Pecan Pie Muffins
Pecan Pie Muffins are a mix between a pie and a muffin. They have a muffin texture with a soft gooey inside like a mini Southern pecan pie. This recipe is one of the highest used recipes during the fall especially for Thanksgiving!
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PECAN PIE MUFFINS
For a second, I had the idea of giving you guys a beautiful step by step tutorial on how to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. But quite frankly making a turkey is something I do once a year and I don’t have enough motivation to do it more than that.
The actual process of making a turkey isn’t that hard but if you screw up the bird, Thanksgiving is ruined. In my nightmare, I imagine everyone sitting around a huge table staring sadly at their empty plates and then at me.
Sooooo, instead I’m sharing some Pecan Pie Muffins that a reader Tammy sent me a long time ago. I want to call these Puffins because they’re pie/muffins. I felt like they were more pie than muffin but my husband felt the opposite.
These Pecan Pie Muffins are super easy to throw together with only five ingredients. Tammy swears if you just under-bake them, they really taste like a pecan pie and she’s right. They have crispy chewy edges and a soft gooey center.
If you’re scared of butter you should just walk away now. Just sayin’. The only way you can screw these up is to not properly grease your pan. Baker’s Joy spray works really well here. This can be dessert or breakfast.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN PIE MUFFINS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease mini or regular muffin cups generously.
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and eggs together. Pecans should be about this size.
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- Stir in brown sugar, flour and pecans.
- Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 12-13 minutes for mini muffins or 15-17 minutes for regular size muffins.
- Run a knife around the edge of each muffin and pop it out.
THANKSGIVING RECIPES
- Classic Stuffing Recipe
- Green Bean Casserole
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Heavenly Green Beans
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Corn Souffle
- Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potatoes
- Lion House Rolls
- Cranberry Sauce
OTHER PIE RECIPES
- Banana Cream Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
- S’mores Pie
- Cherry Cheese Pie
- Boston Cream Pie
- Lemon Pie
- Peaches and Cream Pie
- Turtle Pie
- Nacho Pot Pie
- Pecan Pie Bars
Pecan Pie Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease mini or regular muffin cups generously. Grease them well or they will stick. In medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 12-13 minutes for mini muffins or 15-17 minutes for regular size muffins. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin and pop it out.
Notes
These muffins are SO good!
I made a batch on Tuesday and had to make another batch on Wednesday.
Perfect with a cup of coffee.
Already have requests to make for Thanksgiving. They travel well too.
Oh I love that! Thanks Denise
Do you not need to add salt or baking soda to the flour
nope!
Mine came out muffin texured all the way through. Delicious but no gooey center…what did I do wrong?
Every oven is different. I would bake a little less.
The pecan pie muffins are great
Thank yoU!
Can you use Karo Syrup in place of the brown sugar, if you don’t have any brown sugar?
Shoot I haven’t tried that sub
Do I let them cool before removing from pan?
Yes!
These pecan pie muffins are amazingly delicious! I’ve made them several times and now they’re part of my go to muffin recipes, yum!
Aww thank you!
I’m confused: how does the center remain gooey when there is only one batter being used and no variation in cooking time from standard muffins.
The butter content keeps them gooey
Hubs says this recipe is a keeper! So easy and used butter pam as well as floured the muffin pan they popped right out. Thanks for this recipe!!
Hi! How did you soften the butter?
I just place in the microwave for 10 seconds.
My mom has made these for me A LOT. The look of them is kinda boring. I mean it’s a muffin right? Nope. They are heaven. They are soft and also chewy and oh so delicious. Every time I visit my mom makes these for me. I had to have the recipe for myself. I will make these for many years to come. Thank you for such a great recipe
thank you!
I had some maple sugar lying around that I needed to use up so I used it in place of the brown sugar this recipe calls for. I creamed the butter and sugar together then added the eggs one at a time. I also added 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. bourbon, and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. SO GOOD!
Yum!
This isn’t even the recipe. It’s a whole new one.
I love the original!💞
What is the original?
I would like to know if egg substitute, like Just Eggs, can be used? I have sensitivities to dairy (eggs).
