Caramel-Pecan Fudge Tarts

 Crust

 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) cold butter, unsalted preferred

 4 to 6 tablespoons (2 to 3 ounces) ice water

 Filling

 1/2 cup (5 1/2 ounces) light corn syrup or brown sugar corn syrup

 3/4 cup (7 1/2 ounces) caramel from a block*

 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter

 1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 1 teaspoon vinegar (cider or white)

 3 large eggs

 3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) chocolate chips

 3/4 cup (3 ounces) chopped pecans

*Or unwrap caramel candies, soften in the microwave, and pack into a measuring cup.

To make the crust: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes, and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly. If you're making the whole wheat crust, mix in the orange juice. For either crust, drizzle in ice water, mixing until the dough is cohesive. Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly, you've added enough liquid.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a disk. Roll each on its edge along a floured work surface, as though the disk were a wheel, to smooth the edges out. Pat the disks till they're about 1-inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.

 Remove the dough from the refrigerator; if it's been refrigerated for longer than an hour, allow it to warm a bit and become flexible, 15 to 30 minutes. Divide each piece of dough into six equal pieces; each will weigh about 1 1/2 ounces, if you have a scale. Gently round each piece into a disk.

Flour your work surface; a silicone rolling mat works well here. Roll each disk into a 6-inch circle. A miniature silicone rolling pin works well here; that size pin fits this job perfectly. By the way, I'd also be lost without my rolling mat; the marked circles make it easy to roll to an exact measurement, the dough doesn't stick, and cleanup is a breeze.

 Press the circles of dough into the wells of a standard muffin pan, either metal or silicone. The pan doesn't need to be greased. Crimp the edges of crust that extend above the wells of the pan. This is kind of fussy work, but don't stress about it too much; your raggedy crimping will smooth out a bit in the oven, and anyway, when you serve the tarts people will be focusing on the luscious-looking filling, rather than the edge of the crust. Refrigerate the tart shells, and preheat the oven to 350°F, while you prepare the filling.

 

To make the filling: In a small saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, heat together the corn syrup, caramel, butter, sugar, and salt, stirring till the mixture is smooth. Don't let it get too hot; just heat until the caramel and butter melt. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla and vinegar, then the eggs, beating until everything is well combined.

To assemble the tarts: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chocolate chips in the bottom of each tart shell. Add a scant 3 tablespoons (a scant 2 ounces) caramel filling; a muffin scoop works well here. The filling should come to within about 3/8-inch of the top of the pastry. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped pecans atop the filling. Suggestion: assemble one tart first, so you can see how much filling to add without it overflowing once you add the pecans. If you have leftover filling, bake it in a custard cup, if desired.

Bake the tarts for 45 minutes (in a metal muffin pan), or 40 minutes (in a silicone muffin pan). The tarts will puff up and become golden brown and bubbly. Remove them from the oven (they'll fall down; that's what they're supposed to do), and serve warm, or at room temperature. Ice cream or whipped cream is always a plus. Yield: 12  muffin-size tarts.

Recipe Source: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/caramel-pecan-fudge-tarts-recipe