Caramel Pecan Mini-Pies
This is a traditional Southern holiday dessert, though the mysteries of its origins have been lost to time. Having had some less-than-wonderful renditions in my time, I decided to come up with my own ideal version. I went to the test kitchen with two things in mind: First, too much corn syrup yields a pie that is too sweet and runny. There is nothing worse than a pie with a soggy crust and syrup pooling in the pan where a piece has been cut out. Second, beating the eggs too much destroys the creamy texture of a properly cooked pecan pie. I am pretty pleased with these results, and I bet you will be too.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Step 2
Stack 6 sheets of phyllo dough on a work surface. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter, cut 6 circles, each containing the 6 sheets of phyllo.
Step 3
Spray a 6-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Place 1 layered circle of phyllo into each cup. Place 1 caramel and 1 1/2 tablespoons of pecans into each cup.
Step 4
Heat the corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, salt, and water in a small saucepan until the ingredients are combined. Stir in the egg. Divide the mixture among the 6 pastry cups.
Step 5
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pies turn a rich brown and are firm in the center. Cool in the muffin pan for 15 minutes before removing and serving.
Cooking Method
Step 6
Oven
