Mini Dark Chocolate Chocolate Pecan Pies

These mini pecan pies can be called either giant or small pecan tassies. They are perfect for holiday parties; you can keep them in the freezer for a quick treat. The best thing is that these Mini Dark Chocolate Pecan Pies can be made in a matter of minutes. Pecan pies can be too sweet for me, so I added some bitter dark chocolate to the mixture to counteract the caramel-y sweetness. A couple of pecan pie tops were also made with flakey sea salt. It was a great experiment!

What kind of chocolate should I use?

I used 70% dark chocolate from Moser Roth (sold by Aldi). You can go darker if you wish, but it is possible to get bitterer chocolate. The package contained five mini bars of chocolate, each 25g. I only used three of them. You can add or subtract as much as you like.

HOW TO STORE PECAN PIES

These Mini Dark Chocolate Pecan Pies can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Once completely cooled, you can place them in a freezer bag to freeze them until four months.

MINI DARK CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE PECAN PIES

These mini pecan pies with dark chocolate and dark brown sugar are the perfect dessert for holiday parties.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

8 Tbsp salted Butter, Room Temperature ($0.75)
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature ($0.60)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.13)
1 Tbsp sugar ($0.02)

FILLING

75g dark chocolate, split ($1.19)
1 large egg lightly beaten ($0.26)
3/4 cup brown sugar (0.36)
1 Tbsp of melted butter ($0.09)
1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.14)
2/3 cup chopped pecan pieces ($1.69)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350oF. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter. Mix in 1 cup flour and sugar. Continue beating until well combined. Although the mixture will appear dry and crumbly when you squeeze it with your hands, it should be sticky once incorporated. If the mixture becomes sticky, add a tablespoon or two more flour.
Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces. This is easiest: Divide the dough into four equal-sized portions, then divide each one into three. Each piece should be rolled into a ball and placed in a muffin pan. The muffin tin doesn’t need to be greased.
Press the dough balls with your fingers into the muffin tin holes. It is okay if the dough doesn’t reach the top of the well. To avoid having rounded corners, press the dough into the corners. In each pie crust, place a small piece of chocolate about the size of a dime. The bottoms of the pies were filled with about 50g of chocolate. I drizzled the rest on top of the baked pies.
In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and pecans to make the filling. Mix well. Do not beat the mixture or create frothy air bubbles.
Spread the mixture evenly among the pie crusts. Each pie crust will only be filled about half-full, but the filling will expand as it bakes. After filling the muffin tin, bake it for 30 minutes in the oven.
After the pies have been baked, melt the remaining chocolate. It can be melted in a microwave for 15 seconds, stirring after each heating. Or, you can place a small bowl on top of a double boiler. After the chocolate has melted, sprinkle it on top of each pie.
Let the pies cool completely before gently lifting them from the muffin tin with a knife.