Pecan Tassies

Cookie Days are here again! After half of our group moved away, it took us a while to get it together and re-organize our weekly tribute to baking. Last week we made some delicious pumpkin cookies at Amy's, and today it was my turn. I have been dying to try my mother-in-law's Pecan Tassie recipe (tassies are cookie-tarts made in mini-muffin pans). Chad remembers his mom making these around the holidays, and had been mentioning that I should get the recipe. They turned out SOOOO good! I am a huge pecan pie fan, and these, as Amy said, have the perfect filling-to-crust ratio, since pecan pie is super-rich.
Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:
Pastry:
1 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour
Filling:
1 egg
1 T soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
dash salt
sm. chopped pecans added at final step
Directions:
Pastry: Mix room temperature cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter. Blend in flour. Chill an hour. Shape into 2 doz. 1" balls. Press dough against bottom and sides of mini-muffin tins.
Filling: Beat together everything but nuts. Place sm. chopped pecans in bottom of crust and add filling. Sprinkle top with sm. chopped pecans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins.

On a side note, today's get-together was slightly hindered by the fact that my oven's bottom heating element is broken, and I didn't find this out until my gorgeous hand-made rolls made from freshly-ground wheat flour (I was so proud) came out of the oven nicely brown on top and soggy and disgusting on the bottom. So. Sad. Heather suggested I flip them over to cook the bottoms, which I did, and so they were edible with a nice flavor but chewy/crusty texture. Luckily I have several friendly neighbors, so at least I was able to take the tassies across the street to bake!