Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Classic Pecan Tassies

Cookie Cups:
1 cup butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour

Filling:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 Tbs butter, melted
¼ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Cookie Cups:
In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Mix in the flour until just combined. Place dough into a Ziploc bag and flatten, or wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 15 minutes.

Filling:
In a medium bowl, mix together the beaten eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, salt, and vanilla.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.

Divide dough into 48 balls and place in prepared muffin tin. If you need to bake the tassies in batches, return dough to the refrigerator until ready to use. Dip end of a wooden tart dough tool in flour to keep dough from sticking. Use the tool to press the dough balls into cup shape (or use fingers to press into pan edges). Press enough for dough to come up to the edge of the muffin cups.

Add about 1 tsp of chopped pecans into each cookie cup. Spoon about 1- 1 ½ tsp filling over the pecans in each muffin cup. Fill each cup with additional chopped pecans (about ½ – 1 tsp additional pecans).

Bake for 24-28 minutes. Let tarts cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Use a cake tester or toothpick to loosen the tarts from the pan. Carefully remove tarts and set on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 48 mini pecan tassie tarts

Equipment needed:
Mini muffin pan
Wooden tart dough tamper

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