Day 6 … Pecan Tassies

We’ve always been a big cookie baking family and the holidays had a very specific list. Cream cheese spritz for sure, with an abundance of sprinkles and those mercury loaded silver balls. Windowpane cookies which to the delight of the kids and the horror of my mother, we’d crush hard candies with hammers to sprinkle inside the cutouts. Candy bits scattered everywhere. And how much easier would it have been if we’d had silicone baking mats back then?? Kolacky. Twisty peppermint candy canes. And pecan tassies, little miniature pecan pies. So today for Day 6 of the 12 Days of Cookies, a holiday classic … Pecan Tassies. We’re at the halfway mark folks!

I was discussing these recently with a friend and she said “I love pecan tasties!” Tasties? We looked at each other in confusion and she said, “Well that’s what we called them.” I have to admit, though we called them tassies, I have no idea why or what the word meant. It’s just what we called them. And tasties is just what her family called them. So I googled.

Turns out a tassie is a small cup and it seems in the food world a tassie is also a small tart or miniature pie specifically, a small pecan pie cookie often found in the south, especially around the holidays. OK. Glad we got that straightened out.

The method here follows the first cookie in this lot, the Jam Streusel Tarts, where the basic dough is rolled thin, cut into rounds and pressed into a mini muffin tin. Then a goopy pecan filling spiked with bourbon is poured inside the shells and baked until set but still a touch gooey.

Quick tip. I can’t stand portioning out goopy pecans into individual mini tart shells. It’s messy, the pecans never distribute evenly and the stuff drizzles everywhere. So don’t add the pecans to the filling mixture, rather, sprinkle them evenly in the tart shells then pour the goop over. It’s much easier. You’re welcome.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: CALL ‘EM WHAT YOU WANT. Tasty, tassie. A tisket, a tasket. It doesn’t really matter as long as you make them. And don’t forget the bourbon. A healthy glug is key here, and in so many things. Baking an old favorite will make you happy whether you take a glug of that bourbon yourself for not.

2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Butter Rum Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Coconut Lime Sticks, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps

2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Raspberry Linzer Bars, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Banana Walnut Bars, PBJ Sandwich Cookies, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons

2018 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Jam Streusel Tarts
Day 2: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels
Day 3: Orange Sesame Crisps
Day 4: Almond Raspberry Strips
Day 5: Peppermint Brownie Bars 

DAY 6 … PECAN TASSIES
Yeah, I call for ½ an egg for the smallest batch here. I know, but it wasn’t quite right with the full egg. I tried. The easiest way to get ½ an egg is to whip the egg with a fork until well blended and use a scale to weigh out half. If you don’t have a scale, whip as mentioned then using two identical bowls, divide the egg between the two. Or eyeball it. You could certainly eyeball it. Then make scrambled eggs with the extra to sustain you through the rest of your cookie baking.

Basic butter cookie dough, room temperature – recipe here

1. For the tarts: Between two pieces of lightly floured piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll out the room temperature dough to 1/8” thickness.
2. Chill for 15 minutes to firm up a bit (it will cut cleaner and transfer easier.)
3. Using a 2 ¼” round cutter (or whatever size works best for your tin), cut out rounds, rerolling the scraps as necessary.
4. Gently press 1 pastry round into each mini muffin tin cavity. Gently ease the dough in starting with the sides. If the dough cracks/breaks, simply patch up with a bit of extra dough, pressing into place.
5. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm, about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
7. For filling: in a small bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, melted butter, bourbon (or vanilla) and salt until blended.
8. Divide the pecans between the pastry cups, about ½ teaspoon per cup.
9. Spoon or carefully pour the filling into the pastry shells, filling about ¾ full.
10. Bake 15-18 minutes or until the pastry edges are golden and filling is puffed, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
11. Cool in pans 2 minutes.
12. Carefully remove from the pan to wire racks to cool completely.
13. Do ahead: If you have the space you can freeze the pastry right in pans, well wrapped, for up to 2 months. While I prefer to bake these fresh, they can be frozen, layered between wax or parchment paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw in covered containers.

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