My dad loves pecan pie so of course I had to make something related to that, and I'm sad to say that it is my first Pinterest fail that I am posting about. Some of it was my fault, but it still was a horrible recipe that I will never make again. If you want to give it a try you can find it here https://thebakermama.com/recipes/pecan-pie-bites/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=908339024_39654836_312821 or on my Pinterest page under my Yum June 2020 board.
As always I started by grabbing my ingredients.
The recipe said to toast the pecans (until they are brown). I thought pecans were already brown so I was a little worried I wasn't going to know when they were done. It also said to mix your dough while the pecans are browning, but to be sure you constantly mix your pecans. I know how to multitask no problem, but mixing dough with one hand and stirring pecans in a pan with the other hand was a bit much.
I may have burned my pecans slightly, so I learned that pecans can turn a darker brown and even black. This is before they burned.
And here is the dough that I mixed. I feel like the dough was too simple of a recipe, but I always stick to the recipe at least when I make it for the first time.
I had my mini cupcake tin ready to go and started filling it. The recipe said to put a couple of tablespoons in each cavity. I think my tablespoons may have been larger than what they mean cause there was way too much dough once they baked. I did press them down too.
Once I finished with the dough I mixed my filling. I was to fill each bite 3/4 full of filling and that is when I think I learned that I had to much dough. It was hard to fill and they may of been more filling in their than I should of had.
These baked in the oven for 15 minutes and then you let them cool for five minutes and put another tablespoon of your filling in each bite. This is where I struggled with this recipe again. The filling which has corn syrup in it has been sitting on the counter for 20 minutes and trying to scoop a tablespoon out and add it to the bite is not an easy task.
My finished product
So what did I learn from this recipe you ask. First toasting pecans should be the only thing you are focused on at the time, otherwise they can burn. Don't listen to the recipe when it says a couple of tablespoons of dough for each bite (it's too much). Letting pecan pie filling with corn syrup in it sit on the counter for 20 minutes makes it hard to work with. These didn't come out of the mini cupcake pan very easily, so mine to no look nearly as perfect as the original picture. Most importantly I learned my dad still rocks and will sit there popping these in his mouth as me and my mom talk non stop. Never once has he discourage what I baked. My bestie on the other hand is the most honest person you will meet, but would never hurt my feelings. She tried one and gave me constructive criticism. Her review on these bites were the filling was great, but there was too much dough and the dough wasn't the greatest. If you decide to make them you may want to try a different dough recipe.
Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
TOASTED PECANS:
2 tablespoons butter
2–1/2 cups pecans, chopped
CRUST:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
1–1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the chopped pecans and toast for about 10 minutes until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, make the crusts. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the flour and salt and beat until well combined. Take a few tablespoons of dough and press into and up the sides of each mini muffin cup.
To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, light corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir in the toasted pecans until well coated. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each crust, filling it about 3/4 full. Try not to overfill the crusts, as the filling will bubble over when they are baking. Don’t worry…you’ll be adding more filling after they bake!
Bake the bites for about 15 minutes or until the crusts just start to brown. Remove from the oven and let set for about 5 minutes before scooping another tablespoon of filling onto each bite. Let bites cool in pan completely before removing.
So let me know have you ever made something similar to this and what did you do for the dough. Until next time...
