Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

These are pecan pie condensed into two-bite muffins, skipping the whole pie-crust production. The magic is in the ratio: one cup of toasted pecans to only half a cup of flour means every bite is more candy than cake, with just enough flour to hold the party together.

Melted butter is the right call here. It carries the brown sugar into every crevice and gives these muffins their signature chewy, gooey middle. Creamed butter would turn them fluffy, which is not what you want.

Stir the wet into the dry just until everything is moistened. Any more mixing and you’ll develop gluten and end up with rubbery little hockey pucks.

Fill the mini muffin tins two-thirds full. These puff more than you expect, and overfilled cups spill molten brown sugar batter across your pan.

Pro Tips

• Toast the pecans for 6 to 8 minutes at 350°F (175°C) before chopping. Raw pecans taste flat compared to toasted, and the depth is worth the extra step.
• Use paper liners or grease AND flour the tin. Brown sugar muffins stick to bare metal like glue.
• Pack the brown sugar firmly when measuring. Loose-packed sugar will give you a drier muffin.
• Cool in the pan for only 5 minutes, then tip out. Leave them longer and the sugary bottoms weld themselves in place.

Variations

• Swap half the pecans for chopped dark chocolate for a turtle-candy vibe.
• Add a splash of bourbon or dark rum to the wet ingredients for a grown-up holiday version.
• Press a single pecan half on top of each cup before baking for a bakery-style finish.