Gooey and sticky-sweet, these mini pies cram all the goodness of traditional pecan pie into a couple of rich, indulgent bites. The mix of cashews, macadamia nuts, and almonds adds fantastic crunch. The date syrup replaces traditional corn syrup, and the “crust” is made from nuts and an egg white; both of these swaps help reduce the amount of processed sugars and saturated fat.
How to Make It
Prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (12-cup) mini muffin pans. Process 1 1/4 cups nut mix in a food processor until very finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Place finely chopped nuts in a medium bowl; add salt. Place egg white in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold beaten egg white into finely chopped nut mixture. (Mixture will be sticky.) Spoon about 1 teaspoon nut mixture into each cup of prepared muffin pans. With floured fingers, press nut mixture in bottom and up sides of muffin cups to form a crust. Bake at 350°F until beginning to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. (Egg white will bubble up while baking.) Remove from oven, and let cool in pans to room temperature.
Prepare the filling: Pulse remaining 1 1/4 cups nut mix in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 7 times. Transfer coarsely chopped nuts to a medium bowl; add miniature chocolate chips. Spoon about 1 tablespoon nut mixture into each muffin cup. Heat brown sugar, granulated sugar, and date syrup in a small saucepan over medium until sugars are completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half, butter, and vanilla. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Lightly beat eggs with a fork. Add eggs to cooled sugar mixture, whisking well to combine. Pour about 1 tablespoon sugar mixture over each filled cup. Bake on bottom rack of oven at 350°F until just set, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in muffin pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of each pie, and remove pies to wire racks to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Place bittersweet chocolate in a microwavable bowl. Microwave at high until melted, about 1 minute, stopping to stir halfway through. Drizzle chocolate over pies. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled or at room temperature.