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why not
An Amish baker made some of these for us in Ohio last week, so I decided I would find a recipe and make some in Florida and this recipe is just like hers! They are amazing! The recipe made 12 muffins. I used silicone cupcake liners on 10 of them, and 2 paper liners (sprayed lightly with oil) and they all came out easily. Definitely will save this recipe!
Thank you!!
I, too, had trouble getting my mini muffins out of the pans without breaking apart, even though I greased them liberally. Then I tried spraying them with Baker’s Joy baking spray with flour. Success! They came out beautifully.
I made the muffins, they were absolutely delicious! But I was disappointed to see that they looked like they didn’t grow like other muffins while they cooked, sort of stayed the same or even shrank a bit 😔
Yes, these are pecan pie muffins so they have more of that pecan pie texture.
These were amazing. I used salted butter.
So glad you liked it!
I have made the pecan muffins many times. The are delicious and easy to make. Everyone agrees they are heavenly
Thank you!
Do you use unsalted or salted butter?
unsalted
This recipe is so easy to make. Muffins had great flavor and the crunchy edges were a bonus.
Thank you!
I just found this recipe today. Made them and they were awesome 👏
So easy and quick.
Thank you!
Perfect!
Could not get them out of paper muffin cups. Tried another batch in muffin tins and sprayed them…did better but some had trouble still com I g out. I love the taste and want to try again….can you put them in a square casserole and bake like that and then cut in squares
In spite if generously greasing with Pam, the muffins stuck to my mini muffin pan which is not non-stick. Then I tried greasing the pan with Bakers Joy which has flour in it. Success!
These are delicious!
They are good but almost impossible to get out of the muffin tin without breaking apart. I did add some vanilla to the recipe because everything is better with vanilla.
I made these as one of the selections on the Grooms Table at my son’s wedding. The only improvement I would suggest is a name change. These little guys should promoted to pecan tarts!
I agree
Best things we ever ate! Family loved them.
Thank you!
Wow these are really good. I used muffin papers and they came out without sticking,
The flavor is just like pecan pie but w/o the corn syrup.
Very good!
Thank you!
This is my weekend treat to myself when I feel lazy and just want to bake something… rich and very yummy yet I still dunno how to get the gooey inner but overall the bomb.com
Thank you!
I made these and they came out perfect. Had to cook a little longer as I was cooking in my rv oven but they came out perfect. Great flavors
Thank yoU!
Came out verrrrry good! Quick and easy recipe was made perfectly on time for my 12 hr shift, thanks for this creative recipe!
You’re welcome!
Would baking soda or powder make them rise a little more? Mine appear flat, but tasted fine. I just expected them to rise a little differently.
They’re not super puffy since they’re pie/muffins. You could add more powder.
What I did was beat the eggs and butter until fluffy and sift the flour, also hopefully you used the self rising flour which works best! At first I thought it was impossible but turned out yummy. Best of luck
Could you add chocolate chips to this recipe?
Of course!
I really love your recipes.
I’ve made this recipe 4 times in less than a month and a half. I have people who don’t normally like Pecan Pie’s L O V E these. And I give the recipe to whoever asks. I do have one question. Can these be frozen and if so for how long ??? T H AN K Y O U very much for this recipe
YEs you can freeze up to three months!
I was wondering about the pecan on the muffins on top in the picture. Can you put one on there at the beginning?
Absolutely!
These muffins were absolutely delicious. I added 1 cup of pecans from the fridge and 1 cup of toasted pecans that my nephew makes for Christmas. Thank you so much. They were amazing!❤
So glad you liked them.
2021- these are the best ever!! No kidding 😃!
All my friends want the recipe but I still don’t know if I should ?? Lol
Thank u so much ☺️
Haha true!
Delicious but center is not gooey. Going exactly by recipe. Have made several times and centers just will not be gooey like picture. Any ideas ?
Sounds like your oven cooks hot. Have you tried less baking time?
These are dangerously delicious! Used butter Pam and did not stick.
Great to hear!
These should have an addiction warning. When I give some to my mother, she refuses to share. Probably one of my favorite recipes and so simple to make. I use bakers joy and spray my pans really well. So far I’ve had none stick.
So happy to hear that!
Can I make these gluten free and still taste good? If so what do I use?
