Pecan Pie Muffins

Sometimes I love pecan pie and sometimes I don't. I think it's the sticky over the top sweetness that makes me thumb my nose at the mere idea of sharing Thanksgiving (pretty much the only time I would be inclined to make a pecan pie) dessert with anything other than the perfection of pumpkin pie.

Even so, there's something deliciously attractive about pecans, butter, and brown sugar mixed up into any kind of dessert. While it can be tricky to get just the right consistency for the filling on a pecan pie, these muffins are super easy and super delicious. All the goodness of a traditional pie with none of the fuss. Other than possibly the pecans, you're going to have every one of the ingredients on hand, such that you can remember late one night that you have to bring snacks the next morning for bible study and still whip up a batch. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I like the bite size portion for these muffins though I'll warn you that they taste so good you might find yourself eating three or four (or five or six), before you remember that scarfing down many small muffins all at once still adds up to lots of calories. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Maybe it's the tiny size of the muffins or the way they have so little flour in comparison to the brown sugar and pecans; but for whatever reason these little bites of yummyness really do feel closer to pecan pie than muffin. Not as gooey wonderful...but close enough. And an added bonus, pecan pie muffins are way more portable than pecan pie. You can baggie up a few and throw them in your purse for a snack while you go through your busy day. Or, you can stay home and sit by the fireplace watching a rare San Diego rain fall while drinking coffee and eating these sweet treats. Definitely not hypothetically speaking.


Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together butter and next 2 ingredients; add to brown sugar mixture, and stir just until moistened. Coat 2 (12-cup) miniature muffin pans well with cooking spray. (Make sure you give a liberal dose of the cooking spray. Otherwise the muffins will stick when you try to remove them.) Place 1 tsp. finely chopped pecans in each muffin cup; spoon batter over pecans, filling almost to top. Place muffin pans on an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan.
2. Bake at 425° for 10 to 12 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 2 minutes. Run a knife around edge of each cup to loosen muffins, and remove from pans.