Pie #23: Cookie Sunday Pie (Salted Pecan Mini Pies)

I've come to the point in my pie project where I'm not willing to make a pie until I have pie-eaters lined up.  Contrary to what Perry may tell you when I'm not around, he and I cannot eat all the pies that are flying out of my kitchen!  Thus, when I received an email from the church office to remind us that this is our month to contribute cookies for Cookie Sunday, I knew where my pie(s) were going to go!

Cookie Sunday happens at Columbus Mennonite on the first Sunday of every month.  Attendees gather after the service to munch on snacks (cookies, fruit, crackers, ... this month mini pies, etc) and drink coffee and tea.  This is a great time to catch up with people you know, as well as a time to talk to those in the congregation whom you don't know as well.

This week's recipe came from A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies by Ashley English.  I've been on the library waiting list for this book since it came out in August, and finally worked my way to the top.  I really like that the recipes in the book are separated by season, and look forward to trying several of them!  Actually to be truthful, based on all the beautiful pictures in the book,  I'm having a hard time not trying ALL of the recipes!  I had some quantity issues with the recipe - the recipe states that it makes 36 mini tarts, but I was only able to get around 26 tarts.  I've changed the recipe slightly to reflect what I used for 24 tarts, as well as to simplify the directions in some parts.


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Salted Pecan Mini Tarts
From: A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies
by: Ashley English

Ingredients:
enough dough to make one 9-inch pie crust

filling:
1/2 c. (packed) light brown sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. sea salt
3/4 c. pecans, chopped

1 T. coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Pie Algorithm:

1. Prepare the crust
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12- or 14-inch circle.  Cut out 24 rounds, using a 2 1/2 inch round biscuit or cookie cutter.  You may have to reroll the dough scraps several times to cut out all the rounds.  Do so quickly, as the more the dough is rolled, the more it activates the gluten in the wheat, which can result in toughened dough.

Place one dough round in each mini tart pan.  (See the picture of the little stirrups Perry made so we could slide these little guys right out when they were finished!)  Press the dough flat against the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Put the tart pans in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile preheat the oven to 325F.

Bake the chilled crusts for 8 minutes.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven.  Turn the heat up to 375F.  Set the mini tart crusts aside to cool while you prepare the filling.


2. Prepare the filling
Combine the brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.  Whisk to blend thoroughly, then stir in the chopped pecans.


3. Assemble the mini tarts
Spoon 1 1/2 t. of the filling into each mini tart shell, then sprinkle each with several granules of coarse sea salt.

Bake in the 375F oven for 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.

Cool the mini tarts at least 15 minutes before serving.

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Cutting out all the little crusts takes quite a bit of time, but the filling is so quick and easy the entire process isn't too bad.  Let's hope the 'cookie eaters' like them in the morning!

Update: I couldn't wait any longer to give one a taste!  Sadly, I found my cute little pie to be a bit dry.  I think it would have been fine with a good cup of coffee, but it was way to late for me to be drinking coffee!  Also, I thought the nutmeg overpowered the rest of the flavors; Wanda disagreed.  At any rate, I think I would try this again, baking them for less time.