Brownie Bites

These are brownies in their fanciest form: a rich chocolate and pecan filling spooned into tender cream cheese pastry shells, then baked in miniature muffin tins until just set.

The crust is the real star. Butter and cream cheese blended together and chilled for an hour creates a pastry that’s flaky and slightly tangy, which cuts right through the sweetness of the filling. Don’t skip the chill time. Warm dough will stick to the tins and lose its structure.

The filling comes together fast. Chopped semi-sweet chocolate (not melted, just finely chopped) and toasted pecans fold into a simple egg-and-sugar base with a hit of coffee liqueur. That Kahlua deepens the chocolate flavor without making these taste boozy.

Press the dough thin and even into each cup. Too thick and the pastry overwhelms the filling. Too thin and it cracks. You want just enough to line the bottom and sides.

Chef Tips

• Grease the mini muffin tins even if they’re nonstick. The cream cheese pastry loves to stick.
• Chop the chocolate finely so it distributes evenly in the small shells. Big chunks will overpower some bites and leave others plain.
• Let them cool completely in the pan before popping them out. They’re fragile when warm.
• These freeze beautifully. Layer between parchment in a container and freeze for up to a month.

Variations

• Swap Kahlua for Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) and use hazelnuts instead of pecans.
• Use white chocolate chips for a blondie-style bite.
• Add a tiny square of caramel candy in the center of each shell before spooning in the filling.