South Carolina Pecan Tartlets Recipes

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.

PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
• Lightly spray a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil (not necessary for nonstick tins). Using the score lines as a guide, cut off 12 1-inch pieces of dough (reserve the rest of the dough for another use). Roll each piece into a ball in your palms (lightly flour your hands, if necessary). Put one ball in the center of each muffin cup.
• If you have a wooden tart tamper, flour it lightly. Press the wider end onto a ball of dough until the dough thins out and begins coming up the sides of the cup, and then twist the tamper slightly to release it. Use the tamper's narrower end to push the dough halfway up the sides and to smooth out the dough where the sides meet the bottom. If you don't have a tart tamper, use a narrow, flat-bottomed glass or your fingers, lightly floured, to press the dough into the cups.
• Tilt the muffin tin to see if the dough reaches the same level in all the cups; also check for any holes in the dough (this could cause the tartlet to stick to the pan). Rub your thumb around the rim of the dough in each cup for a clean, smooth edge. Slightly less than 1/2 inch of each cup should be exposed. Chill for at least 10 minutes to firm the dough.
• In a medium bowl, blend the eggs and cream. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, along with the corn syrup and melted butter; don't overmix. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to a measuring cup with a spout and pour into the dough-lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the tops.
• Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the tartlets to loosen and then let them cool until they're firm enough to handle, about another 15 minutes. Using the tip of a small knife, gently lift the tartlets from the pan and set them on a wire rack to cool.

FUDGY PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light. Gradually add flour, beating until blended. Roll into 1-in. balls. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray., For filling, in a bowl, combine the egg yolk, sugar, butter, milk and vanilla; gradually stir in melted chocolate. Fill tart shells three-fourths full. Top each with a pecan half. , Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned and filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

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.

STICKY PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 335 degrees F (168 degrees C).
• Mix 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, egg yolk, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup butter with the tips of your fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add water; mix until dough begins to stick together. Shape dough into a flat disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Combine corn syrup and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Pour corn syrup mixture into a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons butter, vanilla extract, and fleur de sel; whisk until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Let filling cool, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 egg at a time. Stir in pecans.
• Separate the dough into 2 equal slabs; roll out onto a floured work surface and flatten into 2 long rectangles. Cut out 3 circles from each rectangle; press crusts into 6 tartlet pans. Divide the pecan filling over the crusts.
• Bake until crusts are golden and filling is set, 35 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely in the tartlet pans, at least 30 minutes.

MILK CHOCOLATE-PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Using on/off turns, add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix yolk and 1 1/2 teaspoons cream in bowl. Add to flour mixture; process until moist clumps form. If dough is dry, add more cream by teaspoonfuls to moisten. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray eighteen 3-inch tartlet pans with oil spray. Press 1 tablespoon dough onto bottom and up sides of each pan. Arrange tartlet pans on heavy large baking sheet. Bake until crusts are golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 10 minutes. Transfer pans to rack; cool completely.
• Melt 9 ounces chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring often. Remove from heat. Bring cream just to simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot cream into chocolate; stir until very smooth. Stir in chopped pecans. Transfer filling to small bowl. Cover; chill until filling is consistency of thick pudding, about 2 hours.
• Using small knife, loosen crusts from pans. Turn crusts out. Spread 1 teaspoon preserves in each crust. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling over. Garnish with nut halves and grated chocolate. Chill until filling is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.) Serve cold.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE MINI TARTS-TARTLETS (TASSIES)

Steps:

• To prepare crust:.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Add one egg, beating until smooth. Gradually add flour. Beat at low speed until just combined (dough will be sticky).
• Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls; press in bottom and two-thirds up sides of each cup of a miniature muffin pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make filling:.
• In a medium bowl, combine corn syrup, 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter, 2 eggs, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
• Spoon corn syrup mixture into each crust. Top with chopped pecans.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Makes about 3 dozen.

CHOCOLATE AND PECAN TARTLETS

Steps:

• Mix softened butter and cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Blend in flour, a bit at a time, confectioners' sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Form dough into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours. Heat oven to 325°F. Divide dough into 24 balls; press into two 12-cup mini muffin tins, pushing dough up over edges. Refrigerate. Mix brown sugar, chocolate, egg, melted butter, vanilla and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl until combined. Divide half the pecans among muffin cups; top with brown sugar mixture; sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Bake 20 minutes or until dough is lightly golden around edges. Let sit 5 minutes. Run tip of knife around cup edges to loosen. Remove when cool enough to handle; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.