Mini Pecan Chocolate Pies

Tender, flakey mini pecan chocolate pie bites are the perfect two-bite dessert. Great for party trays and perfect for Thanksgiving, these deliciously buttery easy mini pecan pies make the best sweet treat! This easy recipe has all the flavors you love about traditional pecan pie in a little bite and is perfect for the holiday season.

 

Why We Love Mini Pecan Chocolate Pies

• Delicious-These little sweet treats pack all the gooey sweet butteryness that you love about pecan pie!
• Cute Mini Size! – The size of these pecan pies is perfect for a mini dessert board or tray, and they look so cute! They are also great for portion control. These little pies are about one or two bites each and are perfect for the dessert table.
• Fast to Make– Using Phyllo cups or mini pastry cups (Sometimes called Fillo shells) makes these mini desserts faster to make, as there is no fussing with portioning mini pie crust into small individual pies.

Please note that Fillo cups are a shortcut and don’t produce a buttery crust flavor. The pecan pie filling has plenty of buttery flavor in the gooey filling though and you still get the flaky crust texture, and these little bites are really delicious. If you have a few leftover pecans, try these buttery pecan cookies too!

Ingredients For Mini Pecan Chocolate Pies

• phyllo pastry shells Often found in the freezer section of the grocery store near frozen pies, you can also find these mini phyllo shells here. You can also use other types of mini tart shells.
• pecans chopped and toasted
• eggs
• butter melted
• light brown sugar
• all purpose flour
• vanilla extract
• milk
• semi-sweet chocolate chips

How To Make Mini Pecan Chocolate Pies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper. Place phyllo cups on one of the baking sheets with a little space between them.
2. Chop pecans for the crunchy pecan filling and spread them out on a second baking sheet. Do not spray baking sheet with oil! Toast nuts in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Check often and stir halfway through the cooking time to ensure the nuts don’t burn and instead are a slightly darker toasty brown color. Set them to the side and let them cool off the pan once toasted. Toasting the pecans makes sure you have crunchy pecans in your filling that aren’t too soft.

3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs well. Add melted butter and brown sugar to the eggs and mix well until blended.

4. Add flour, vanilla, and milk to the egg mixture. Stir and mix well to combine.

5. Fold in chocolate chips, and nuts to the butter mixture and stir to combine to finish the pecan pie filling. 

6. Using a teaspoon, fill phyllo shells to the top with pecan filling.

6. Bake the mini pecan pies for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is no longer bubbly. Remove from oven, let cool, then enjoy! They should have just a little bit of a gooey center.

Can I Add Spray Cooking Oil To My Pans Instead Of Parchment Paper?

If you are using spray cooking oil instead of parchment paper for this recipe use it only on the pan that the Phyllo cups are baking on. Do not add extra oil when toasting the nuts.

Why Don’t I Add Oil To The Nuts When Toasting Them?

Nuts have a high concentration of natural oils inside of them. When heated this oil inside the nuts is plenty to toast the nuts, extra oil is not necessary.

What’s The Difference Between Pies and Tarts? Are These Tarts?

Pies typically have a flakey crust that goes up on the sides, while tarts are typically baked in a pan with a removable bottom and only have the bottom crust.

The two terms are often blurred though, so you could also easily call these mini chocolate pecan tarts or even tartlets. A tartlet is the word for a mini tart. There are a few other small differences between pies and tarts that you can read about in this article if you are curious.

Can I Make This Mini Pecan Pie Recipe Ahead Of Time?

Yes, these little mini pecan pies keep wonderfully in the fridge and can be made ahead of time. I recommend making this little pecan pies recipe no more than 24 hours in advance for the best taste and texture.

How To Store Mini Pecan Chocolate Pies

I recommend storing these mini pies in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Pecan pies will last for 3-4 days when refrigerated.

Can I Freeze Mini Pecan Pies?

Yes, you can totally freeze these mini pecan pies! I recommend once they have cooled wrapping each pecan pie in aluminum foil or plastic wrap so they don’t stick together, and then putting them in a freezer zip-top bag. This will give you the best results later when you defrost the mini pies

When ready to eat simply let them defrost on the counter for at least an hour before serving or the night before in the refrigerator. These mini pecan desserts taste best if used within a month when freezing.

How To Serve Mini Pecan Pies

These mini pecan chocolate pies can be served warm or cold depending on your preferences. These mini pies are equally as delicious straight from the refrigerator and don’t need time to come to room temperature before serving.

If you are topping these delicious bites with whipped cream make sure the pies have completely cooled or are cold. Adding whipped cream to warm mini pies will cause the whipped cream to melt right off the pies!