There are a few things that make me question my legitimacy as a good Southern girl. I don’t like sweet tea (gasp!). And I don’t like pecan pie. Now I don’t know what to do about the sweet tea but I’ve found a way to make pecan pies not only bearable but absolutely crave-worthy.
These mini chocolate pecan pies maximize the buttery, flaky pie crust and the lovely pecan halves with just enough chocolate filling to hold them together!
The size is great too! I know at our family’s celebration, we have an entire dessert table packed with pies, cakes and cookies, and I am always determined to sample everything! These tiny pies are big enough to satisfy a dessert craving but small enough to satisfy your calorie-calculating concern. And that is definitely something to be thankful for!
What You’ll Need for the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
1/8 cup ice water
a disposable aluminum cupcake pan
What You’ll Need for the filling:
1 1/2 cups whole pecans halves
4 ounces chocolate chips
1 large egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
What To Do:
In a medium bowl, place the flour, salt, and sugar and stir to combine. Add the butter and crumble into the flour mixture with your hands until the elements are combined, and it resembles course meal. Pour water in slowly while mixing, until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using.
After the dough has chilled, divide it into eight separate rounds. Spray the cupcake pan well with cooking spray and flatten each round into individual cupcake portions, being sure to fill crust all the way up the sides. Cover and refrigerate again until other elements are ready. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. In increments of 20 seconds, microwave chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl until completely melted. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk the egg, and then whisk in the sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Then stir in the cooled melted chocolate.
Remove the chilled pastry crust from the refrigerator and fill each mini crust with pecans. Pour the filling evenly over the nuts. Arrange the whole pecans in a decorative pattern on top of the filling. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling has puffed but is still wobbly when gently shaken and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
These pies are fantastic served warm on their own, but I imagine that a scoop of vanilla ice cream would add a whole dimension of delicious!
Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking
Chelsea is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Student Ministry at SWBTS. After a life changing summer on missions in college, God called her into spending a life serving students, more specifically discipling and loving girls. She served for two years as student minister at Oak Meadow Baptist Church in Austin. She integrates cooking with the gospel on her blog, Taste and See, and enjoys a good iced latte, thrift shopping, and cuddling with her puppy, Ringo.
