Description
Delightful bite-sized pecan pies with a buttery shortbread crust and rich, sweet pecan filling – perfect for holiday gatherings or anytime you crave the classic flavors of pecan pie in a convenient mini form.
Ingredients
Scale
- Buttery Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup cold butter
- Pecan Pie Filling
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prepare the Baking Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 12-cup muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. This ensures the mini pies will release easily after baking and creates a perfect surface for your shortbread crust to form against.
- Make the Shortbread Crust: In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and brown sugar together. Using a pastry cutter, add butter and cut mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. The texture should be sandy with small pieces of butter throughout, which will create a flaky, tender crust.
- Pre-bake the Crust: Press the crust mixture evenly into the prepared muffin cups, creating a shallow shell. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove from the oven. The pre-baking helps set the crust and prevents it from becoming soggy when the filling is added.
- Prepare the Filling: While the crust is baking, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl until well combined and smooth. The ingredients should be fully incorporated without any streaks of egg visible.
- Add Pecans and Fill: Stir the chopped pecans into the liquid mixture, ensuring they’re evenly distributed. Carefully spoon the pecan mixture over the partially baked crusts, filling each about ¾ full to allow room for expansion.
- Final Baking: Reduce the oven temperature to 275°F and bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is set. The lower temperature ensures the filling cooks evenly without becoming tough or overly browned.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. The pies will continue to set as they cool, and proper cooling helps them maintain their shape when removed from the pan.
Notes
- For best results, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to carefully loosen the edges of the pies before removing them from the pan.
- These mini pies can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container.
- For a deeper flavor, try toasting the pecans before adding them to the filling.
- Dark corn syrup provides the richest flavor, but light corn syrup can be substituted if that’s what you have on hand.
- These freeze well for up to 3 months if wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini pie
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 21g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 55mg