After a brutally hot weekend, I succumbed to DH's desire to buy a bedroom air conditioner and last Wednesday I stayed home to await its delivery. The weather turned quite cool that day (as it always does once air conditioning is an option), enabling me to turn on the oven and bake these yummy treats while I waited.
These bite-size pecan pies have been a favorite on dessert tables for years, and I found two recipes, c. 1950, for them in my collection. They are identical except for their names: One is Tea Time Tasses [sic] and the other is Ozones (found in the recipe box from Texas).
What can I say? These are delicious and a real crowd pleaser, but certainly not exciting (though there was a moment of drama when I thought the filling would overflow the cups while baking). And they are so easy, that one can make these, and still find time for a nap and an episode of Judge Judy.
I'm coming to realize the value of adding cream cheese (like Philadelphia brand) to pastry. Although it seems a bit too commercial, it really does impart a really lovely flavor and texture, a je ne sais quoi. The top rated pie crust recipe (after extensive testing) in Rose Levy Berenbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible lists cream cheese as an ingredient. So while I am a pie crust purist (flour, salt, butter/shortening) in theory, I concede that a little cream cheese can go a long way.
"And they are so easy, that one can make these, and still find time for a nap and an episode of Judge Judy." Now that's my kind of baking:)
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