Small cupcake baking cups are okay, but for holiday baking I like to to make bite size pecan tarts. Small paper candy cups can often be found in grocery stores, kitchen shops, and online. These tiny tarts look nice scattered around the top of a tray of cookies.

Crust:

• 1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter

  Filling:

• 1 egg - beaten
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 T. soft butter
• 1 T. vanilla
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation -
Mix the first 3 ingredients together to form a dough. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling. Mix the filling ingredients together and set aside. Roll the cream cheese dough with a rolling pin to about 1/8" thickness. Cut into round shapes with a round cookie cutter, or an inverted glass or other round object.(The rim of a small juice glass is usually about the right diameter to cut rounds of dough that fit a paper candy cup well.) Carefully place the cut rounds of dough into paper candy cups or baking cups. Press in place to cover the bottom and the sides of the paper liner. Spoon the prepared filling into each one - about 2/3 full. Place the filled tarts on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 325º for about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Unbleached 2-1/2" Baking Cups

Unbleached Mini Baking Cups or Candy Cups