If you’re a fan of pecan pie, you’ll fall in love with these irresistible Southern Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins. With a crispy and crunchy exterior, these mini-muffins are filled with a rich, gooey, and moist center that tastes just like a classic pecan pie. Made with the South’s favorite nut, these mini-muffins are an addictive treat that’s sure to delight your taste buds.
These mini-muffins actually taste even better the next day if you can resist eating them all at once. And if you’re looking to plan ahead, you can even make them ahead of time and freeze them for later use. Don’t miss out on this delectable treat – try making Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins today!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Deliciously addictive: These mini-muffins are filled with the rich, gooey, and moist goodness of a classic pecan pie, making them an irresistible treat that you won’t be able to get enough of.
- Quick and easy to make: With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, you can whip up a batch of these mini-muffins in no time.
- Convenient to store: These mini-muffins can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use, making them a convenient treat to have on hand whenever you’re craving something sweet.
- South-inspired flavor: Pecans are a beloved Southern ingredient, and these mini-muffins showcase the nut’s delicious flavor in a totally irresistible way.
Ingredients – Here’s What You’ll Need:
A handful of simple ingredients are used to make this delectable treat.
- Dry Ingredients: For the dry ingredients, I used all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: The wet ingredients consisted of large eggs, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
- The Star of the Show: Toasted pecan pieces elevate a good recipe into an extraordinary recipe.
Important Step: Preparing the Mini-Muffin Pan
The Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins will stick really badly to the mini-muffin pan if it is not adequately greased. This is true even if you have a non-stick pan. The reason is the amount of brown sugar relative to the amount of flour. Therefore, it’s imperative that you properly prepare the mini muffin pan.
I consistently use Bak-Klene ZT All Purpose Release Spray which I purchase online. It’s similar to Baker’s Joy which contains a combination of oil and flour.
If you don’t have a spray like this, you can spray the cups of the mini-muffin pan with vegetable spray or grease them with butter. However, you then need to dust the cups with flour. Trust me – you really need to do this!
You might be tempted to use cupcake papers rather than fooling with the preparation of the pan. Big mistake if you do this. The reason is that the mini-muffins will stick horribly to the cupcake papers and fall apart when you try to peel away the paper. I learned this the hard way!
Easy Steps to Make the Pecan Pie Mini-Muffin Batter
In less than 5 minutes, you can make the batter for these yummy pecan pie bites.
- I started by whisking together the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the dry ingredients were well mixed, I stirred in the pecans.
- Then, I whisked together room-temperature eggs in a measuring cup until they were frothy. The reason for using a measuring cup was to make it easier to pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Next, I whisked cooled melted butter and vanilla extract into the eggs.
- After making a well in the middle of the dry mixture, I poured in the egg/butter mixture. I stirred the batter with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients were incorporated.
That’s it – in less than 5 minutes, the batter was ready for these yummy pecan pie bites.
Finishing the Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins
I used a tablespoon cookie scoop (#40) to fill the cups of the prepared mini-muffin pan.
Once I had filled the cups, I popped the mini-muffin pan into a preheated 350°F oven for about 14 minutes.
After 14 minutes, the mini-muffins were a crunchy golden brown around the edges, and the center was set. I made sure not to overcook the mini-muffins because I wanted the center to be ooey gooey!
As soon as I removed the mini-muffins from the oven, I placed a wire rack on top of the pan and flipped it to dump the mini-muffins onto the wire rack to cool.
It’s important to remove the mini-muffins from the pan as soon as they come out of the oven. Otherwise, they’ll stick!
I ended up with 24 out-of-this-world Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins. They truly do taste like pecan pie for a fraction of the time.
They are crispy and crunchy on the outside and rich, gooey, and moist on the inside, making them a totally irresistible and addictive treat. Yum!
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
These tasty treats can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for several days.
You can freeze pecan pie mini muffins. To do so, let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container or wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
You can substitute other nuts like walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts in place of pecans in this recipe. However, the flavor profile of the mini-muffins will change accordingly.
