Holiday gift 2013: mini pecan pies

So for my very first post on this blog, I wrote about mini fruitcakes that were SO MUCH WORK and also SO WORTH IT.

Remember me?

I mailed them out to loved ones, and kept a few for myself, basting them with brandy every few days and munching on them every chance I had.  This year I wanted to make mini baked goods to mail out again, but with minimal effort (given the whooping cough thing).  So I recycled Ellie’s pecan pie recipe, but made teeny-tiny cupcake sized pies and froze them instead.

If that guy that Han Solo killed was suddenly infested with teeny parasites made from shrinking the forest protectors in LOTR, they would be in-Greedo-Ents.

It helps that this recipe is the easiest.  First I made the crusts by mixing flour, sugar, salt, milk, and oil in a bowl (from my chess pie post), then patting little balls into the cupcake tins.  Made 18 little crusts from one big crust.  I would recommend pre-baking these crusts for 10 minutes before adding the filling; I didn’t and they were waaaay too crumbly.

If you leave metal out in the ocean, you’ll get a similar result to this: (Sea)-rust!

I want a Simpsons episode where they open up a bakery. And maybe where Homer says D’oh dough! over and over again

I was tempted to draw a female smiley on this and listen to Lady Gage. Po-po-po-poke her face po-po-poke her face.

Once you’re all crusted up, mix the pie filling in a big bowl, first beating egg yolks and then adding everything else.

All yolks aside, baking can be serious business

I whisk I could say otherwise

But lightheartedness just isn’t in the mix

Don’t forget that the pie filling puffs up a little bit, so try not to overfill each little cup.

Why do I fill you up, buttercup baby just to set you down, and bake you around and then worst of all, I never take you out when I say I will, but I love you still!

A full sized pie takes about an hour to bake, while these little babies take about 20 minutes: 10 at 375, then 10-15 at 350, or until the top looks dry.  Let cool completely, then wrap in foil, then wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze.  Mail them with instructions: 5-10 minutes at 350 to thaw them out.  So tasty!

Mini pecan pies:  Easy crust from allrecipes, filling from Eleanor Reeves

For crust:

Mix together:

1.5 c flour

1.5 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Then pour in:

2 TB soy milk (add 1/2 tsp sugar if using regular milk)

1/2 c oil

Stir well, then pat into cupcake tins.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

Beat:

3 eggs

Add:

1/4 c. soft margarine (or butter)
1 c. chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. light karo syrup
1/2 c. sugar

Pour about 1/4 cup into each cupcake crust, then bake at 375 for 10 minutes, and lower heat to 350 and bake another 10-15 minutes or until done.

Tags: nut, pie