I have not tried to make it gluten free. Maybe gluten free flour?
Hi Debbie!
I’ve made these several times using Jules GF Flour and they are absolutely delicious! They turn out exactly like the picture. The last couple of times, I added 1/2 cup of Lily’s semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut…they were amazing! Hope this helps you out.
Can these be made ahead & frozen?
Sure! THey freeze great.
Used silicone muffin forms…sprayed with pam…..easily removed!
Thanks for the tip!
They are delicious and decedent. I added some oatmeal to the mix and it worked great too.
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
I got 8 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins from one batch. Is there something missing in this recipe? At least half of them just ended up being in crumbs. They did taste good though.
Hmm Sounds like you maybe cooked too long?
Oh no, I was looking forward to making these. I was wondering how to get the center all gooey, like the picture.
We made these several times over the holidays, including to give as gifts to the neighbors. They were a big, big hit. The recipe is great as is, but I did try 1 t of vanilla with one batch and added some Kahlua to another batch (because I love Kahlua pecan pie) and they tasted great as well. Since they are so decadent, we made mini muffins and felt they were the perfect serving size.
Wow fantastic!
How much Kahlua did you use?
Mine were too greasy. They taster really good but were just too greasy. I had my eggs and butter at room temperature but could not get them to mix well.
There’s a lot of butter in there.
I just made these per the recipe; used muffin cups and it made 12 muffins. I let them cool completely before eating, probably a couple hours time. They were so good! No trouble getting them out if the cups or muffin tin.
The eggs ingredient should probably note that they need to be room temp to cream with the butter well. My eggs were too cold and seized the butter up. I should’ve known better. I just let it sit for a bit to warm up before beating.
Oh yes. That’s helpful
These are yummy
Very good! To a couple of them I added pumpkin pie spice to the batter. Tastes good too, but they came out a little bit drier. Maybe too much PPS? Highly recommend this recipe, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Can you make this using muffin liners? Also, do you recommend roasted or raw pecans?
Yes, you can use muffin liners. I use raw pecans but you can use roasted.
If you made this in a 5×8 loaf pan do you know how long you would bake it?
I don’t. I haven’t tried it. The center is supposed to be gooey in these so I’m not sure that would work.
You can add chocolate chips to ANYTHING and improve it !!!!
True!
I love the pecan pie muffins. The only problem is getting them out of the muffin tin. I have used Pam butter spray very generously but still they do not want to come out. Should I let them cool completely before removing or as soon as I get them out of the oven?? They are one of my favorites but they look ugly by trying to piece them together. Any suggestions??
I spray the muffin pan with Pam and with Baker’s Joy (which has a little flour in it) and they never stick.
Made the recipe exactly as written, and they turned out perfectly. Just like pecan pie. Let them sit for a few minutes before removing them.
These were awesome.. I actually added about a half cup of white Karo and made 12 instead of 8..they taste exactly like those little mini pecan pies you buy at the store.. I may make some little pie crusts next time and put this in for the filling..yummmm..
Glad you liked them!
How many regular muffins does a single recipe make?
These are the very best muffins I have ever tasted. Very easy to make. Too easy? I’m making them every month now, no self control whatsoever!
Thank you!
My Granddaughter made some recently and I love them !!!
My turn to make them and share !
Yay!!
Mine were too greasy, the kids loved them, but some fell apart. What did I do wrong?
They are very delicate. Did you let them cool?
Looks delicious!! Do you think I could add chocolate chips?
Sure!
These are great! I sprayed pan very well lifted right up. My center didn’t look gooey like picture but they are a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Try cooking them a little less next time. Every oven is different.
After reading the comments, I decided to use silicone muffin cups and they came out perfect. These are delicious. I will be sure to make these when my in-laws come to visit. They will love them! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!! You answered my own question. I’ve used the silicone muffin cups I bought last year for just about everything except muffins but this recipe looks like a winner for impressing house guests. If we ever HAVE houseguests again, anyway.
This recipe is so yummy!
I added some cinnamon & vanilla extra because I add that to my pecan pie.
I used melted butter, spray butter, and sprinkle flour on my muffin pan,. Not a single muffin got stuck.
It tastes just like pecan pie and it only took me 15mins!!!
I added 1 cup of chocolate chips, oh my goodness, heavenly!!!!!! Tastes like a Derby Pie. In my oven I had to bake about 19 minutes, still gooey inside to perfection.
So happy to hear that!
Looks delicious!
I Want to Put this in a loaf pan. Would I Double
The Ingredients?
Not sure because I haven’t tried it.
Scrumptious! I added a 1/2 Cup of oatmeal to stretch the recipe a little further and it worked! They came out of the muffin tin perfectly.
Thank you!
The muffins are the best i have ever tasted, but i have one question how do i double the recipe
Just double all of the ingredients!
These can stick to your Tans even with muffin cups. I started using silicone muffin bakeware…..works out great!!!!!!
Great tip!
I only have about 1/2 the pecan amount required. Could I combine with walnut? Raisin? Coconut? What would be a good sub?
Sure. Any other nut would work.
I made them last week and had some cheesecake filling left over so I added it in the middle… Not only were the one’s with the filling fantastic, but the ones without were still out of this world!
Shari,
The filling sounds fantastic!
I just made them and LOVE it! So simple and easy yet such a delicate and delicious muffin. Made them mini. I’m thinking this will be an awesome substitute for the actual pecan pie during thanksgiving. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
You are welcome Janice!
How many muffins does this recipe make?
This makes 8 muffins!
How are the muffins stoeed? Mine turned out great! I followed the instructions and GENEROUSLY sprayed my mini muffin pan with cooking spray. I did add vanilla.
I just store them in a tupperware on the counter.
I’m curious if anyone tried to make this in a loaf pan I stead of muffins? Since lots of people said it stuck to the tins. I want to try this and use a loaf pan instead.
I made these in two tins because I don’t have a muffin pan and they turned out amazing!
I’m about to make these muffins , 1/2 cup
Of flour is correct ?
Yes, that is correct!
Oh, and after some trial and error. I just grease the tin cups with butter. Get a nice crunchy outside. Using the paper or aluminum cups were a disaster for me.
Thanks for the feedback.
yes, I made these last night and used paper baking cups because I was taking them to a party this weekend and I could NOT get them out of the baking cups. Taste was very good but you cannot use the paper baking cups.
Just want to say I appreciate the comments. I was going to try this recipe with baking cups but read the comments first and it looks like a bad idea.
I have made with melting the butter and just softening the butter. Do not see much difference. Delish both ways. I did add a pinch of salt since really sweet but taste tested on my friends and neighbors (one friend was sniffing because I only brought 1 each for a couple people to taste–she asked me how many I had at home because she wanted more so I made another batch the next day and called her to stop by and she did; one guy neighbir just took 1 bite and said “gimme another one 😁), they loved them as much as I did. Just made 2 more batches to take to a potluck tomorrow. This is about the 5th time I have made them in 2 months. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
You are welcome!
These were soooooo simple to make and VERY delicious. In fact habit forming!😋 My problem was getting them out of the paper cupcake holders plus I greased them generously. Should I not use paper & just grease cupcake pan?
I would just grease the cupcake tins.
I made these muffins while my wife was working and when she came home I had just had them out of the muffin pan when she took one and eat it. You should have seen her face when she took the first bite and said “these are better than sex”, I have now changed what I call these muffins after serving them to several of my wife’s friends when they say the same thing “better than sex”
Hahaha! Glad I could help.
Went by the directions and came out horrible..center sunken and would not come out if muffin pan
The first time I tried these I thought there must be a typo. No leavening agent?? I went ahead and they didn’t rise so i thought they were a complete failure. After they cooled I tried one and it was delicious!
I do now make them a bit different. I do the ‘cookie method’ and blend the butter in a food processor then add the sugar, and then the eggs. In the other bowl I add the flour and pecan (or walnuts). Stir the dry ingredients until the pecans are full coated (so they don’t sink in the batter to the bottom of the muffin tin). Use a spatula to fold the creamed ingredients into the dry until just combined.
I generously spray my non stick muffin trays and haven’t had them stick yet. But to be sure don’t be pushing down the batter hard into the muffin cups.