You can add chocolate chips to this recipe. However, because these are mini-muffins, I would use mini-chocolate chips. Simply replace ½ cup of pecans with ½ cup of mini-chocolate chips.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- The first time I made this recipe, I didn’t spray my nonstick mini-muffin pan with the nonstick spray. This was a huge mistake – the mini-muffins stuck horribly. Therefore, it’s critical to make sure that the cups of the mini-muffin pan are well-greased.
- Another time when I made this recipe, I decided to use cupcake liners. This was a huge mistake as well. The mini-muffins stuck horribly to the cupcake liners.
- I always toast my pecans in this recipe (and in other recipes using pecans). The reason is that toasting significantly improves the flavor of the nut. To easily toast the pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 8 minutes. Watch carefully.
- As soon as the mini-muffins come out of the oven, place a wire rack over the mini-muffin pan, and flip to release the mini-muffins. If you leave the mini-muffins in the pan, they will stick regardless of how well you prepared the pan. If you find that you can’t release the mini-muffins, however, return the pan to the oven for several minutes to reheat the mini-muffins.
- For a thoughtful gift, combine dry ingredients, and transfer to a 2-cup mason jar. Screw on top, and secure a decorative piece of material on the top with a ribbon. Attach a label with directions on both making the batter, i.e., add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract, and baking the mini-muffins.
Other Tasty Treats Using Pecans
Pecans are my very favorite nut. Try these other tasty treats using pecans.
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Southern Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup (2.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) chopped pecans, toasted (See Tip 1)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter melted and cooled (See Tip 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the mini-muffin pan with Baker's Joy or vegetable spray and flour. Set aside. (See Tip 3)
- Combine brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add pecans; stir well to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
- Whisk eggs until frothy. Add melted butter and vanilla extract; add dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop (#40), add batter to the mini-muffin cups.
- Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from pan immediately, and cool on wire racks. (See Tip 4)
- Yield: 24 Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins.
Video
Tips/Notes
- To toast pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 8 or 9 minutes until lightly toasted. Watch carefully.
- If you use salted butter, omit adding the salt.
- Because of the amount of sugar in these Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins, you should avoid using cupcake papers. The mini-muffins will stick horribly to the paper. If you don’t have Baker’s Joy or a similar product, liberally grease the wells of the mini-muffin pan or spray with vegetable spray. Then, dust with flour.
- As soon as the mini-muffins come out of the oven, place a wire rack over the mini-muffin pan, and flip to release the mini-muffins. If you leave the mini-muffins in the pan, they will stick regardless of how well you prepared the pan. If you find that you can’t release the mini-muffins, however, return the pan to the oven for several minutes to reheat the mini-muffins.
- For a perfect back-to-school gift, combine dry ingredients, and transfer to a 2-cup mason jar. Screw on top, and secure a decorative piece of material on the top with a ribbon. Attach a label with directions on both finishing the batter, i.e., add the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract, and baking the mini-muffins.
GinaH says
I made these for Christmas and they were a HUGE hit!
It’s like the best part of pecan pie in a 2-bite treat.
They were super easy to make.
My brown sugar had hardened so I loosened it up in the microwave.
That left me with small nuggets of sugar which turned into fun little bits of crunchy sweetness when you bite into them.
I will definitely make these again.
Chula King says
Gina,
So glad the recipe worked for you! The small sugar nuggets sound yummy in these mini muffins.
Chula
Liz says
Hi, these look delicious. I love that they’re very simple.
Quick note: sugar/brown sugar is a wet ingredient…
Chula King says
Hi Liz,
You’re right – I know that sugar is a wet ingredient! However, I wasn’t sure how else to describe the steps.
By the way, these pecan pie mini-muffins really are amazing.
Chula
Anonymous says
In step 2 of the recipe, what is the purpose of making a well in the center of the mixture?
Chula King says
There are several reasons for making a well in the center of the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients: (1) to prevent the wet ingredients from running all over the place; (2) to help distribute the wet ingredients more evenly; and (3) to minimize overmixing the ingredients which can lead to gluten formation and tough baked goods.