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1 cup butter softened
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Beat 1 cup butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add flour to butter mixture, beating at low speed. Shape mixture into 48 balls, and place on a baking sheet; cover and chill 1 hour.
2. Place 1 dough ball into each lightly greased muffin cup in mini muffin pans, shaping each into a shell.
3. Whisk together brown sugar and next 5 ingredients. Spoon into tart shells.
4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks 20 minutes or until completely cool.
*You can easily half this recipe and make 24 tassies for a smaller crowd.
**If you don't have four mini muffin pans, you can bake these in batches.
Keep the extra dough chilled until you're ready to use it.
Pecan Tassies
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
vanilla wafers *
1 can cherry pie filling
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place a paper mini cupcake liner in each cup of miniature muffin pan. Place a vanilla wafer FLAT side down, in each muffin cup.
Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers, filling each to about 1/4- inch from the top of the muffin cup. This makes about 36 mini cheesecakes.
Bake for about 14 minutes.
*The tops should not brown! Do not overbake!
Allow cheesecakes to cool completely before filling with the cherries. When the cheesecakes are removed from the oven, they will be puffed up, but as they cool, the center will sink, creating the perfect well to fill with one or two of the cherries from the filling.
Chill thoroughly before serving.
** Some mini muffin cup liners will accommodate the regular sized vanilla wafers, but some of the liners will not. For the smallest ones, I use the mini vanilla wafers. They are a perfect size.
Cherry Cheesecake Mini Desserts
2/3 cup graham crackers
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
3 Tblsp. butter
1 tsp sugar
1 can cherry pie filling
1 - 8-ounce block of cream cheese
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
8-ounce tub of Cool Whip
Combine the graham crackers, chopped almonds, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. Divide the mixture into each of the twelve mini dessert dishes or shot glasses. Press the mixture down firmly on the bottom of each little dish.
*I didn't use all of the crust mixture. You don't want too much crust! There was enough crust mixture and filling to make a couple of extras for my taste testers!
Place about a tablespoon of pie filling on top of the cracker layer in the bottom of the dish.
Place the softened cream cheese in the bottom of a large mixing bowl with a small amount of the milk. Mix well and continue adding milk until the mixture is combined. Stir in pudding and mix well. Gently stir in half, (4 ounces), of the Cool Whip.
Fill each of the dessert dishes with the cream cheese mixture. Top each little dessert with the remaining pie filling.
Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes
Topped With Chocolate Ganache
And Fresh Red Raspberries
Preheat oven to 350°
Crust:
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
2 Tblsp. sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 Tblsp. unsalted butter, melted
Lightly coat the tins with non-stick cooking spray. Mix the vanilla wafer crumbs, the sugar, and the salt together well. Add the melted butter. Put 2 heaping teaspoons of the mixture into each of the little tins. Press down firmly with a wooden mini tart shaper, (mine is from Pampered Chef), or a shot glass works well, too.
Bake the little crusts for about 10 minutes in the 350° oven. Remove and cool on a baking rack while you prepare the cheesecake.
Turn the oven down to 300°.
Tip*** Forgot to set the block of cream cheese out to soften?
Don't worry! To soften cream cheese, completely unwrap
the package of cream cheese and place in a glass bowl. Microwave on high for 10 seconds just until softened.
Cheesecake:
2-8 ounce blocks of softened Cream Cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup of heavy cream
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract if you don't have a vanilla bean.)
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, the salt, and completely mix.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the heavy cream and the seeds from the vanilla bean.
Pour the batter on top of the crusts and fill to the top. (I was afraid the filling would spill over the top, but it did not. They looked perfect! There is a little excess batter.)
Bake for 20 minutes in the 300° oven.
Remove from the oven and cool on wire baking rack.
Remove each from the pan and place in a covered platter or dish. Chill for two hours.
Ganache:
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt the chocolate and the heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth with no lumps. Pour into a glass bowl and let cool a little.
Stir and spoon on top of the little cheesecakes or using a pastry bag and a medium round tip, pipe a large chocolate dot. (I piped the ganache onto the tops of the ones I made. It was easier to control.)
Garnish with the red raspberries.
1- 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup softened, unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
5/8 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350°
In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Using a wire whisk, combine the ingredients and set to the side.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Pour in the syrup and vanilla and mix well.
Add about 1/2 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat, making sure the ingredients are all combined.
With a spoon, stir in the chopped pecans.
Fill the mini muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350°.
Cool completely on a baking rack and frost with Maple Butter Frosting. Makes about 15 of the 2" mini muffins.
Maple Butter Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened
unsalted butter
1-1/2 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tblsp. maple syrup
3/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Combine the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and salt in a
medium-sized bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add the syrup and vanilla and continue beating.
Add the powdered sugar slowly. Then continue beating with the
mixer on high until the icing is light and fluffy.
Frost the cupcakes. Garnish with crisp fried bacon pieces.
To pin this, click hereâ–º Mini Maple Pancake Cupcakes with
Maple Butter Frosting Garnished with Bacon Pieces
Mini Maple Pancake Cupcakes
with Maple Butter Frosting
Garnished with Bacon Pieces
Mini Desserts
Preheat oven to 350°
Crust:
1-1/2 cups finely crushed Oreo sandwich cookie crumbs ( 15 cookies)
1 smidgen of salt
3 Tblsp. unsalted butter, melted
Lightly coat the tins with non-stick cooking spray. (This will make 18 of the mini cheesecakes in this type of cheesecake pan.) Mix the cookie crumbs, and the salt together well. Add the melted butter. Put a heaping teaspoon of the mixture into each of the little tins. Press down firmly with a wooden mini tart shaper, (mine is from Pampered Chef), or a shot glass works well, too.
Bake the little crusts for about 10 minutes in the 350° oven. Remove and cool on a baking rack while you prepare the cheesecake. (You might want to put a sheet pan under the cheesecake pan in the oven. Butter melted down onto the oven floor and it was a bit smoky in the kitchen!)
Turn the oven down to 300°.
Cheesecake:
2 - 8-ounce blocks of softened Cream Cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, tossed with 1/2 tsp. flour
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and the salt. Mix well.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the heavy cream and the vanilla. With a spoon, stir in the mini chocolate chips that have been tossed with the flour.
Pour the batter on top of the crusts and fill almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops with 1/2 cup additional mini chocolate chips.
Bake for 20 minutes in the 300° oven.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire baking rack.
Remove each mini cheesecake from the pan and place in a covered platter or dish. Chill for two hours.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes
