Pecan Pie Bites - Made with Calianna Pecans, of course!

Pecans are added to most desserts we prepare at the Dowden household.  Here's a photo of some pecan pie bites we made this past Easter.  Check out our easy recipe below and then head on over to our online store to purchase your pecans so you can be the star at your next holiday gathering!

Ingredients:

Homemade pie crust or store bought works just fine too
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 cups chopped Calianna Pecans
1/3 cup butter (melted)
1 cup light corn syrup

The best part about this recipe is that you can pour it directly into a pie shell and bake.  However, as you can see in the photo above, we used a cupcake tin.  Roll out your dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Then use a circle cookie cutter (or large glass) to cut out circles that are larger than the circumference of each space in your tin.  Don't worry if it's not exact, it's okay if the dough crust doesn't reach the top of the pan once it's pressed in.  I like to put the tin in the refrigerator while the filling is being prepared. You want to keep the butter in the dough as chill as possible.  This is what makes your dough have that wonderful flaky texture once it's baked.

Filling: In a medium sized bowl, add the 3 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1-2 cups chopped Calianna Pecans.  Stir until combined.  Then add 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 cup light corn syrup. Stir again until completely incorporated.

Drop in enough filling to reach the top of the crust.  Make sure you have an even amount of pecans in each bite.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.  The crust should be golden brown and the filling slighty jiggly.  Cool about 10 minutes.  Then remove from the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.

**Oven temperatures may vary and you may need to bake longer.