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The smell of the roasted pecans has the neighbors knocking on the door. These tarts are in high demand by my friends – especially those with a strong sweet tooth 🙂 They’re gone before you can even count to 10!
Prep time: 60 mins (including 30 mins chilling) – Cook time: 70 mins – Total time: 130 mins
Ingredients:
Dough base (this is enough for 5 mini tarts)
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tbsp cold and cubed unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp cold water (or slightly less)
Pecan filling
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1.5 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp milk or cream
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 egg beaten
Equipment:
| Measuring cups and spoons |
| 2 medium bowls |
| 2 sauce pans |
| Sieve |
| 5 mini tart pans (any shape) |
How to…..
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/176 degrees Celsius.
Dough base
Mix the flour and butter in a bowl. Mix it with your fingers, rubbing in the butter until you get a crumbly texture. Then add the water a little at a time until you form a soft dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Roast the pecans in a 350 Fahrenheit / 176 Celsius oven for about 15 mins. Remove them from the oven and let them cool. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius/400 Fahrenheit.
Remove the dough from the fridge, and roll it out on a floured wooden board/surface until it’s about 1/8th of an inch. Now place it over the tart pan. This is easier done when the rolled-out dough is at least 2-3 cm wider than the tart pan itself. Press down very gently so you don’t break it. You can roll the rolling pin over the tart shell to cut off the dough that is draping over the side (you can find YouTube videos for an easy illustration). Prick the base with a fork all over. Put foil or parchment paper over the dough and fill it with baking beans or uncooked rice (this will prevent the dough from puffing up). Bake it for 10-15 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove the foil with the baking beans or rice. Put the cooled roasted pecans over the dough base.
Now to the rest of the pecan filling.
Put the butter in a saucepan over low heat until it turns a golden color. Then add both sugars, the corn syrup and water and stir it. Let it boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla, milk and spices. Add the egg slowly to the mixture and keep mixing. Let it cool.Â
Once cooled, pour the egg mixture over the pecans which you have already arranged over the dough base.
Bake for about 40 minutes until they are set. Let them cool before enjoying,
This recipe is for 6 inch / 15 cm mini tarts. You can double the recipe for a 10 inch / 25 cm tart dish.