Mini Pecan Pies

Sweet, caramel-ly and nutty, these mini pecan pies really hit the spot.

Notes

• One tin of coconut milk should give you approximately 1/2 cup (125ml) of coconut cream. Avoid adding any more than this amount because the filling might become too wet.
• The trick to getting the coconut cream to separate from the water is using a can of coconut milk with high fat content. You can usually tell by shaking the can in the supermarket to see if it’s already separated. If you can’t hear it shaking around, then it’s usually a safe bet.
• You will also need a 12 cup muffin tray and a circle stencil roughly 10cm in diameter.

Mini Pecan Pies

Print

Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 22 mins

Servings 12 mini pies

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 220 g (7.7 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 6 tbsp vegan margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp water

For the filling

• 1/4 cup vegan margarine or butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 tbsp cornflour, cornstarch in the US
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 x 400 ml (13.5 fl.oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk, cream only (see notes above)
• 3/4 cup pecans

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 400°F.
• To make the pastry, transfer the flour, margarine and sugar to a mixing bowl, and rub the mixture together with your fingers until it resembles a crumble.
• Add the water and combine with your hands to make a dough. Keep adding a touch more water if the dough is still dry until it turns into a dough.
• Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the filling add the margarine, sugar, maple syrup and cornflour to a pan on a medium heat. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the vanilla extract and remove the pan from the heat. Stir the coconut cream into the syrup. 
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour, and roll out the dough on the floured surface until it’s roughly 3mm thick.
• Using a stencil, cut out 12 circles from the dough and place one circle in each muffin mould, making sure the dough is flush against the sides.
• Place 2 or 3 pecan nuts in each mould and spoon in the syrup mixture until the mould is 2/3 full.
• Place muffin tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the muffin tray from the oven and leave the mini pecan pies to cool for 5 minutes before serving.