdered sugar. Carefully turn cookies in sugar while they are still hot. Remove cookies from bag and shake lightly to remove excess sugar.

AUNT RUTH'S PECAN SAND TARTS

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add vanilla and nuts.
• Add flour, 1 cup at a time.
• Shape into little thin rolls - cut in to little "fingers".
• Bake at 300 degrees for 10-12 minutes until bottoms start to barely brown.
• Let set on baking sheet for five minutes.
• When cool, roll in powdered sugar.

GOLDEN BROWN BUTTER AND PECAN PRALINE TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Cook 3/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until butter turns golden brown (nut-colored), watching carefully to prevent burning, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour melted brown butter into 1-cup glass measuring cup. Let melted butter stand until barely warm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Whisk flour, brown sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add 1/2 cup of barely warm melted brown butter and stir with fork until moist dough forms (mixture will resemble wet sand). Transfer dough to prepared tart pan. Using fingertips, press dough firmly and evenly onto bottom and up sides of pan (dough will look glossy). Let crust rest 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature. Bake crust until set and just golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
• For filling:
• Meanwhile, whisk egg and brown sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Whisk in golden syrup, whipping cream, and salt. Stir in remaining melted brown butter, leaving most of darkened solids behind in bottom of measuring cup. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into warm crust, distributing pecans evenly.
• Bake tart until filling is browned and slightly puffed and set at edges (center will still move slightly when pan is gently shaken), 25 to 27 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack (center of filling will set as tart cools). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and store at room temperature.

SANDTORTCHEN (SAND TARTS)

Steps:

• Cream sugar and butter.
• Beat in 2 eggs.
• Gradually blend in the flour.
• Chill dough overnight.
• Roll as thin as possible on well floured board.
• Work with 1/4 of the dough at a time.
• Keep remaining dough chilled.
• Cut into diamonds with a knife.
• Place on greased cookie sheets.
• Brush each cookie with beaten egg white.
• Sprinkle with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.
• Placd a pecan half in center of each cookie.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown.
• Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute, then remove to wire racks.
• Store in airtight tins.