Pecan Pie Tassies or Tartlets from Blisscandies.com
I’ve always wanted to try making little tarts, otherwise known as “tassies” or “tartlets”. These mini tarts are most often made into little “pies” during the holiday season, but the possibilities are endless! Among the most popular are of course Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie, but you could fill these with brownie batter, fruit pie filling, cookie dough, lemon curd, caramel, etc. Thinking outside of the box a bit, try putting something savory in it, like a quiche recipe or even something like spinach or artichoke dip, yum! The whole point, really, is that they are delectable little treats right at your finger tips just for YOU. They are like cupcakes…too little to share so everyone else has to go get their own 
Imagine a platter of these fancy little beauties in assorted flavors, it’ll be the talk of the party!
Oh, so getting back to the the little tarts, why have I never tried them before you ask? Well honestly, they just seem like so much WORK, ugh. I love baking, but I’ve always more of a bars/brownies/cookies type of girl. you know, mix it all up in a bowl and plop into baking pan. This year is different though, as I really wanted to offer something special in Bliss Candies shop for the holiday season. Pecan pie has always been a favorite of mine so I wanted to offer something along those lines, but a regular pie just didn’t seem special enough for those that want something for a party tray or to give as a gift.
I found the perfect crust recipe (below), which is so simple and easy to make! It is easy to work with and turns out buttery with the signature crumble/flakiness of normal pie crust. You will also need a mini cupcake/muffin pan, mini muffin paper cups/liners, a melon baller is nice but not necessary, and the secret tool…the bottom of a tall shot glass or shooter. The shot glass is really the trick to getting the tart crusts to turn out firm/thin and uniform, allowing for maximum space for your yummy filling 
Baking time once the tarts shells are filled will vary, as it depends on what filling you are using. More often then not though it will not take nearly as long to cook/bake as the original recipe calls for for, so just watch over it carefully. For example, a normal pecan pie needs almost an hour of bake time, but in the little tart shells it only took 17-19 minutes for the filling to be done.
SOME TIPS:
- For savory fillings, cut down on the sugar by about 1 TBLS and add a pinch more salt.
- Don’t skip the pre-baking of the tart shells, and they WILL puff up a bit, don’t panic!
- If you plan on making a lot of these, I highly suggesting ordering candy cups in size #6, as these are a lot cheaper then mini muffin liners and the perfect size. If you get mini muffin liners, you want the ones that measure 1 1/4 across the bottom and 7/8 in height (what they call a “wall”).
- Make sure the mini-muffin pan you use has a wide bottom, otherwise the shot glass will not fit well. The pan I use is made by Wilton, purchased quite a few years ago.
Blind/partially baked tart shells with the tall shot glass I used to form them.
Tartlet Shell Recipe (enough for 24 tarts):
- 1/4 cup white sugar (less 1 TBLS for savory fillings)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1/2 tsp for savory filling)
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 8 TBLS softened butter
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon as much as you can, then finish it by using your hands and fingers. You should have a “ball” of dough that holds together nicely when done. If it seems crumbly or too dry, add a touch more butter, but 8 TBLS should really be enough.
- Line your mini muffin pan with candy cups #6 or mini muffin cups and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a melon baller, scoop out enough dough to make a small ball (just like the size of a melon ball). If you are using your hand or a spoon, you want a about a 1-inch ball, no larger.
- Wrap the bottom of your tall shot glass with cling-wrap then lightly butter, to prevent sticking. You could also try butter spray, though I have not tried this out and not sure how well it would work.
- Place 1 ball of dough into each muffin cup. Then press firmly down on the dough with the bottom of the shot glass, gently rotating and pushing the dough into the sides of the candy/muffin cup as it rises to the top. At this point you may have to rotate the shot glass while pushing down on the rim of the dough to get the shot glass free. If a piece of dough happens to come of of place, just gently push it back into place with your finger tips and it’ll bake up just fine.
- Place the muffin tin of tart shells into the oven and blind bake (empty) for about 17 minutes, or until they are just faintly tan/brown on the edges.
- As soon as they look lightly browned, take them out, and they will be puffy. Take the cling wrap off of the shot glass, and press firmly into each shell while gently rotating at the same time. This will take away the puffiness and create a nice firm and thin shell for your filling. (Just like the tart shells you see pictured with the shot glass)
- Now fill your shells and then put back into the oven and finish baking. Time will vary depending on what you filled them with, so just watch carefully.
