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by Jennifer 35 Comments
This time of year makes me think of my mother. One reason is because November is the month she passed away. This November marks the 5-year mark of her passing. The other reason is because right before Thanksgiving, my mother would make her HeavenlyPecan Tarts.
My mother was a true southern belle – she was born and raised in Mississippi, and everyone loved her charming southern accent. I am not sure where she got this recipe (possibly it was passed down from her mother), but I just had to share it with you. My brother, dad, friends and relatives adored these, and she always had an audience every time she would make them. Luckily I paid attention…this is my first time making them on my own. I think she would be proud.
Pie Crust:
*This recipe makes 2 9″ Shells or 12 tarts (muffin/cupcake size pan). NOTE: I would double pie dough to make 24 tarts. The below filling recipe makes more than you’ll need for just 12 tarts.
2 cups flour
2/3 cup Crisco + 2 tbsp. (chilled)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
Make sure Crisco is very cold. I put mine in the freezer for a couple of hours first. Put dry ingredients together, then cut in shortening to gravel size. Use fork, and add water JUST until dough holds together.
Pecan Tart Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup Light Karo syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Pecans
First mix eggs in large bowl, then combine next ingredients (except pecans) and mix well. Put a walnut sized ball of dough in each cup of the muffin tin. Press the middle and up the sides until dough is even. Use a fork to press down around the edges
Fill each tart with filling, about 3/4 the way up to edge.Put a pecan half on top of each and bake on middle rack of oven at 350 degrees for approx. 40 minutes.Remove from oven and let cool for an hour or so.
These freeze very well! If you decide to freeze some or all of thes Heavenly Southern Pecan Tarts, place them in a zip-lock plastic freezer bag. Pull them out to defrost about 2 hours before serving. They can also be warmed up in the microwave for about 20 seconds (be careful – filling might be hot!).
Grab a glass of milk and enjoy! If you decide to try making these Heavenly Pecan Tarts, I would love to hear your thoughts!
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About Jennifer
Jennifer was the founding Eighty MPH Mom and previous owner/editor-in-chief of Eighty MPH Mom, a family-friendly blog. She built a great following and we hope to continue her legacy. Please continue to enjoy her posts.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
OMG i want to reach into the screen and eat these!!!!! yummers!!!
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What Angie said….
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Elena
It looks so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
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these look delish!
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Just Coupons
These looks delicious. I am the only one in the house who loves pecan pie so I usually don’t go through the trouble of making or buying a whole pie…. BUT this is a great alternative! Thanks 🙂
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Jennifer-admin
LOL too funny…my husband doesn’t like them/it either. My kids will eat them, but they aren’t their favorite. More for me – that can be a good or bad thing 🙂
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ohkeeka [The Type A Housewife/Dealectica]
These DO look heavenly–yum! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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I am drooling here! Looks divine!
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Elizabeth K
These sound wonderful. We have a goodie day coming up at work and I think I will try this recipe.
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What an adorable and yummy idea!
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these are my absolute favorites! I’m going to have to make them … u know for anyone else who wants them cause I’m on a diet lol
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Gosh I love pecan pie anything!
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Nichol
Those look delish, I bet your mom would have been proud.
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Those are so cute! I made a pecan pie this weekend using my aunt-in-law’s mother’s recipe and it turned out wonderful. These would be more fun and portable, though!
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Jennifer-admin
They really are portable – and so much easier than cutting a pecan pie!
ANN*
Oh my I love pecan pie and this would be a great recipe to make then I wouldnt be tempted to eat a whole piece of pie.
amhengst at verizon dot netReply
These look and sound so yummy!
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Eileen
after making pies for Thanksgiving it must have started the ball rolling for holiday baking…my husband picked up two bags of pecans…hint, hint Pecan PIE! but these look so much more fun. I am wondering if you can roll out and use a cup or bisquit cutter to make circles to place in the tin. Might be fun for kids and make it faster? AND what about freezing those crusts for easy baking in the future? (I know pecan pie does not freeze, but I only mean the crust). wow, I am now SO hungry and want to try these today!
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Rosey
I always thought Pecan Pie would be hard to make…I’m not sure why, so I never opted to do it (you can tell from that disclosure that I’m not a genius in the kitchen, though I do like to cook and bake). This, however, makes me really want to give it a whirl. I love Pecan Pie and these tarts look even better. I don’t think any of my kids have ever tried it (*gasp*) so this will be neat for them too. I’m thinking we’ll give it a try when we do our big cookie day…where we all get together and bake and decorate for hours. We love that tradition and these will be a welcome treat. Thanks for the share.
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Amy Orvin
sounds really good, thanks for the receipe.
2dogs5catscrew@att.net
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I’d love to be your taste tester! hahah, this is a great idea for the holidays.
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momznite
Sharing this recipe is a nice way to honor your mom’s memory.
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I love baking cookies and pies! But have never tried baking tarts. These look so good too, I think my husband would love them!!!! I must try it 🙂
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R Hicks
This looks really tasty. With pecans as high as they are, it is almost a delicacy
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Donna B.
YUM! I love how the portion control is built-in 🙂 I’ve been doing a lot of things in mini muffin cups lately, can’t wait to try this!
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Betty Baez
oh my! this looks so delicious you made my stomach rumble
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polly
they look delicious…my mom made a wonderful pecan pie..i sure miss those pies & my mom!.you mom would be very proud jennifer!
polly~.
pkeintz@gmail.comReply
these look sooooooo good!
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Anita
Always looking for good recipes to try-these look ideal to take to a Christmas get together.
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Marysa N.
These look great! My aunt makes the best pecan pie, so I would love to make my own. These are so cute and it doesn’t look too involved either. Plus they are a great portion size, or great for kids.
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Yum! My hubs love pecans…once my kitchen is completed I’ll have to make him some of these!
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that sure looks good.. especially top with pecans.
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Amy Orvin
Thanks so much for receipe. I will make this one day soon.
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RecipeNewZ (@RecipeNewZ)
Lovely pecan tarts! I have been searching for a perfect pecan pie recipe for years, and now maybe this is it :-). If these cute tarts taste as good as they look they must be delicious! I am so glad I found your blog!
And now that I am here, I would like to invite you to try out a new recipe sharing website RecipeNewZ.com . We already have hundreds of food bloggers on board. You submit a photo of your recipe, we publish it within minutes and link back to your blog. It would be great to see your wonderful recipes there too.Reply
Cindy B
These are something that my sweet husband would love. I may make them for Thanksgiving!
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