Mini Pecan Pies

     


      I made mini pecan pies this year for Jesus' birthday dessert.  They are really easy to make. I used a double pie crust recipe from my 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I used a recipe for the pie filling from Robb Walsh.  I adapted the filling a tad, too.
      I never use corn syrup in a pecan pie recipe.  I order Steen's Cane Syrup online.  It is inexpensive.  The prices online include shipping.  I bought 4, 25 ounce cans for $26.50!  It is really good on pancakes, biscuits, and ice cream, too!  It is all natural and made the old fashioned way!  Plus it is local and made in America.  Unlike Lyle's golden syrup which is made using a chemical process and is made overseas.

Pie Crust

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
mixed together with 1 tsp. salt
Cut in 2/3 cup room temp or cold butter.  Do 1/3 cup first until the pieces are like a coarse grain.  Then do the last 1/3 until those pieces are like large peas.  This makes the pie flaky and tender.
Sprinkle with 4 tbsp. water.
Gather the dough together and press into a ball. Divide in two and wrap each disc in plastic wrap and put in the fridge until ready to use.


Pecan Pie Filling

1/3 cup butter melted over med. low heat with
1 tsp salt, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and one 1 cup cane syrup until it is smooth.  Stir while cooking it.
Sit mixture in a bowl that will let it cool off.  Then add 3 eggs, already mixed up, and 1-2 tsp. vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of cognac or vsop brandy.  Mix until blended through. (the original recipe says to mix for ten minutes! That is overkill and not needed at all. Thanksgiving I made two pies, one with the crazy mixing and one without.  No difference in finished product except lost time and a burnt out hand mixer...lol.)  If you are making mini pies then add 2/3 cup chopped pecans.  If making a regular pie, add 1.5 cups of regular pecans.  Then mix again by hand.

To make the mini pies, roll out one disc of the dough.  It will make exactly 12 mini pies using a regular muffin tin.  Do not use non stick, as it is dark and will cause the pies to burn on the crust.  Plus non stick is toxic as heck.  Use a shiny pan.  DO NOT GREASE PANS.  Use a biscuit cutter and take the disc and put into the muffin hole and push down and around the sides.  Squish it up the sides and fix any tears you make.  Reroll dough until you are done with the 12 mini crusts.
Next, ladle the pie filling into each crust.  Leave a small amount of head space.  They will expand a small amount.  Then place a few whole pecans on top of each mini pie.  Push the pecans into the filling.
Put the mini pies into a preheated 425 degree oven.  After 5 minutes, drop the temp to 350 and cook until they are done.  They will be firmer to the touch in the middle, not all wobbly dobbly, and when a knife inserted into the middle it will come out with bits that are more solid and less liquidy.  It will take less than 45 minutes, but more than 25.  The pies will not get black on top.  This is over cooked.  The crust will be light brown...maybe a light medium brown.  But they will not overcook either in the muffin tins.  They are really easy to remove, too. You will notice when they are done, the crust starts to pull away from the sides, too.  Just run a knife around the edge to catch any little bits and pop them out.!  Reminds me of the ones I would buy in the store, but so much better tasting and better for you!

I used my extra pie filling, that was left over, with the second disc of dough and made a small pie with a meatloaf pan I had.  Very tasty.