A Southern dessert staple is the pecan pie tassie. You and your holiday guests will love this classic recipe for mini, one-bite pecan tassies. This is a nutty sweet treat, perfect for the cookie swap or holiday dessert tray.

It wouldn’t be the holidays with out my irresistible pecan pie tassies! This is a classic Southern dessert and you know I’m all about my Southern classics. I have to warn you before you move any further, these mini pecan pie tassie bites are so addicting, you’ll want to save room for everything else on your holiday menu before you even start. Because these are the perfect one-big dessert and once you have one, it will be hard to stop!
I love baking desserts for the holidays and these nutty treats are on the menu every holiday season in my house and sometimes on the cookie exchange tray. I hope you and your family love this recipe and use it year after year in your holiday baking!
This from scratch pecan tassie recipe is broken into 4 parts:
- What Is A Tassie?
- Perfect For A Crowd
- Don’t Forget To Toast Your Nuts
- Make Your Tassie

In today’s post, I’m going to share with you my classic Southern pecan tassic recipes. I call these “Southern” because they use pecans. But, before we go any further, I’m going to explain to you what exactly a tassie is and implore to you the importance of toasting your nuts before you bake with them.
What Is Tassie?
Every time I make these mini pecan bites, someone asks me what a tassie is. Unless you’re from the South, in which case you know that I’m talking about. From baby showers to weddings dessert buffets, you grew up with tassies in all the flavors!
A tassie is a miniature tart or pie. The word “tassie” is from Scotland and it means “miniature cup.” Translate that to baking, and a tassie is typically a little cup of dough that is filled with something delicious, like a pecans or lemon, chocolate or even pumpkin, in the fall.
Think of my Southern pecan tassies like mini pecan pies, only better, because they are bite size. You can just pop them in your mouth without a fork! No utensils required!
Perfect For A Crowd
These little bites of heaven would be perfect idea for your holiday cookie swap tray too. You can bake a lot of little cups or tarts quickly, which is important during the holidays.
Tassies are also the ideal dessert for baby and bridal showers, and wedding dessert buffets when you need bite size desserts that bake up quickly. As a professional baker, I always suggest tassies for events and parties.
Not only can you make a lot of tarts quickly, the tassies look great on a dessert display and they are a fun finger food dessert to eat at a party. Guests can just pop them in their mouth! Plus, the tassie filling options are endless!
My recipe makes 4 dozen tassies or individual tarts. That’s a lot, especially around the holidays when you’re short on time you’re looking for those recipes that get the job done quickly. And with a cookie swap, you might be in the hook for making 4 or 5 dozen cookies or more, depending on how many are in the your exchange group.
Many years, these pecan tassies were in the cookie exchange in my neighborhood! And, they were always on my wedding dessert buffets!

Don’t Forget To Toast Your Nuts!
In the South, we love our nuts, especially pecans, for use in all kinds of desserts from cakes to pies and cookies. (Check out some of my dessert recipes with nuts, if you love nuts too!) I couldn’t call myself a professional baker if I didn’t remind you about the importance of toasting your nuts before you bake with them.
When you’re baking with any type of nut, it is critical that you toast your nuts before you use them in your recipe. Toasting your nuts, like pecans or almonds or hazelnuts, brings out that nutty flavor of the nut and makes it taste much better than just dropping them in your recipe raw, un-toasted.
Don’t skip this step, I promise it’s worth it! You’ll love my baking tip on how to toast your nuts to get that perfect nutty flavor every time.
Make Your Tassie
This easy, step-by-step recipe will show you exactly how to make your pecan tassies that taste like the perfect bite of pecan pie!
Print
Pecan Tassies Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. You will need enough mini muffin pans for 4 dozen tassies.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature before mixing.
- Combine cream cheese and butter with a hand or stand mixer until well combined.
- Add flour to the cream cheese butter mixture. Mix well. Chill for about an hour.
- Divide dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 12 pieces and roll each piece into balls. This will make it easier to press the correct amount of dough into the mini muffin pans.
- Press each ball into the bottom and sides of each well of the pan.
- Combine eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand or stand mixer until well combined.
- Stir in pecans.
- Spoon mixture into the pastry shells.
- Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Cool about 5 minutes before removing from pan.
- Makes 4 dozen.
Notes
- Have all ingredients at room temperature before mixing.
- Pecan Tassies can be made ahead and stored in the freezer after baking. To serve, remove from freezer and allow to come to room temperature.
- Refrigerate any uneaten Pecan Tassies.

I hope that you love making these pecan tassies as much as I know you’ll love eating them!
As I said, these are a holiday classic in my house and I make them every year. I don’t think it would be Christmas without ’em!
Join Minette Rushing & C’mon In The Kitchen
C’mon in the kitchen with Minette Rushing Custom Cakes! For more of my baking secrets and Southern dessert recipes, be sure to follow along on the blog while I share cookies recipes, my best cake recipes and delicious recipes for fillings and how to make frosting recipes and so much more!
You can also shop all of my baking essentials and tools, so you’re fully equipped to join me in the kitchen for all things sweet and Southern. If you’re looking for the recipes that built my business and other business tips, please check out my cake business shop where I’ll show you how to build the cake business of your dreams, just like I did.
C’mon in the kitchen with me!
XOXO
Minette
Did You Make Minette’s Recipe?
So, did you make these little pecan tassies recipe? Leave me a comment and a recipe rating below. I’d love to know how it turned out for you and my readers would love your comments too!
Happy baking!
This is the perfect dessert during the holidays. It is very similar to my grandmother’s. Thank you so much for posting your recipe!
★★★★★