Pecan Gems

This is my Great Aunt Tissie's (her real name is Clarissa, but when I was little I couldn't say that and so somehow we all call her Tissie) recipe for Pecan Gem cookies. Now, my family always pronounced pecan as pee-kin, not sure why or how it got started, but that's how I grew up pronouncing them and I still do occasionally. Ha! I have also heard these cookies called Pecan Tassies, but that just doesn't make sense to me. They are a gem!

Anywho, these are my one of my absolute favorite cookies to make at Christmas. Not sure, why only Christmas though. I mean really, we make cookies other times of the year too right, so why not these? Hmmm, maybe I'll have to make them again soon. Or, maybe you'll have to make them and tell me how you like them. They are really easy to make too.

First you mix together 1 stick of soft butter with 1 3-oz. cream cheese and 1 cup of flour. This can be difficult to mix and so I use a pastry blender to mix it. Looooove this utensil, it makes cooking easier and it's fun too!

Next, you take a little bit of the dough and pinch it into a little ball and then place it into a gem pan. This is what my great aunt called it. Now today, we call it a small muffin tin. :) You will have to form it around the sides of each gem pan. I used this cool little utensil I got from Pampered Chef but cannot think of what it is called. DO NOT grease the pan. There is way enough butter in the dough so it won't stick.

Next, you mix together 3/4 cup of lite brown sugar, 1 egg and 1 tbsp. of melted butter and 1 tsp of vanilla. Put this mixture into a saucepan and heat on the stove until it just comes to a boil. Do not overcook it.

Once it comes to a boil, take it off the stove and let it cook a little bit and then add in 1 cup of chopped pecans.

Spoon the mixture into the gem pans evenly and then cook in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 250 degrees for an additional 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let them cool completely before removing from the gem pans.

OMG!!! Seriously, seriously the BEST thing you've ever tasted. It is just like eating a mini pecan pie. It's a fantastic treat in your mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
Fab-u-lous!!!!!! Please, make them now and there be a party going on!!!!