Day 8 - Pecan Tassies

Today's cookie is a staple on my Christmas cookie tray.  My sister Sally shared this recipe with me many years ago when a friend made them for a party she attended.  You may start to see a theme, all great recipes seem to make their way to me from Sally.  I love this recipe as it is basically a miniature pecan pie.  My mom made pecan pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year so it has a special place in my heart! Mom's pie though had an awesome twist.  She added chocolate chips to it which made it amazing.  I changed this cookie recipe a little to add a couple of chocolate chips to each tassie to try and replicate the flavor of Mom's pie.  While not exactly the same as Mom's pie, it does make the tassies even better.  I think you are also finding another theme in my cookies, chocolate makes everything better!  I make half with chocolate chips and half plain for those who don't share my chocolate obsession.  I hope you love these as much as we do.

Shell: Makes 24
1 cup flour
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Put the flour, cream cheese, and butter into a food processor and pulse until a lumpy, grainy, sticky mass.  Pulse a little longer until dough forms into one ball.  Separate dough into 24 balls and press into small muffin tins. I do this recipe twice since a single recipe makes 24 and the filling is for 48 tassies.

Filling: (for 48 tassies)
1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix brown sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla together.  Spoon into each crust about 3/4 full (about half a tablespoon in each).  If making the chocolate chip version, add 2 chocolate chips in each one.  Top with chopped pecans and pat down a little.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes and take the tassies out of the tins with a sharp knife.  Cool completely.  I drizzle melted chocolate chips (melted in the microwave for two 20 second intervals stirring in between) on top of the chocolate chip tassies.  Freeze once chocolate is set.