Sunny Anderson's Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients

Cooking Directions

Special equipment: two 12-cup mini muffin tins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottoms and sides of the mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

For the dough: In a food processor, pulse the pecans with the flour, sugar and salt until the nuts are ground and the ingredients are combined. Add in the butter and pulse until the dough resembles coarse meal. Slowly pour in the ice water through the feed tube, pulsing, until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the processor bowl onto a clean work surface sprinkled with flour.

Form the dough into a ball and divide evenly into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and evenly press into each muffin cup, until the bottom is covered. If the dough is sticky, dip your finger in flour first.

Bake until the crusts are very golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Check periodically to make sure they don't get too brown.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and yolk with the corn syrup, pumpkin filling, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the dough from the oven and spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into each cup. Top each with 1 pretty pecan half. Return the tins to the oven and continue baking until the pumpkin filling is set, 12 to 15 minutes more. Allow to cool before removing from the tins.

Yield: 2 dozen

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.