Do you love a good sweet, chewy, rich pecan pie? There’s a few in my family who sure do… 😉 Well, you don’t always have the time (or calorie allotment) to make and enjoy one from scratch, but I have a delicious alternative for you, these pecan pie muffins… They’re a perfect way to satisfy one of those emergency cravings, and you can enjoy them for a snack, dessert, or as a side to your morning coffee. So there! No more waiting for a special occasion or excuse, to have a scrumptious satisfying pecan pie-ish treat.
First, though, did you know that nuts can go bad while sitting on a shelf in your pantry, even though you may not have opened them yet? They contain a lot of oil, so if you open your nuts and they smell off, they’re probably rancid. My mom has even purchased some that hadn’t reached their “sell by” date but were horribly rancid. So always use your nose! Eat by Date says the smell of bad nuts is similar to paint.
I always store my almonds, pecans, walnuts etc. in the freezer, sealed tightly. Good Housekeeping says they last up to a year in the freezer.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
With your mixer, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, chopped nuts, and salt.
Stir the two bowls of ingredients together.
Now, I’ve made these several times in the last few weeks, (modified from all recipes) and they definitely come out of the pan easier if you use muffin liners, and then let them cool before removing the liners. However, if you like a crispy outside on your pecan muffins, to more resemble pecan pie, then generously grease your muffin tins, and some also suggest coating the greased muffin cups with white sugar, before pouring in the batter. Others said Baker’s Joy worked great.
This recipe makes 12 regular size muffins. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (don’t quite fill it to the top), and fill each muffin liner half full. Makes one dozen. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for around 20-25 minutes (mine took 23 minutes), or till a toothpick comes out batter free.
As a child I hated nuts, and now that I’ve matured, I love them! This is a scrumptious way to enjoy pecans and get a sweet tooth fix at the same time.
Pecan Pie Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- With your mixer, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, chopped nuts and salt.
- Stir the two bowls of ingredients together.
- This recipe makes 12 regular size muffins. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (don’t quite fill it to the top), and fill each muffin liner half full. Makes one dozen. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for around 20-25 minutes (mine took 23 minutes), or till a toothpick comes out batter free.
- ***Now, I’ve made these several times in the last few weeks, (modified from all recipes) and they definitely come out of the pan easier if you use muffin liners, and then let them cool before removing the liners. However, if you like a crispy outside on your pecan muffins, to more resemble pecan pie, then generously grease your muffin tins, and some also suggested coating the greased muffin cups with white sugar, before pouring in the batter. Others said Baker’s Joy worked great.
If you let them cool down some, the muffins come out of the liners easily.
These taste great for breakfast with your coffee or tea, or even for a snack, or dessert with some vanilla ice-cream. 🙂
Hope you enjoy these as much as we all did!
Oh these looks so yummy!
Please clarify right amount of butter. 1/c cup doesn’t make sense. Thx
I’m sorry about that. I’ve corrected it; it’s 1/2 cup of softened butter or 8 Tablespoons. Thanks! 🙂
Do you have to use Whole Wheat flour or can you use all purpose? Thanks!
All purpose should work fine! 🙂
Yummy-looking muffins! Also, I have heard the same thing about storing nuts in the freezer. It is a good tip, especially if you don’t expect to use the nuts very quickly. Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday!