Pecan Pie Muffins

Pecan pie – in the form of a muffin? Well, it’s true! These little bites taste just like pecan pie. They have the buttery, caramel taste of pecan pie, with lots of pecans, a moist, gooey center, and crisp edges that make it easy to hold and bite into. There is no leavening agent in the recipe, so they will not rise. You can fill the paper cupcake liners almost to the top with no worry about them spilling over.

You can adjust the baking time for a more or less “gooey” center. I like the texture both inside and out at the 25 minute mark.

Most of the recipes I found for this have just 5 ingredients – super simple. I did add a bit of salt to bring the flavors to life a bit more. No need for a mixer either – just a mixing bowl, whisk, and a rubber spatula.

If you love pecan pie like I do, this is a no-brainer!

Recipe for PECAN PIE MUFFINS

This will make 9 regular sized muffins.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a muffin pan with 9 paper liners, and spray inside the liners lightly with cooking spray. These tend to stick if you don’t do this. Set aside.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c light brown sugar
1 c chopped pecans (plus 9 halves to garnish)
2 large or extra large eggs
11 Tbsp melted salted butter (if you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt)

Combine flour, brown sugar and chopped pecans in a med bowl. Stir together. Set aside.

Add eggs to another med mixing bowl, and whisk together til frothy (about 1 minute). Add melted butter, and stir together.

Pour butter mixture into the flour mixture, and stir together using a rubber spatula.

This is where the batter starts to look like pecan pie filling! Hard to believe it will turn into a muffin, but trust the process!

Divide equally into 9 muffin cups. I used a large icecream scoop, plus another small icecream scoop to make 9 regular sized muffins. Top each muffin with a pecan half.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Check for your desired doneness at the 20 minute mark. They should be lightly browned, with darker brown edges. I like to bake mine for another 5 minutes (total of 25 min.). This will give you a nice chewy center, and crisp edges.