Tag Archives: nut

Holiday gift 2013: mini pecan pies

7 Jan

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.

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!

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 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.

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

All yolks aside, baking can be serious business

I whisk I could say otherwise

I whisk I could say otherwise

But lightheartedness just isn't in the mix

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!

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!

P1010700 P1010699

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.

Advertisement

Tags: ,

Post pour Pecan Pie por Plane!

22 May

I guess I cheated a bit on the title here, since “pour” and “por” are French and Spanish for “for”.  I just couldn’t resist the alliteration!

Anyways.  Apologies for not posting this last week.  Good news, I passed my prelim I took last week, the day after making the pie this post is about!  I’m taking another one tomorrow, and if I pass it too I’ll be done with big tests for a long time (maybe forever?  But we always think that and then people go do CFAs or random things like that).

I’ve always disliked pecan pie.  It’s bitter, the pecans are too hard, and it’s too heavily goopy- feels like my teeth are slowly rotting under the viscous syrup.  And then my friend Ellie (the one who organized the conference with me) gave me a slice of pecan pie for Pi Day (when I made the chess pie).  IT WAS INCREDIBLE.  So light and creamy, and the nutty bite of pecans perfectly offsets the gooeyness of the layer below.  There’s a bit less sugar in this pie than most, and she uses light Karo syrup which I think makes a huge difference.

If you make anything from this blog, this pie is in my top three recommendations (the others being the mushroom-burnt onion pate and the 1-ingredient chocolate mousse).  It’s simple, fast, and a huge crowd pleaser (I actually had some of this pie on Monday and then made it Wednesday).

Image

Seven ingredients, I guess nine if you count EGGSactly

It’s super easy: you just whip up your eggs, and then mix in all the other ingredients.  Oh PRO TIP (a la the brownies and foil thing): IF YOU DROP A PIECE OF EGGSHELL IN YOUR DOUGH, DO NOT PANIC.  Use the big piece of eggshell to pick it up!  It’s a little bit magical, explained here: Just kidding!  I tried to google it and could not find an explanation (let me know if you know why this works).  It’s like the big piece of eggshell attracts the little pieces.

Keep calm and bake on!

Keep calm and bake on!

I purposefully dropped a teeny bit of eggshell in this picture so you could see the next one, but I’m not so great at this whole taking pictures of a white speck floating in clear goop over another white background thing.

Don't mind me, just taking a quick dip in the gene pool (the white is where DNA is, I think) [This may be a lie I'm not a scientist]

Don’t mind me, just taking a quick dip in the gene pool (the white is where DNA is, I think) [This may be a lie I’m not a scientist]

So you whip up your eggs, put in your softened butter (I just popped a stick in the microwave for ten seconds until I could poke it like this:)

James Polk was from the south, so maybe he too had pecan pie. Maybe he too poked some butter (seems ridiculously unlikely)

James Polk was from the south, so maybe he too had pecan pie. Maybe he too poked some butter (seems ridiculously unlikely)

Literally you need a bowl and a whisk and a measuring cup:

The Q and R trains in NYC are pretty reliable, but I always wonder: can P do it? And then it shows up and I think Yes, PECAN

The Q and R trains in NYC are pretty reliable, but I always wonder: can P do it? And then it shows up and I think Yes, PECAN

Stick it all in your premade pie crust (or make the stupid easy pie crust from the chess pie), and toss in your oven.

I wonder if sushi is super popular in the capital of North Carolina. Cuz, yknow, RAWleigh

I wonder if sushi is super popular in the capital of North Carolina. Cuz, yknow, RAWleigh

I’m really into poking in this post: the pie is done when you gently poke the top and it springs back.

2013-05-15_18-13-57_217

So easy!  SO DELICIOUS.

On a side note, you can bring pecan pie on a plane!  I was unsure how it’d go through security, but I wrapped it in foil, stuck it in a gallon freezer ziploc bag, and put it in my backpack.  Went through great!

My friend Shira, who also dislikes pecan pie, loved this one.  So make it!  Just writing about it makes me want to make it again: maybe next week!

 

Eleanor Reeves’ Pecan Pie (from my friend Ellie):

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

Mix, then pour into:

unbaked pie shell

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10 min then at 350 degrees for 50 min.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

%d bloggers like this: