The house in Texas had two huge pecan trees in the back yard and we always had an abundant crop of pecans. One of my chores as a child was picking up the pecans that fell from the trees and then shelling them. It wasn’t that much of a chore at all, especially when it led to a wonderfully delicious treat like Pecan Pie. We used pecans a lot in cookies, jello salads, cooking and I use them interchangably with walnuts. When I moved to California, walnuts were more readily, and less expensively, available, but the pecan has always remained my first choice of nut.

Pecan pie isn’t a low carb, low calorie food usually, but when counting carbs and making a few substitution in the ingredients, it can be a great dessert for a low carb lifestyle. I made these as tartlets rather than a big pie because it makes it easier to make a small batch for two or three people and it controls the portion size. I used silicon tartlet molds, which hold about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of ingredients and come in different shapes. They are also easy to unmold.

Cinnamon Pecan Tartlets

Filling

1 Egg
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar free maple syrup
1/3 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup pecans, broken into pieces
6 pecans halves for topping
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
Pinch salt

Crumble Dough

1/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon sugar substitute

Prepare tartlet molds by spraying with cooking spray. Put on a baking sheet.

Make Crumble Dough:
Mix flour, sugar and butter together with a fork, cutting through to make a crumbly dough. Press 1/6th of the mixture into the bottom of each tartlet pan.

Bake for about 5 minutes until just lightly browned. Let cool while you prepare the filling.

Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, except reserved pecans, and mix well by stirring.  No mixer needed.

Spoon the filling over the dough and top each one with one of the reserved half pecans Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Check to see if the pie is fully set and done.

Let cool, then remove from the molds. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes six tartlets.

 

 

 

 

 

Nutrition Info per tartlet:
Calories: 134.3 Fat: 13.1 g Net Carbs: 1.2 g Protein: 3.1 g

Tip: These little tarts keep in the refrigerator for up to a week and they also freeze well. To serve, thaw them out and reheat them in a microwave for about 15 seconds.