Pecan Pie Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped Patten Pecans Medium Pecan Pieces or Mammoth Halves
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Patten Pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl - make a well in the center. Stir together butter and next 2 ingredients; add to brown sugar mixture, and stir just until moistened. Coat 2 (12-cup) miniature muffin pans with cooking spray. Place 1 tsp. finely chopped pecans in each muffin cup; spoon batter over pecans, filling almost to top. Place muffin pans on an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 2 minutes. Run a knife around edge of each cup to loosen muffins, and remove from pans.

Makes 2 dozen.

Serve muffins with a savory meat + three meal or with a green salad that's topped with pecans. Enjoy for breakfast - alone or in lieu of toast with bacon and eggs and cheese grits. These muffins are reported to be top-notch furtive midnight snacks (the kind where you are swigging milk right out of the carton!).

Recipe gleaned from Southern Living, November 2011. One of our employees made the muffins and highly recommends them (he's the midnight snacker)!