-PASTRY-
6 oz Cream cheese
1/2 lb Butter (or margarine)
2 c Flour, all-purpose
FILLING
3 c Brown sugar
2 ts Vanilla
1 c Pecans, chopped
4 Eggs, beaten
4 tb Butter (or margarine),
-melted
Allow the butter and cream cheese to soften. Mix cream cheese and butter
with a mixer until fluffy. Then (using your hands) mix in the flour.
Separate mixture into four equal parts and flatten each into a rectangular
shape. Allow the pastry to chill for several hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare filling by mixing all ingredients
gently. Use a spoon, not a mixer. Refrigerate until muffin tins are ready
to fill.
Take one unit of the chilled pastry and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll each
piece into a ball and then form the ball into the muffin tin in the shape
of a crust. Fill each tart about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to
30 minutes.
Bake these until slightly brown. To remove tarts, just turn the tin upside
down onto paper towels and then turn the tart right side up on a baking
rack to cool.
NOTES:
* Miniature pecan pies cooked in bite-size individual crusts in tiny
muffin tins — They are quite delicious.
* You will need to purchase tiny muffin tins, sometimes called “nugget
pans,” to make these tarts. They are inexpensive and you can use these for
various other things. It is best to purchase enough to make four dozen at
once. The entire four dozen will fit into the oven on one rack! It is best
to spray these tins with cooking oil before putting the crust in.
* There is a wooden utensil called a “tart-tamper” that is a real
time-saver for this recipe. It might be difficult to find. It is used to
smash the ball to fit the tin so you don’t spend a lot of time using your
fingers. You dip the tip of the tamper in flour each time to prevent
sticking to the pastry. It also makes the pastry look much more uniform and
professional.
: Difficulty: easy if you have a tart tamper; moderate otherwise.
: Time: 15 minutes pastry preparation; several hours chilling; 1 hour
filling, baking and cooling.
: Precision: Be precise for the pastry, filling may be approximate.
: Nancy Foltz
: AT&T Bell Labs, Columbus, Ohio, USA
: cbdkc1!naf
:
Yields
4 Dozen