I’m so excited to be sharing these little tarts with you today for a couple of reasons. I feel a bit bad that I’ve never shared these with you, as I’ve been making some version of these since I was in college. The original recipe came from my grandmother’s collection, but I’ve made some changes here and there over the years.
At their heart, these are mini pecan pies. But, they’re really so much more. The pecan filling is not quite the traditional one we’re all used to making. It’s a bit simpler and less sweet than usual. It also has some sweetened coconut stirred in for some bonus flavor. But, the surprise ingredient in the filling is crisp rice cereal. It seems a bit odd at first glance, but trust me. It adds a nice crunch and really just works so well.
And underneath all that is a layer of sweetened cream cheese for a little burst of sweetness in each bite. Seriously, with pecans, coconut, and cream cheese all inside a little pie, I could not love these more. They’re perfect for a dessert tray or for a gift.
Coconut Pecan Tarts
Coconut, crisp rice cereal, and cream cheese provide a delicious twist to pecan pie in these Coconut Pecan Tarts.
Ingredients
- pastry for double crust pie*
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup crisp rice cereal
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Roll out the prepared pie crust pastry to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into 12 4-inch circles. Fit one circle into each cup of the prepared muffin tin. Refrigerate the pan while you prepare the filling.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cereal, pecans, coconut, sour cream, and salt.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until combined and smooth. Place a rounded teaspoonful of the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of each tart crust. Spread evenly.
- Divide the pecan mixture evenly among tarts (a heaping tablespoon of mixture per tart).
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until crusts are golden brown.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove the pies from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*I used my go-to butter pie crust. The quantities in my tutorial are for a single crust pastry, so just double the quantities. I would suggest dividing the dough in half before refrigerating to make rolling out and handling the dough a bit easier.
16 Comments on “Coconut Pecan Tarts”
I love coconut and pecans! These tarts sound amazing!
This is all I want for the holidays!
Yup, I need some of these in my life.
Pecan pie is my mom’s favorite and I’ve been looking for a new version to make for Thanksgiving! FOUND. plus I love that these are mini so I can have twelve. I mean, moderation.
Thanks so much chica!! You are SO sweet and I am so lucky to have you as one of my real life friends!!
Yayyy Joanne! Yayyyy delicious little tarts! LOVE the coconut addition to the pecan pies!
I love bite-sized sweets for parties and showers. These little tarts are perfect!
These are holiday perfect!!
I love these!! They are adorable!
Perfect size. I love pecan pie but never get to eat it. These little bitesize ones would be the perfect portion.
These little tarts are perfect for the holidays or for a shower. I love mini and individual servings for parties. These sound great!
Oh Jen I can always count on your for the most amazing pecan desserts- this is one exception! These are the perfect addition to our Autumn Spread!
Love these, totally up my alley!
Looks great…what is crisp rice cereal? is it rice Crispies? Live in Greece and don’t think we have rice cereal..but rice crispies we have. thanks for your reply via email.
Hi, Cecile. Yes, Rice Krispies will work!
Wow, these sound to die for! Love the flavor combo here.
I love anything bite sized – these are too cute!!