The Scoop
These Pecan Bites behave like a pecan pie that decided to be bite-sized and way more dangerous.
You thought you were going to bake something small. And you ended up with a live stream on Instagram because these pecan bites scream for attention. Crunchy edges, soft centers, and just enough sweetness to make “just one” a lie you’ll keep telling yourself. They’re simple, but in that suspicious way where people suddenly ask if you “made these from scratch” five minutes after eating six.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped, plus more, to taste, for topping
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat two 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup of the butter, the cream cheese, and the flour and beat with an electric hand mixer on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 48 equal pieces and roll them into balls.
- Place the dough balls on a plate or a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the plate from the refrigerator. Press the dough balls into the bottom and up the sides of each of the prepared muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, 1 cup of the pecans, the eggs, the remaining butter, and the vanilla, and use a spoon to mix.
- Sprinkle an equal amount of the brown sugar mixture over each of the dough pieces and top evenly with the extra pecans.
- Bake the bites until the tops are set, about 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer the muffin pans from the oven and allow the bites to cool slightly.
- Place the bites on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve.
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