Desserts
Walnut-Date Tassies
These mini pies are based on the sweet southern pecan favorite. This perfect pairing of rich walnuts and ultra-sweet dates is sure to be a welcome variation.
Here’s one recipe that you might want to use in place of the big pie this year. Though small, with these tartlets, you can have your pie and eat it, too.
A tassie pan has a fluted edge, but if you don’t have one, a mini muffin pan will work as well. Use your thumb to press the dough evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the cups. Pop the pan into the refrigerator while you make the filling. This gives the butter and cream cheese a chance to solidify so they don’t melt out while baking. Though you may be tempted to use a mixer for the filling, don’t. It creates air bubbles, so mix by hand. And be sure to reserve some walnuts to top the little pies for added visual appeal and crunch.
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTRY, BEAT:
FOR THE FILLING, WHISK:
Test Kitchen Tips
Make the pastry and press it into the tassie cups, then chill up to two days. Right before baking, add the tassie filling.
It’s best to remove the tassies from the pan while they’re still slightly warm; too hot and they may fall apart. Use a thin knife angled against the pan to remove them.
Instructions
For the pastry, beat butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer on high speed until fluffy, 2–3 minutes.
Add flour, minced zest, and salt; beat on low speed until combined.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Press rounded 1 Tbsp. of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 12 cups of tassie or mini muffin pan, using all the pastry; chill while preparing filling.
For the filling, whisk together brown sugar, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and pinch of salt until sugar is dissolved. Add ¼ cup walnuts and dates. Fill each pastry shell with 1 Tbsp. filling. Top tassies with remaining walnuts and bake 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake until pastry shells are light brown, 10–15 minutes more. Transfer pan to a cooling rack, cool tassies 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
Garnish tassies with a dollop of whipped cream and orange zest.
Make-Ahead Directions: Unfilled tassie cups can be chilled up to 2 days. Or freeze assembled tassies up to 1 month. Bring them to room temperature before serving.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per tassie
Calories: 235
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 46mg 15%
Sodium 82mg 3%
Carbs 25g 8%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 3g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.