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Lazy Cat Kitchen

A food blog with plant-based recipes from all over the world

Mini vegan pecan pies

November 21, 2020 by Ania - 20

baking, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, Thanksgivinggo to recipe

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mini pecan pies

I cannot tell you how much I love running this blog for a living. I get to do something creative that I genuinely enjoy that makes a real difference in people’s lives and encourages people to move towards a more compassionate way to feed themselves. That’s priceless, but there are a few aspects of developing recipes for a living that I could frankly live without. The biggest by far is people stealing the fruit of your hard work and passing it off as theirs.

Recently, another UK-based blogger, whom I’ve already emailed about taking my recipes and publishing them on her website without giving due credit, shamelessly plagiarised this recipe. She takes my original recipe, makes a few minor tweaks to the ingredients or doubles the amount to obfuscate the similarity and claims, sometimes by omission and sometimes explicitly, that the recipe is hers.

She did the same to my spanakopita recipe (including copying my images, which she now changed as they gave the whole thing away), my biscotti recipe and vegan raspberry bakewell tart recipe and I’m sure that’s just the tip of the iceberg and that there are other bloggers she ‘borrows’ from too.

I didn’t progress the matter further last time as I stupidly hoped that she will stop and I did not quite realise how cynical the entire operation was but I have come to realise that she won’t stop unless she is made to stop. She is saving herself a lot of time, frustration and wasted ingredients by using recipes that have already been thoroughly tested by me and the people who have successfully made them and by doing that she is able to grow her blog at a much quicker rate.

There is clearly no moral compass there at all. It blows my mind, quite frankly, as that’s not how I have been brought up. Unfortunately, I am not able to let this one go and I do need to change gears. Duncan and I have come up with a plan and while it will take a while to bring her operation down, I am happy to wait a little to get the results. She is certainly making my case stronger with each plagiarised recipe… So yes, this is the ugly side of blogging that not many people know about, but I think that anyone who creates things for a living knows exactly why I am so upset about this. And what I came to realise is that the bigger and more trusted your blog is, the more often this happens, sadly.

From other news, as Thanksgiving is approaching and this year it seems like gathering in big numbers is not the thing to do, I decided to ‘minimise’ this very vegan pecan pie, which happens to be one of my favourite sweet recipes on here. I love small, bite size desserts. They are cute, portable and not as tempting to overeat on. These little guys can be made in small custard tart moulds like these, but equally you can also make them in a 12 hole muffin tin if that’s what you have. The crispy pastry hides away sweet, nutty and custardy filling that’s to die for. If you are not a confident pastry maker, you could pour the filling into these little oat shells instead. I hope you’ll enjoy these as much as we have enjoyed testing them for you πŸ˜‰ .

PS: If you make my mini vegan pecan pies, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use the #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

mini pecan pies filling

mini pecan pies filling pies

mini pecan pies before after

mini pecan pies close

mini pecan pies side

5.00 from 7 votes
Print
  • makes: 12
  • prep: 45 min
  • cooking: 35 min

Ingredients

PASTRY

  • 185 g / 1Β½ cups all purpose white flour or GF plain flour mix, sifted
  • Β½ tsp xantham gum (only if using GF flour)
  • ΒΌ tsp fine salt
  • 90 g / 7 tbsp (softened, not melted!) refined coconut oil

FILLING

  • 80 ml / 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 75 g / 1/3 heaped cup demerara sugar, dark brown muscovado sugar or coconut sugar (for refined sugar free version)
  • 35 g / 3 tsbp coconut oil (I use refined coconut oil)
  • 150 g / 5.3 oz silken tofu (I use Clearspring)
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract
  • zest of Β½ orange
  • Β½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ΒΌ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tbsp tapioca starch or cornflour / cornstarch
  • 100 g / 3Β½ oz / Β½ cup chopped pecans + 12 pecan halves, to decorate

