Mini Pecan Tartlets

Dessert

Rich and nutty, like your eccentric uncle. Must be held and served at room temperature.

Ingredients

Sweet Tart Dough

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Filling

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1 /2 cups brown sugar

1 /4 cup sugar

1 /2 cup honey

1 /4 teaspoon fine salt

1 /3 cup heavy cream

4 1 /2 cups pecan pieces

Instructions

Sweet Tart Dough

Preheat oven to 325

To make the sweet dough: Place the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat ingredients until creamy. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Add egg and mix until just combined (this can also be done in a food processor). Form a disk out of the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.

When dough is slightly chilled, place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out in a rectangular shape, approximately 11×15-inches in size. Transfer dough to a 9×13 baking sheet, and gently press dough into bottom and sides of the pan (dough should come up the sides of the pan about one inch).

Refrigerate dough 30 minutes, and bake for 10 minutes. While crust is cooling, prepare the filling.

Filling

While the pastry is cooling, combine butter, brown sugar, white sugar, honey, and salt in a large pot over high heat. Boil six minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the cream (Mixture will boil up while adding the cream, so be very careful during this step not to burn yourself).

Add pecans and mix thoroughly. Pour the filling evenly over the baked pastry. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Recent Recipes

Potato Gratin

Potatoes are the one vegetable I could never give up. Fried, roasted, mashed, or scalloped—doesn’t matter, they’re always on the table in one form or another. This gratin is my favorite way to make them feel a little more special. It’s rich, creamy, and just decadent enough to make it feel like you’re putting in some extra effort. There’s a good bit of cheese in this recipe, but that’s exactly how it should be. The combination of sharp white Cheddar, gruyere, and Parmesan gives it the perfect balance of nuttiness, creaminess, and tang. And using Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets makes a big difference. They have just the right amount of starch to get creamy without getting mushy. This dish is a showstopper on the holiday table, but I’d eat it on a random Tuesday without hesitation.

Orange Cranberry Muffins

These muffins are like Christmas morning in a bite—bright, citrusy orange paired with tart, bursting cranberries. The combination feels like something you'd find in a festive basket dropped off by a thoughtful neighbor. Perfect for Christmas gift giving or to have on hand for guests throughout the holiday.

Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake

Chef Linda Roderick has been by my side through these cookbooks for over two decades, and there’s no one I’d rather have guiding me through a cheesecake recipe. She’s a master of the craft—steady, exacting, and always aiming for perfection. This rich, decadent chocolate cheesecake is no exception. It's all about balance. The deep, smooth chocolate filling meets a crisp, slightly salty crust for a perfect bite every time. Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing—otherwise, you’ll end up with lumps. And when you melt the chocolate, give it time to cool slightly before mixing it into the batter, so you don’t end up with curdled filling. It’s worth the patience, every time. A few techniques can elevate this recipe to another level: chilling the dough overnight for a richer flavor, using a water bath to ensure an ultra-smooth texture, and letting the cheesecake rest for at least 24 hours before serving for the best flavor.

RobertStJohn.com