Dinah's Dishes – Pecan Pie Tarts

I told you last week that I was not doing very much planning and prepping for Thanksgiving in terms of food, but that I would be making a couple of goodies. Well here it is! I love pecan pie, and I love it even more when they are individually sized. These are a treat I like to make for my brother. What can I say I’m just that nice. 🙂

When I was growing up, one of my parents’ friends would make small pecan pies for us at the holidays and they were so delightful. Unfortunately, in the Midwest you cannot buy individual pie shells like you can in the South. Instead I have had to modify the recipe and make my own crust and use my tart pans. Since we have been living in the Midwest for a while now, I have really started to enjoy using my individual tart pans for these treats because I think it adds to the presentation “wow” factor while preserving the traditional yumminess of my regular pecan pie. The only downside is you have to share. Just kidding…sharing is a good thing!

So as a tribute to my Southern heritage, I am sharing my grandmother’s pecan pie recipe that has been tweaked to my liking. The biggest change is that my recipe is full of pecans! (I think I have doubled the original amount of pecans from Nana’s recipe. I think she would approve.) I enjoy the gooey filling but only when it is filled with pecans. No skimping allowed!

Pecan Pie

This recipe will make 1 deep dish pie or 6 (4-inch tarts) and 1 (8-inch) tart or two regular pies.
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup white corn syrup
4 eggs, beaten
pinch of salt
1 1/2-2 cups chopped pecans
pie crusts of choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line tart shells or pie pans with unbaked pie crust dough. Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, eggs, and salt together and whisk until well combined. Cover bottom of pie pan or tart shells with chopped pecans. (I use 1/4 cup for the small tart shells and 1 cup for the larger tart pan.) You want to make sure the bottom is covered well with the pecans. Now pour your butter mixture over the pecans to cover nicely. Place pies or tarts on a baking sheet to keep from cooking over and spilling into the bottom of your oven. Cook in the oven for approximately 25 minutes for the small tarts but closer to 45 minutes to an hour for the larger pies. You will know they are down when you gently shake the side of the pan and the filling doesn’t jiggle.