Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Pastry Crust
- 140 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 115 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 1½ g fine sea salt
Nut and Custard Filling
- 80 g pecans, raw halves
- 40 g walnuts, raw halves
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 120 g dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 15 ml bourbon whiskey
- 5 ml pure vanilla extract
- 1½ g fine sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 142 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 77 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Potassium
- 41 mg
- Calcium
- 20 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 9 mg
- Phosphorus
- 35 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 63 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Water
- 8 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the softened unsalted butter and softened cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat with a silicone spatula until thoroughly combined and creamy.
Add the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and fine sea salt to the cream cheese mixture, stirring with the silicone spatula just until a cohesive, smooth dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, shape it into a flat disc, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and position an oven rack in the center position.
Scatter the raw pecans and raw walnuts across a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
Transfer the toasted nuts to a cutting board and chop them finely with a chef knife once cooled.
Divide the chilled dough into 24 equal portions of approximately 15 grams each, roll each into a ball, and press each ball into the wells of a 24-cup mini muffin tin using a floured pastry tamper or fingertips to line the bottom and sides evenly.
In a clean mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, dark brown sugar, melted unsalted butter, bourbon whiskey, pure vanilla extract, and fine sea salt until the mixture is glossy and uniform.
Distribute the chopped toasted pecans and walnuts evenly among the bottoms of all 24 unbaked dough cups.
Spoon or pour the brown sugar custard into each cup over the nuts, filling each cup approximately three-quarters full.
Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 20 to 22 minutes until the crust edges turn golden brown and an instant-read digital thermometer inserted into the center custard registers at least 71°C (160°F).
Set the mini muffin tin on a wire cooling rack and allow the tarts to rest undisturbed for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the tarts from the tin and let them rest on the wire cooling rack for 20 minutes to cool completely before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Toasting the pecans and walnuts prior to assembling eliminates raw moisture and develops rich pyrazine aromatic compounds that counterbalance the sweet brown sugar custard.
- The cream cheese pastry relies on the lactic acidity of the cheese to break up heavy sweetness while yielding a flakier, more tender bite than standard shortcrust.
- Blending native Southern pecans with walnuts adds an earthy, nuanced astringency that keeps the custard from feeling cloying.
- Bring eggs to room temperature before whisking; cold eggs cause the melted butter to seize into beads, resulting in an uneven custard texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container layered between parchment paper to prevent moisture condensation on crusts.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze solid in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer to a sealed airtight freezer container.
Reheating: Warm on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp and heated through. Avoid microwaving to protect the pastry texture.
Troubleshooting
Custard boiled over the crust rim and stuck to the muffin tin
Cause: The muffin wells were overfilled beyond three-quarters capacity or the oven ran hotter than calibrated
Fix: Run a thin paring knife carefully around the rim while warm to loosen caramelized sugar without shattering the crust
Prevention: Leave at least 2 millimeters of headspace below the crust rim when ladling custard into the pastry shells
Custard remains liquid or syrupy in the center after cooling
Cause: The tarts were removed from the oven before reaching the required safe internal egg temperature of 71°C (160°F)
Fix: Return the pan to the 175°C (350°F) oven for an additional 4 to 6 minutes until the custard sets
Prevention: Always verify doneness using an instant-read digital thermometer inserted into the middle of a central tartlet
Crust becomes greasy and shrinks down into the muffin wells during baking
Cause: The dough was too warm when shaped and filled, causing butter to leach before the starch set
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but the tarts will remain fully edible and richly flavored
Prevention: Ensure the dough chills for the full 30 minutes before shaping, and chill shaped shells in the tin if the kitchen is warm
Cultural Context
Miniature nut tarts, affectionately known across the American South as pecan tassies, are essential fixtures of Southern holiday tables, cocktail parties, and festive celebrations. Born as bite-sized adaptations of deep-dish Southern pecan pies, these handheld confections replaced traditional lard-based pie crusts with pliable, rich cream cheese pastry in the mid-twentieth century. Combining native pecans with hearty walnuts honors the agricultural bounty and enduring hospitality of Southern domestic baking.
