If you like pecan pie, you will absolutely go crazy over these Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins. They are crispy crunchy on the outside, rich, gooey and moist on the inside, and taste just like pecan pie. They feature the South’s favorite nut in a totally irresistible and addictive treat. Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins take minutes to put together, and are even better the next day, if they last that long. In addition, they can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use.
Ingredients:
I used the following ingredients for these amazing morsels: Light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, toasted pecans, eggs, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract.
Preparing the Mini-Muffin Pan:
Because of the amount of sugar in these Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins relative to the flour, they tend to stick really badly if the mini-muffin pan is not adequately greased. I use a spray similar to Baker’s Joy which contains a combination of oil and flour. If you don’t have Baker’s Joy, 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.
Making the Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins:
I started by mixing together the brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Once the dry ingredients were well mixed, I stirred in the pecans. Then, I beat the room temperature eggs in a measuring cup until they were frothy. Next, I whisked in the cooled melted butter, and vanilla extract. 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.
I used a tablespoon cookie scoop (#40) to fill the cups of the prepared mini-muffin pan. Once I had finished that, 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 over cook 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 them 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 crunchy on the outside, and rich, gooey and moist on the inside making them a totally irresistible and addictive treat. Yum!
Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (7.5 ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) chopped pecans, toasted (See Note 1)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (See Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray mini-muffin pan with Baker's Joy, or vegetable spray and flour. Set aside. (See Note 3)
- Combine brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add pecans; stir well to combine. Make a well in center of mixture.
- Beat eggs until frothy. Add melted butter and vanilla extract; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop (#40) add batter into 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 Note 4)
- Yield: 24 Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins.
Chula's Expert Tips
- 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 wells of 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 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.
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