Brown Sugar & Walnut Tassies
Where tassies originate from exactly is a bit of a mystery, but the consensus is that they were developed in the American Southwest in the mid 1900s. How my grandmother wound up with a written version of this recipe in the Northeast is also a mystery. My mom would make these cookies every Christmas, and it was always a favorite of mine. Our version uses walnuts over the more traditional pecan. While most people do consider this a winter holiday dessert, I think they make for a perfect anytime bite, especially in the morning alongside a hot cup of coffee. It’s the perfect one or (if you’re not a gavone) two bite treat!
Brown Sugar & Walnut Tassies
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- ½ cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
FOR THE FILLING:
- ¾ cup (150g) dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup (44g) finely chopped walnuts
- Powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
- MAKE THE DOUGH. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese, scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about TBD minutes.
- Add the flour and mix on low until just combined; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, MAKE THE FILLING. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and spray a non-stick, 24-cavity mini cupcake mold with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, salt and walnuts to combine; transfer to a piping bag.
- TO ASSEMBLE, portion the chilled dough into scant tablespoon mounds, roll into a ball and place each ball into the cavities of the prepared muffin tin.
- Using your fingers, gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the mold, keeping the thickness as even as possible all the way around, to form a well. If necessary, lightly spray your fingers with nonstick cooking spray to help the dough from sticking to your fingers.
- Pipe the walnut filling into the wells, filling it ¾ of the way up. Depending on the size of the cavities of the mold, there may be some filling leftover. Use it to make another batch or discard.
- Bake until the dough is lightly browned along the edges and the filling has domed and set, about 22 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before using a butter knife or small offset spatula to pop them out of the pan.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
