Grandma's Pecan Tassies

Recipe View In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Gradually add the flour, mixing on low speed until just combined. (1 minute)

Recipe View Shape the dough into 48 small, even balls. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the gluten to relax and prevent excessive shrinking during baking. (1 hour +)

Recipe View Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with butter or cooking spray. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Press each dough ball evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a mini-muffin cup to create a pastry shell. (15 minutes)

Recipe View In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. (2 minutes)

Recipe View Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the chopped pecans. (1 minute)

Recipe View Spoon the pecan mixture into the tart shells, filling each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans evenly over the tops of the tassies. (5 minutes)

Recipe View Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are golden brown and the filling is set. (12-15 minutes)

Recipe View Remove the pans from the oven and let the tassies cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. (10 minutes)

Recipe View Gently remove the tassies from the pans and transfer them to the wire racks to cool completely. (20 minutes)