Method

PASTRY

  1. Sift the flour (and xanthan gum if making GF pastry) into a large bowl.
  2. Add the salt and chopped coconut oil and cut it into the flour with two knifes. Here is a handy guide to making shortcrust pastry that I follow.
  3. Once the mixture is uniform and there are no large lumps left (to check, shake the bowl lightly, they will come to the surface), rub the small bits of oil into the flour with your fingers until there are no lumps left. Yes, I know, it does take some time!
  4. Finally add in ice cold water and mix it into the flour mixture with a cutlery knife to distribute the water evenly. The exact amount of water needed depends on the absorbency of your flour but start off with 60 ml / ΒΌ cup and add a tiny bit more at a time, if needed – too much water makes more a tough pastry.
  5. To check if more water is needed, grab a handful of mixed dough with your hands, if it is very dry, add a little more water, mix it in and check again.
  6. Once the dough is the right consistency, form it into a flattened ball quickly – handle the dough as little as possible, wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a rough ball with your hands and then flatten with a rolling pin. Use very light pressure at first and progressively roll the dough 2 mm thick.
  8. I used these mini tart cases so I lined them with pastry and trimmed to size, but I have also been testing making these in a standard 12-hole muffin tin. If that’s what you have, use a large cookie cutter (I used my biggest 10 cm / 4″ circle) to cut a neat circle out of the pastry and line the muffin hole with it. Tuck the pastry in well, ensuring that it fits snugly into all the edges and making sure there is no air bubble underneath the pastry. The pastry won’t quite reach the top of the muffin hole but that’s okay. If making gluten-free pastry (which tends to be more crumbly), you may be better off placing the crumbled pastry in the tart case and simply moulding the pastry with your hands to the shape of the tart tin – you do not need to worry about overworking the pastry as it contains no gluten.
  9. Pierce the bottom of the pastry cases with a fork several times and chill the pastry while you heat up the oven.
  10. Preheat the oven to 180Β° C / 355Β° F. Line the pastry cases with small squares or circles of crumpled baking paper and fill with baking beads or rice for a blind bake.
  11. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beads and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before adding the filling.

FILLING

  1. Place the maple syrup, sugar and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring the whole time. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely and for the mixture to bubble gently for a few seconds before switching the heat off and setting it aside to cool.
  2. In a food processor or a small batch blender (like this Ninja blender) combine cooled maple syrup mixture, drained tofu, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, salt and tapioca starch. Blend until silky smooth. You could also use a hand wire whisk, but there will be tiny specks of tofu in the filling so please be aware of that.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Add the chopped pecans to the cool filling and fill the prebaked tart cases, but don’t overfill as the filling will bubble up and overflow otherwise.
  2. Decorate the tops with pecan halves.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160Β° C / 320Β° F and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the edges are cooked.
  4. Cool the tarts completely before serving. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge, they will keep for about 2-3 days.

Notes

This recipe is based on my earlier recipe for a full-size pecan pie tart.

I used these mini tart cases, but you can also use a standard 12-hole muffin tin instead. The one I tested these in is 7 cm / 2.75″ wide and 3 cm / 1.2″ deep.

If you want more info on some of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, check out our glossary.
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This recipe has been written by Ania. She is the cook, stylist and photographer behind Lazy Cat Kitchen. You can read about her journey into food blogging here. You can also check her out on Pinterest and Instagram.

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    Comments

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  1. Lori Kendall says

    November 21, 2020 at 8:20 pm

    Ania, I’m so sorry your hard work is being misappropriated and passed off by others as their intellectual property. You are a fantastic cook and an excellent baker. Thank you for what you do to promote plant-based cooking that is delicious and beautiful. I look forward to making these over the holidays!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 21, 2020 at 8:32 pm

      Thank you for your kind words and empathy, Lori. It does suck! Awesome to hear you plan to make these and I hope you and your family will enjoy them. x Ania

      Reply
  2. Cathy says

    November 21, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    It makes me so mad that you are dealing with this! I hope you are successful in making it stop. The nerve of some people is mind boggling.
    Honestly, your blog and Dora’s Table are my two favorite spots on the internet. I’ve been making something from one or each of your pages each week ever since Covid hit, and it’s been a little bright spot in this darkness. If you ever come out with a cookbook, I’ll be first in line to buy it!
    And these look lovely. I might make these little crusts and fill half with the filling from the pumpkin pie recipe for a little variety! Thanks for another lovely little recipe.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 21, 2020 at 9:02 pm

      Aw, thank you so much for your kind words and your empathy, Cathy! Yeah, that’s one aspect of putting your work out on the Internet that I still struggle with. I’m so happy to read that my recipes have been something that brought you joy in this scary and depressing time and I really hope you will enjoy these little pecan bites too (pumpkin filling in half of them sounds great!) x Ania

      Reply
  3. Stephanie Doublait says

    November 21, 2020 at 10:52 pm

    Darling Ania I am so sorry to hear you are being stolen from, and you are right to put a stop to it. Your blog, your recipes and your photos are so personal, and it’s ridiculous that someone would claim them as their own work!!! Cheaters never win in the long run .
    Your emails, Facebook and Instagram posts are the highlight of my week and all your lovely stories about you and Duncan make me feel like I know you personally. Thank you for all the happiness you give to me and my family. I plan to make these tomorrow if I can find pecans at the store (they are not common here in France).

