Gluten-Free Pecan Tarts (Naturally Sweetened!)

These mini gluten-free pecan tarts are one of the recipes I look forward to most come Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are quite possibly my favorite cookie, probably because they taste like mini pies. The tart crust is ultra tender and just a tad salty, balancing the maple- and vanilla-sweetened center. PLUS, these babies are gluten-free and are naturally sweetened. What?! Oh yes, keep reading.

Every year my mother-in-law makes mini pecan tarts (also called pecan tassies) for Christmas. They have a brown sugar pecan filling and a tender pie crust, and they stole my heart when I first tried them over a decade ago. When I had to cut gluten from my diet I sorely missed the cookies (truth be told, I sorely missed all holiday cookies). Until now.

Key ingredients

The crust for these mini gluten free pecan tarts are made with a mix of sweet rice flour (or you can use gluten-free all-purpose flour) and almond flour. Cream cheese and butter give the crust an ultra tender texture, while chopped pecans and cinnamon lend flavor. The filling is flavored with vanilla and is sweetened with just maple sugar, which is a natural sweetener that lends loads of flavor (I buy it online), but you can use brown sugar if you prefer. WOOHOO! I had my cookies back.

How to make gluten free pecan tarts

1. Make the tart dough using cream cheese, butter, rice flour, almond flour, cinnamon, salt and finely chopped pecans.
2. Using a damp finger, press the dough into mini muffin cups.
3. Refrigerate the tart dough while you make the filling.
4. For the filling, stir together softened butter, maple sugar (or brown sugar), egg, vanilla and chopped pecans. Divide the filling among the chilled tart crusts. Bake the mini pecan tarts until the crust is golden brown.

Chocolate pecan tart variation

While the gluten free pecan tarts are delicious just as they are, you can take them over-the-top by sneaking a piece of chopped chocolate—either white or dark—in the tart shells before adding the filling. Once the tarts have baked and cooled, drizzle them with more melted chocolate. The combination of the sweet chocolate with the nutty pecans is sublime.

Serving suggestions

These not-too-sweet pecan tarts are a delicious snack, afternoon treat or dessert. Serve them as part of a Thanksgiving dessert spread, or pack them up in holiday cookie tins. The tarts taste even better after a day or two, so you can even make them ahead.

FAQs

Recipe tips:

• You will need a mini muffin tin for this recipe.
• These tarts use a mix of white rice flour or GF all-purpose flour and almond flour in the crust, making them gluten-free. However, for a non-GF version, you can use ¾ cup of a regular all-purpose flour instead.
• I love baking with maple sugar, an unprocessed sugar that has a rich, maple-syrup like flavor. However, you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.
• Vanilla paste has a more robust flavor than extract (and it lasts forever!), but you can absolutely use vanilla extract instead.
• These cookies taste even better the next day, so go ahead and make them ahead!
• For more holiday inspiration, check out all of these holiday recipes!

*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!

Other holiday desserts to try:

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Gluten Free Mini Pecan Tarts (Naturally Sweetened)

By Nicki Sizemore

With a buttery nut crust and a maple pecan filling, these mini pecan tarts taste just like the holidays. You’d never know they’re made without refined sugars or gluten, or that they can be made in under an hour! The cookies are sweetened with maple sugar, a natural sweetener that lends loads of flavor, but brown sugar or coconut sugar can be used in its place. The slightly salty, nutty crust, made with a mix of rice and almond flours, balances out the sweet center. (If you prefer, the crust can be made with ¾ cup of all-purpose flour instead of the almond and rice flours.) While I love the cookies just as they are (and they’re even better the next day), I’ll sometimes sneak a piece of chopped chocolate—either white or dark—in the tart shells before adding the filling, and then I’ll drizzle the tarts with more chocolate after they’ve cooled. *Be sure to take the cream cheese and butter out of the fridge a few hours before beginning (or even the night before), to soften.

Servings: 16 tarts

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

• Cooking spray, for pan
• 1 ¼ cups pecans, divided
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• ½ cup (82 g) white rice flour, or ½ cup (70g) gluten-free all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (27 g) almond flour
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (54 g) packed maple sugar, or ¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar, or ½ cup (80g) coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Spread ¾ cup of the pecans on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 7-9 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Place the remaining ½ cup of pecans in a mini food processor and process until the nuts are ground into a coarse flour.
• Put the cream cheese and 4 tablespoons of the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use hand mixers), and beat on medium-high speed until well-blended and smooth.
• Scrape the sides, and add the rice flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon of the salt and the finely chopped pecans (from the food processor). Mix on medium-low just until the dough comes together.
• Roll the dough into 16 rough balls (about 1 inch wide) and press them into the bottoms and up the sides of mini-muffin cups (use damp fingers if the batter is sticky). Pop the tin in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir together the egg, maple sugar (or brown sugar), vanilla paste (or extract), remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon softened butter, stirring and smashing the butter until mostly incorporated (it’s ok if there are still little bits of butter). Coarsely chop the toasted pecans and stir them into the mixture.
• Divide the filing among the muffin cups. Bake 20-23 minutes, or until the tarts are golden. Cool in the tins set on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of each tart, and carefully transfer them to the rack to cool completely.

Notes

Do Ahead: The tarts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

Tips:

• You will need a mini muffin tin for this recipe.
• These tarts use a mix of white rice flour or gluten free all-purpose four and almond flour, making them gluten-free. However, for a non-GF version, you can use ¾ cup of a regular all-purpose flour instead.
• I love baking with maple sugar, an unprocessed sugar that has a rich, maple-syrup like flavor. However, you can use brown sugar instead.
• Vanilla paste has a more robust flavor than extract (and it lasts forever!), but you can absolutely use vanilla extract instead.
• These cookies taste even better the next day, so go ahead and make them ahead!

Loved this recipe? Check out @nickisizemore for more!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free pecan tassies, mini pecan tarts, mini pecan tarts gluten free pecan tarts