-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