Pecan Tollhouse Tarts

What say you ... do you choose to make your tarts with a shortbread-type crust or a pie-type crust? Me? I like both.

Even though it's more traditional to make a shortbread crust for many tarts, I went the pie-type crust route for these tarts for the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally. I just really wasn't ever completely satisfied with my incredibly crumbly (but still tasty) pie crust made for the green tomato pie in the pie crust challenge.

I think I may have a winner in this crust. It holds together nicely with a nice amount of crumb. Not too crumbly and even slightly flaky. Great texture and taste. I think I might use this one for the pie baking when the holidays come up. (Is that really beginning in the next month???)

Many thanks to Charissa of Zest Bakery for challenging us to do tarts this month for the rally. Be sure to stop by Charissa's lovely blog and check out her amazing cheddar apple tart. Hello, Fall and hello, yum! I'll be sure to be trying that one (with Colby Jack since I'm allergic to the cheddar I do so adore). When you're there, don't forget to stop by and see the other incredible tart recipes the rally participants have baked up for you this month.

Logo designed by Anile Prakash

If you aren't already familiar with the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally where a group of us experiment with ratios that give us independence in the kitchen, you can check out my rally page here, where I have links to all the rally posts.

I've been wanting to make a Tollhouse pie since we went gluten free four years ago but haven't done it yet. Just as I love chocolate chip cookies, I love Tollhouse pies - it's like eating a gooey mess of warm chocolate chip cookie dough! Making a smaller version into these "tarts" was the perfect excuse to give that pie I'd been missing a try. For the filling, I mostly used a copy I found in my mother's cookbook years ago, but made it a little different by adding some vanilla and switching the walnuts out for pecans.

Because I used a pie-type crust, I used Ruhlman's ratio for pie crust which is 3 parts flour: 2 parts fat: 1 part liquid. I've had success in the past with gluten-free pie crusts using cream cheese, so I used some cream cheese as part of the fat in this recipe. The flour blend I use in this recipe gives a sweeter, nutty taste to the crust that goes well with the chocolate. I used a stand mixer for the crust, but feel free to use a food processor or pastry cutter.

(Printable Recipe)
Projected prep time: 10 minutes for crust; 10 minutes for filling; 40-45 minutes for baking
Note: This crust makes enough for one 9-inch pie/tart or 10 tarts in a muffin tin. If you use the entire filling proportions, you'll have some left over that you can make a shallow crustless pie/tart in.

Crust:
2 ounces butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3 ounces (85 grams) oat flour
1 ounce (28 grams) sweet rice flour
1 ounce (28 grams) millet flour
1 ounce (28 grams) tapioca starch
(Edit to add 2 tsp. ground chia seed if you have it - just adds a little more stick together in there!)
1 ounce (1/8 cup) cold water
2 pinches kosher salt


Filling:
2 eggs
3/4 ounce (20 grams or 1/8 cup) potato starch
1/2 ounce (15 grams or 1/8 cup) sorghum flour
1 ounce (28 grams or 1/4 cup) millet flour
3 1/2 ounces (99 grams or 1/2 cup) organic pure cane sugar
3 3/4 ounces (106 grams or 1/2 cup) pure dark brown cane sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 ounces (1 cup - 2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

For crust:
Blend butter and cream cheese together into flour and salt using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer (or use a food processor or a pastry cutter by hand) until crumbly, then add the water, continuing to mix just until it begins to come together, then form the dough into a ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

When ready to use, form into 10 balls about 1.5 inches in diameter and press into muffin tins. Set aside.

For filling:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and set aside to cool.

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy.

Add flour, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and beat well until blended.

Blend in butter.

Add pecans, then stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into crust-lined tins (see note above - if you have extra filling left you can make a crustless shallow pie).

Bake until set, about 40-45 minutes.

Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or ice cream for a real treat, but they taste great cold, as well. Refrigerate leftover tarts.

Enjoy!

Be sure to visit Charissa's tart recipe and check out the other rally participants this month, as well!

• Karen of Cooking Gluten Free! made Plum Tart
• Paula of Gapey's Grub made Sugar Free Pear Tart
• Heather of Discovering the Extraordinary made No-Bake Mini Pumpkin Tarts (grain free)
• Pete and Kelli of No Gluten, No Problem made Spiced Cider-Poached Cinnamon Apple Tart
• Jonathan of The Canary Files made Vegan Cardamom Cashew Cream & Fig Tartlettes
• Mary Fran of FrannyCakes made Savory Sweet Potato tart with a brown butter crust
• Morri of Meals with Morri made Savory Onion Tart with Pâte à Foncer Crust
• Jean Layton of Gluten-Free Doctor made  Nectarine Roses
• Claire Berman of This Gluten-Free Life made Summer Tomato Tarts