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:57 pm

      Thank you, Stephanie! You are always so supportive – please know that it is very appreciated. I am pretty sure I will be able to put a stop to it eventually but these things take a lot of time. So glad to hear that you enjoy my ramblings (I am always surprised that anyone out there reads my boring stories, hahaaha) and I hope that you and your family will enjoy these little pies. If you cannot find pecans, walnuts or chestnuts (I know you guys love them in France) should work well also. Bon chance! x Ania

      Reply
  4. Yvette says

    November 21, 2020 at 11:25 pm

    I also hope this infuriating cheating stops soon. Cheats get exposed then slink away. The vast majority of the food I eat is from your blog and like Cathy said, I have also made it through covid lockdown with your fabulous recipes. And I would also buy a cookbook if you ever put one out. Good luck! – tarts look divine…wish my diet was over πŸ™

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 22, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      Thank you so much for your continued support and kind words, Yvette! It is very infuriating and I wish I was all zen about it, but I’m not at that stage yet. It’s clearly a sad, ruthless money-driven individual that is not doing this for the right reasons and I am sure she won’t fare that well in the long run. Ania

      Reply
  5. Rachel says

    November 22, 2020 at 8:18 pm

    Sorry to hear that you’ve been having this issue, sounds very frustrating! Just want to let you know that I am a huge fan of this blog – it’s always the first place I look for recipes because I’ve had only good experiences and I know I can trust it. I also recommend it to friends all the time, including people who aren’t vegan. I’m sure lots of other people out there feel the same and really value the work that you put into running this site.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      Thank you so much for your support and kind words, Rachel! It makes me really happy to see/read how many people trust and enjoy my recipes – that’s really motivating to read and to keep giving it my all. x Ania

      Reply
  6. Leana Theunissen says

    November 22, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    Thank you so much for all the hard work and effort that you put into your recipes and blog! I am so sorry that your work is being taken advantage of by someone else. Your emails popping into my inbox brighten up my day and keep things exciting, I can’t wait to try this one x

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 23, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      Thanks so much for your support, Leana! I’m so happy to hear that my recipes make your days a little bit better. Hope you’ll enjoy these little pecan pies too. Ania

      Reply
  7. Judith says

    November 22, 2020 at 11:18 pm

    Go Ania! I hope this fuells you to be beter and stronger than ever before. You are a true inspiration for me. The universe has your back and you Will rise above this !

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 23, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      Aw, thanks Judith! I’m so humbled by all the lovely comments from people like yourself. Thank you for your trust and unwavered support for what I do. I am disappointed with myself for caring about this at all, wish it just rolled off my back but I am not there yet. Hopefully, I will one day. x Ania

      Reply
  8. Fran says

    November 24, 2020 at 8:17 am

    I follow very few food bloggers and you are one of them. I love your blog and your recipes and the fact that you are genuine and down to earth. I don’t tend to copy recipes but I recreate what I find Inspiring and there’s plenty of that on your page. Sorry to hear someone is stealing from you, I think I know who it is, it seems quite obvious now that you have pointed it out. Just know that you and and your food are greatly appreciated! I hope she can be made to stop plagiarising soon. All the best. Looking forward to making YOUR pecan pies πŸ˜‹

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 24, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Aw, thanks so much for your support, Fran! That really means a lot. Yeah, I know, it’s so blatantly obvious, isn’t it? First time I noticed it was the photos – she literally copied my composition, styling, props for one of the recipes, which made me want to have a look at the recipe. She changed them now as they were very telling… It’s so disappointing when people feel that it’s okay to do this, so dishonest. Anyway, thanks for your kind words and I hope you’ll enjoy these pies. x Ania

      Reply
  9. leuveen says

    November 24, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    Frankly, I don’t get how people can be so vile – is there a way to sue the other blogger? I’m not sure what’s the legal basis but surely you have some rights over your creations (I’m not sure how it works with recipes but you could look at possibilities). I’m terribly sorry that this is happening to you! You are one of the 2 food blogs which I’m following and enjoying a lot (and actually translating so that my parents can enjoy your recipes too!) so I hope that the plagiarism is something that can be stopped.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 25, 2020 at 4:16 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words. I am with you, completely baffled by this behaviour, especially that she has already been caught by me once. I don’t understand how some people go through life doing things like that – I feel like it will catch up with them eventually. I have an idea on what to do, hopefully it will work. Ania

      Reply
  10. Pauline says

    December 26, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    I have been trying t find these mini pie shells but have had no luck any ideas where to look ? Thank you

    Reply
    • Ania says

      December 28, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      Hi Pauline,

      I bought mine on Amazon, here is the link if you are interested in getting exact same ones: mini tart cases. Hope this helps! Ania

      Reply

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Ania Marcinowska
Hi, I'm Ania. I love good food but I love animals more! Adopting a plant-based diet has been the best decision I've made and that's how this blog was born. It's a space where I want to show you that creating delicious plant-based food isn't actually hard at all.
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