Individual Caramel Pecan Fudge Tarts
- 2 cups flour
- 12 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 34 cup cold butter, unsalted
- 4 -6 tablespoons ice water
- 12 cup light corn syrup or 12 cup brown sugar corn syrup
- 34 cup caramel
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 12 cup brown sugar
- 14 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vinegar (cider or white)
- 3 large eggs
- 34 cup chocolate chips
- 34 cup chopped pecans
- To make the crust: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Cut the butter into small cubes, and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly.
- For the crust, drizzle in ice water, mixing until the dough is cohesive.
- Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly, you've added enough liquid.
- Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disk.
- Roll each on its edge along a floured work surface, as though the disk were a wheel, to smooth the edges out.
- Pat the disks till they're about 1-inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator; if it's been refrigerated for longer than an hour, allow it to warm a bit and become flexible, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Divide each piece of dough into six equal pieces; each will weigh about 1 1/2 ounces, if you have a scale.
- Gently round each piece into a disk.
- Flour your work surface; a silicone rolling mat works well here.
- Roll each disk into a 6-inch circle.
- A miniature silicone rolling pin works well here; that size pin fits this job perfectly.
- Press the circles of dough into the wells of a standard muffin pan, either metal or silicone.
- The pan doesn't need to be greased.
- Crimp the edges of crust that extend above the wells of the pan.
- This is kind of fussy work, but don't stress about it too much; your raggedy crimping will smooth out a bit in the oven, and anyway, when you serve the tarts people will be focusing on the luscious-looking filling, rather than the edge of the crust.
- Refrigerate the tart shells, and preheat the oven to 350F, while you prepare the filling.
- To make the filling: In a small saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, heat together the corn syrup, caramel, butter, sugar, and salt, stirring till the mixture is smooth.
- Don't let it get too hot; just heat until the caramel and butter melt.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and vinegar, then the eggs, beating until everything is well combined.
- To assemble the tarts: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chocolate chips in the bottom of each tart shell.
- Add a scant 3 tablespoons (a scant 2 ounces) caramel filling; a muffin scoop works well here.
- The filling should come to within about 3/8-inch of the top of the pastry.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped pecans atop the filling.
- Suggestion: assemble one tart first, so you can see how much filling to add without it overflowing once you add the pecans.
- If you have leftover filling, bake it in a custard cup, if desired.
- Bake the tarts for 45 minutes (in a metal muffin pan), or 40 minutes (in a silicone muffin pan).
- The tarts will puff up and become golden brown and bubbly.
- Remove them from the oven (they'll fall down; that's what they're supposed to do), and serve warm, or at room temperature.
- Ice cream or whipped cream is always a plus.
flour, salt, sugar, cold butter, tablespoons ice water, light corn syrup, caramel, butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, vinegar, eggs, chocolate chips, pecans
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/individual-caramel-pecan-fudge-tarts-437099 (may not work)