Recipe: Healthier Mini Pecan Pies

Hooray! It's November 1st! Do you know what that means? I can now post holiday recipes without looking like a loony ;)

When  I was younger, we were never allowed to do anything Christmas-sy until after November 20th (Katrina's birthday) was over  - but as I got older I stretched that a little bit and began my Christmas baking on November 1st (because I needed to "practice", you see!). 

Christmas is my absolute favourite time and Christmas food is my absolute favourite thing to eat. All year long I wait for Christmas to come around so that I can fill my house with the smell of gingerbread, freshly baked shortbread, Christmas pudding and all those delicious Christmas-sy smells.

I'm not one of those people that complains when they see Christmas items in store in February - in fact, I'm the one who hurriedly pulled her Mum into Myer in September when they just started setting up the Christmas display because "CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTTTTTTTTTTMASSSSSS IS COMINGGGGGGGGGGGG!" 

Some people say that when they get older, Christmas loses its fun - but that's definitely not the case. In fact, I probably love Christmas more now than I ever did as a child. For me it's not about presents (like it was when I was little), it's about Jesus, friends, family and special traditions that bring people together. 

It's about making a gingerbread house with Jesse and Katrina and watching them devour it like Godzilla on Christmas Night (see here for proof), it's about setting up Christmas lights on the front of our house and hearing the neighbourhood kids gasp and gawk at how pretty they are from our bedroom window, it's about smelling my Mum's Christmas pudding everytime I walk past where it's hanging - drying out and maturing in preparation for Christmas day, it's about singing Christmas carols and decorating the Christmas tree and most importantly, remembering what Christmas is really all about.

But now that I have my husband here to celebrate with me (as I have done for the past three years!), it's also about creating new traditions - and incorporating his Christmas traditions into ours. 

This year, as Jesse and I were brainstorming recipes to create for the blog this Christmas, he jotted down "Pecan Pie". I'd never connected pecan pie with Christmas - but then I realised that so many of our US friends and family have a pecan pie every year - so I knew I had to create the perfect healthier pecan pie recipe to add to our holiday table...

And I did just that! To the point where Jesse told me they were perfect - and that's exactly what you want to hear!

So let me share this Healthier Pecan Pie Recipe with you!

Healthier Mini Pecan Pies makes 10, easily multiplied

low fat, gluten free, lower sugar

The Crust: 
The sweet version of our Super Simple Healthy Pastry Recipe

1/2 cup (60g) gluten free plain flour (you may also use regular plain flour for a non GF version)

1/2 cup (60g) buckwheat flour (you may also use whole wheat flour for a non GF version)

1/2 tsp baking powder 

3 tbsp milk of your choice (we used almond milk) 

1 tbsp (20g) butter, melted or 1 tbsp oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tbsp water

The Filling: 
1/2 cup (60g) chopped pecans 
3 tbsp natural maple syrup 
1/4 cup (50g) unrefined cane sugar 
1 egg 

To Make The Crust:

• Mix all of your ingredients together until it forms a dough. 
• Mix until just combined and wrap in cling wrap. 
• Chill your wrapped dough in the fridge for 1 hour. 
• Roll out your dough on a piece of baking paper (you shouldn't need extra flour as the dough is quite easy to work with, however, if you find it sticking add just a little bit of flour to your rolling surface) to about 2mm thickness. You want the dough to be quite thin so it crisps up perfectly! 
• Place your dough into your tart shells (I cut my dough into small squares to make it easier to manage) and press into shape, cutting off any excess dough. 
• Bake your tart shells in a preheated oven at 180C/355F for 3 minutes minutes to just start to crisp up the pastry.

To Make The Filling: 

• Mix all of your ingredients together in a mixing bowl whilst your crusts are baking.
• Once your crusts have finished their first bake, pour your filling mixture into the crusts and put them back in the oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes or until golden  
• If you're finding that your crusts are cooking faster than your filling, cover them with foil.

Tips:

• These are best eaten warm and fresh out of the oven (according to Jesse), however, we have found they keep for 2-3 days either at room temperature or in the fridge. 
• Serve them as is or with a dollop of icecream, cream or a sprinkle of icing sugar on top.

But tell me, what are some of your Christmas Traditions?
And what's your favourite Christmas-sy food?

This year we're on a mission to start some new Christmas traditions - so keep an eye out for our Christmas posts this year!