My favorite time of year is approaching. Holiday season! And while it may not be my favorite season weather-wise, there are certainly a lot of other things to look forward to.
Having been invited for a friends’ yearly Friendsgiving get-together, I wanted to bring something that was season and holiday appropriate. So I took to asking my mom, who is a great cook, about the ‘Golden Cups’ (or as I’d like to refer them, Pecan tarts) recipe she always used to make when I was a kid.
I always looked forward to these tasty treats because I loved the texture, and obviously the taste. Over time, I’ve also come to appreciate the sweetness level in this recipe since these mini tarts aren’t very sweet. But they are very rich and flavorful.
So thanks to my mom, I decided to share this recipe with you. I’ve also added a bit of a twist where I’ve reduced the brown sugar needed and instead replaced it with more seasoned ingredients like apple and pumpkin butter.
Mom’s Pecan Tart ‘Golden Cups’ Recipe
Equipment
- Meshed sifter (optional)
- Mixer
- 2 12-Mini Cupcake Trays
- Small Ladle or Spoon
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1 Cup Flour
- 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 4 Oz Cream Cheese (about half a box)
- 4 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 Stick Butter (softened)
For Filling
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 Tbsp Apple Butter or Pumpkin Butter (heaping)
OR Make two separate batches (simply split the ingredients above into two bowls)
- 2 Tbsp Apple Butter in one bowl (heaping)
- 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Butter in the second bowl (heaping)
Instructions
- Cut the softened butter into smaller cubes and add in the mixer bowl. Do the same for the cream cheese.
- Mix together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon with the cubed ingredients. You should end up with a doughy texture:
- Next, spray down your two cupcake trays. Split the dough ball in halves. Each half should be the crusts for each of the cupcake trays. Roll a small amount of the dough with your hand and then flatten it into a circle. Place inside one of the cupcake molds and pinch the edges. Do this for all 24 cupcake molds. Your end result should look something like this:
- Start the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Now on to the filling. First beat the two eggs. Then add in the brown sugar and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the cup of chopped pecans and mix until all the pecans are coated.– NOTE: If you plan to make two separate batches of both Pumpkin and Apple flavored tarts, split the mixture in half into two separate bowls.– Add the pumpkin butter in one and apple butter in the other and mix well.
- Add in either the pumpkin or apple butter and mix all ingredients well.
- Spoon in a bit of the ingredients into each of the crusts.
- Places trays in the oven and let them bake for 25 minutes until you see the crusts become golden brown.
That’s really all there is to them! Optionally, you can sift some confectioner sugar onto them for added sweetness.
Enjoy and happy holidays!
