Gluten-Free Pecan Tassies

These Gluten-Free Pecan Tassies are the perfect holiday dessert. They look elegant and fancy but are basically miniature pecan pies that you bake in a mini muffin pan. The best part is they could not be easier to make!

Speaking of pecan pie, be sure to give my easy, gluten-free pean pie recipe a try! And speaking of pie, this gluten-free apple pie is a beautiful sight to see!

This tasty recipe is buttery and delicious, not too sweet, and I promise no one will ever notice they are gluten-free!

Pecan Tassies are generally considered a cookie rather than pie, so you can definitely add this recipe to your Christmas cookie line-up! And while a lot of people only make Pecan Tassies around the holidays, they can be made year round or for other occasions too, like Easter or bridal and baby showers!

These Pecan Tassies start with a soft dough made from cream cheese, butter, and gluten-free flour. The dough is pressed into mini muffin tins with a tart shaping tool. The uncooked pastry is then filled with a buttery, brown sugar pecan pie filling. As they bake, the filling puffs and forms a sort of "top of the brownie"-like crispy crust, while the inside stays perfectly gooey and delicious! The end result is a two-bite treat hardly anyone can resist!

What Are Pecan Tassies?

I think anyone who was alive in the 90's, particularly around a pampered chef dealing lady, has probably heard of or even made Pecan Tassies! I'm not sure if Pampered Chef invented the Pecan Tassie or is the creator of the original recipe, but from my childhood memories, they surely must have had a role in their popularity with the sales of their infamous tart shaper.

Pecan Tassies are basically just mini pecan pies. Although the dough in this recipe is more of a tart dough than a pie dough.

The word 'tassie' comes from Scottish origin and means 'small cup'. Which is appropriate here, since Pecan Tassies are little pecan pie cups!

Simple Ingredients

• Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend for Baking: I used Cup4Cup but I would also be confident in recommending King Arthur Measure for Measure. Use an all purpose blend for baking with xanthan gum or another binder already included.
• Cream Cheese: You can also use low-fat Neufchatel cheese if desired.
• Brown Sugar: You can use granulated sugar in a pinch, but try to use brown if possible. It will add a lot of extra flavor. You could also substitute coconut sugar if desired.
• Egg: A flax egg or egg replacer should work as an egg free option.
• Butter
• Pecans
• Vanilla Extract

Equipment Needed

In order to make this recipe properly, you will need a mini muffin pan and a mini-tart shaper. A tart shaper is an inexpensive wooden tool used to help you shape the dough. These two items allow you to make perfectly sized and shaped pecan tartlets each and every time!

To use the tart shaper, you simply dip the tamper in flour so the dough doesn't stick to it. Then use the tamper to press down on the dough that is in the muffin cups. The dough will rise up along the sides and have the perfect even thickness all around. Even though I don't use this tool very often, it does come in handy for recipes like this!

Recipe Variations

If you'd like to add your own flair to this recipe you can try some of these suggestions!

• Use the tart dough but add any other gluten-free pie filling you like, mini apple pies or cherry pies would be delicious!
• Add just a splash of bourbon to the pie filling for a unique, adults-only kick of flavor.
• Add a few mini chocolate chips or raisins to the pie filling.

Instructions

Pecan tassies look like they are complicated to make, but in fact these delightful little treats are actually quite simple to make! Even a beginner baker could handle this recipe. The whole process is just two main steps, making the dough and making the filling, both of which are basically just stirring ingredients together.

Step 1: Make the Tart Dough

1. To make pecan tassies, you will start by making a simple tart dough. First beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, and then blend in the gluten-free flour. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer.
2. Next you will take 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place each ball of dough in separate cups of the mini muffin pan.
3. Dip your tart tamper in gluten-free flour. Press straight down on the dough until it rises up to the top of the muffin cup. Gently remove the tamper and you should reveal a tart shell!
4. Set the tarts aside while you make the pecan filling.

Step 2: Make the Pecan Pie Filling

1. To make the pecan pie filling, you simply mix the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, pecans, and vanilla together until well combined.
2. Then you'll scoop about 1 tablespoon of the filling into each tart shell, taking care not to overfill the shells as the filling will puff slightly as it bakes.
3. Then bake the tarts until golden brown.
4. Let the tarts cool. Then dust them with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired.

Make Ahead and Storage Options

• Like most gluten-free cookies, these are best eaten as fresh as possible. Definitely consume these cookies within 2-3 days.
• If you decide to bake them further in advance, you can freeze the pecan tassies after they have cooled. Just place them in an airtight container before placing in the freezer. Thaw overnight at room temperature.
• You can make the dough about 1 day in advance of baking. Store the dough in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a lid.
• You can even "freshen up" these pecan tassies by placing the cookies on a baking sheet. Then pop them in a 300°F oven for a few minutes, just until they are heated through and crisped up again.

More Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies

If you're looking for more gluten-free Christmas cookies to bake this holiday season, let me share my favorites with you!

• Gluten-free Buttercream Thumbprint Cookies are another traditional favorite! That little bite of icing is just perfection. This is another great recipe to use up the rest of your pecans!
• This gluten-free double chocolate chip cookie is one of the most popular recipes here on the site! For good reason too, they are so chocolatey and chewy, a cross between a brownie and a cookie.
• These gluten-free sugar cookies are perfect for Christmas cut-outs! They hold their shape well and work with many of the popular gluten-free flour blends.
• This gluten-free jam-filled thumbprint recipe has been in my family for generations. Filled with raspberry or apricot preserves, this gluten-free cookie is delicious and easy to make!
• This is the perfect gluten-free snickerdoodle recipe. The cookies are soft with a bit of chew!
• Don't miss out on the classic gluten-free peanut butter blossoms or this completely flourless peanut butter blossoms!
• Another classic, gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies, are perfectly chewy with crisp edges!

These homemade chocolate marshmallows would also be a stunning addition to your cookie trays!