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Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies. Step-by-step instructions for a delicate caramel center and a crunchy pecan topping, packed inside shortbread.

Matt loves homemade pecan pie, but I prefer fruit pies. There’s one way we compromise, and that’s with these bite-size pecan tassies cookies. Have you ever heard of them?

They are little pecan tart pastries containing pecan pieces in a buttery rich pie shell. There’s a few key ingredients we use to give them a rich, unique flavor. These pie bites take a little time to make but are worth every minute.

closeup of pecan tassie cookies, one cut in half

About this Pecan Tassies Recipe:

Flavor: If you’ve ever had pecan pie, then you know what these generally taste like. The crust is buttery and rich, but not sweet. All the sweetness comes from the dark brown sugar filling. And maple extract adds a depth of flavor that is delicious.
Texture: This cookie recipe has a lot of texture. The crust is buttery and smooth. The filling has a crunchy pecan top, but a soft, caramely center.
Method: This recipe bakes in a mini muffin pan. Our pans hold 12, so we need 3 pans. Other pans are larger. Just make sure you can do 36 cookies.

What is a tassie?

“Tassie” is a Scottish word for cup, so these cookies are like little “cups” filled with a pecan filling. Other names for this recipe would be pecan tarts or mini pecan pies.

Ingredients

Notes about the ingredients:

Light brown sugar will work just as well, but the flavor will not be as deep.
The crust is made of cream cheese, flour and butter. Use store bought pie crust or your favorite pie dough if you’d like.
A teaspoon vanilla extract will work just as well as maple extract.
If you only have unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon salt to the crust and then add a dash of salt to the pecan filling.

How to Make Pecan Tassies

This cookie recipe is slightly a labor of love, but I hope you can use our methods to make the process go more quickly.

Make the dough.

In a small bowl, use hand mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until smooth.
Spray three mini muffin pans (36 tarts total) with cooking spray.
Using a mini cookie scoop, scoop dough balls into the muffin pans, dividing the dough between the 36 cups evenly.
Refrigerate the dough while making the filling.

a mini muffin pan with dough balls in it

Make the filling.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, maple extract and finely chopped pecans.

filling for pecan tassies in a glass bowl

Assemble the pecan tassies.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
After the tarts have refrigerated about 15 minutes, remove one pan from the refrigerator. Press the dough on the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cavity to create a “cup” with the dough. This works well if you have a tart tamper, but you can also use the end of a large kitchen tool. I used the wooden end of an ice cream scoop.

crusts in a mini muffin pan for pecan tarts

After the first pan is done, remove the other pan and do the same.
Spoon the filling into the dough shells til they are ⅔ full. (They rise slightly so if you fill them too much they will overflow.) Place a pecan half on top of each cup.

Bake for 18 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown on top.
Allow the tarts to cool, then loosen them with a small knife and remove to a wire rack.

How to keep the tarts from sticking.

There are three keys to keeping the cookies from sticking:

Grease the mini muffin tin well. Use cake release or a baking spray made with flour for the best results.
Don’t overfill the cups. If the sugar overflows, it will bake on the pan and be hard to remove.
I slightly “loosen” any edges of the tarts that may look like they will stick, then leave the tarts in the pan until they are mostly cooled before removing.

Storage Instructions

Store the pecan tassies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They do freeze well in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Pecan Tassies

4.64 from 30 votes

Old Fashioned Pecan Tassies. Step-by-step instructions for a delicate caramel center and a crunchy pecan topping, packed inside shortbread.

Servings 36

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 18

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Ingredients

For the crust:

3/4 cup salted butter room temperature, 6 ounces
5 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 203 grams

For the filling:

1 ½ cups dark brown sugar 320 grams
2 tablespoons salted butter melted, 29 grams
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon maple extract
½ cup finely chopped pecans 68 grams

For topping:

36 pecan halves

Instructions

Make the dough:

In a small bowl, use hand mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until smooth.
Spray three mini muffin pans (36 tarts total) with cooking spray.
Using a mini cookie scoop, scoop dough balls into the muffin pans, dividing the dough between the 36 cups evenly.
Refrigerate the dough while making the filling.

Make the filling:

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, maple extract and finely chopped pecans.

Assemble the tarts:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
After the tarts have refrigerated about 15 minutes, remove one pan from the fridge. Press the dough on the bottom and up the sides of each muffin cavity to create a “cup” with the dough.
After the first pan is done, remove the other pan and do the same. (I use the end of a wooden kitchen tool to start the process and make it a little faster. Then use my fingers to finish forming the cups.)
Fill the dough shells ⅔ full with the filling. (They rise slightly so if you fill them too much they will overflow.) Place a pecan half on top of each cup.
Bake for 18 minutes or until the tarts are golden brown on top.
Allow the tarts to cool, then loosen them with a small knife and remove to a wire rack.
Store the tarts in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 36 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**