Cookies for the Holidays: Pecan Tarts

   I'm saying it wrong. The Brick, who's North Carolina-bred, insists these are called:

"PEE-KANNNNN."

Whatever.

    At any rate, these tarts disappeared at the speed of light from our Thanksgiving table. I'm going to have to make a fresh batch already, just in self-defense.

PECAN TARTS

(These can be made in cupcake tins; I use a tart pan that holds 8 larger tarts. They look like these...but are connected to each other.)

You'll need:

1 batch of pie dough:  crumble 5 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 cups of flour together. Add 5-6 tablespoons of water, a little at a time, until mixture clings together in a ball.

Divide into 8-10 portions for tart pans; 12-16 for muffin tins. Pat dough into pans, pushing it up to the sides. (Use extra flour on your hands as needed to keep dough from sticking.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (No sense doing it earlier, and wasting heat.)

TART FILLING:

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla   (a shot of bourbon or whiskey here is nice, too)
1-2 cups pecans -- halves look nice, but chopped will do

Beat everything but the pecans together. Now drop pecans in tart shells until approx. halfway full. Pour egg mixture over until covering the pecans.

Bake for approx. 30-45 minutes, until pie is set and crust is lightly brown.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Oh my.

Edge them with coconut, if you like. Either way, they're good.