Key(-ish) Lime Tartelettes

Filling based on this recipe: https://www.marthastewart.com/342088/key-lime-tart

Crust recipe is based on the Chocolate "Porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo: https://shemo.co.il/

When shopping for limes - I aim for shiny, smooth, thin skinned and slightly soft limes - they are juicier in my experience!

"So many egg yolks! What do I do with all the leftover egg whites?" I like to make egg-white omelettes :)

Yields: ~18-20 tartelettes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg (Large)
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

Lime Filling:

• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2/3 cup (~160 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (4-6 limes, depending on size and juiciness)
• Zest of 1 lime (you can zest all the limes you squeezed, and use some for the filling and most of it for garnish - see below)
• 4 egg yolks (Large)
• Pinch of salt

Whipped Cream (optional):

• 1 cup (~240 ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1 heaping tbsp vanilla pudding powder
• 1 heaping tbsp powdered sugar

Garnish (optional):

• Mint leaves
• Lime zest (use the limes you squeezed - make sure to wash them well!)

How to Make

1. Crust dough:
1. Using a fork, mix together the flower and baking powder until combined.
2. Process butter and sugar in a food processor until combined.
3. Add egg and 1/4 of the flour mixture, continue processing for a few seconds.
4. Add the rest of the flour mixture, continue processing until a single ball of dough is formed; do not over-process; once a dough-ball is formed - stop processing.
5. Divide the dough ball to 2 equal parts, flatten each part to a disc (about 1/2 inch thick), wrap each disc in plastic-wrap, and store them in the refrigerator until use, at least 30 min.
2. Tartelette crusts:
1. Remove dough discs from refrigerator, let them sit in room temperature for a couple of minutes.
2. Knead one of the discs for a few seconds until it's a bit softer and easier to work with.
3. On a generously-flour-dusted surface, roll the disc to a sheet about 3-4 mm thick.
4. Using a ~3 1/2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter (or small bowl), cut discs out of the dough, and place them in mini-tartelette / standard muffin pan cavities. Gently press the center of each disc to the bottom of each cavity and the circumference of each disc to the sides of each cavity. 
5. [Repeat steps 2.2 - 2.4 above with the other dough disc; if there is leftover dough - knead it and roll it again to cut a couple more discs, if desired]
6. Using a fork, puncture the bottom of each disc (to prevent air-pockets).
7. Heat oven to 340F. 
8. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for at least 10 minutes. 
9. Remove pan from freezer, remove wrap. 
10. Immediately transfer pan to the oven, bake for ~9-10 minutes.
11. Take pan out of the oven, set aside in room temperature to cool down (keep crusts in the pan).
3.  Lime filling:
1. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, egg yolks and salt; whisk until smooth.
2. Carefully pour mixture into cooled down tartelette crusts (up to ~3/4 of the crust height)
3. Bake for ~11-13 minutes until the filling edges look opaque and set, and the centers still jiggle slightly (they will fully set while cooling down).
4. Cool completely in room temperature, then cover tightly (with plastic wrap or aluminum foil) and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. At this point, it is recommended to transfer the tartelettes to the container in which you intend to store them, and/or the serving platter on which you intend to serve them.
4. Whipped Cream [optional]:
1. In a stand mixer with a whipping balloon attachment, whip together all whipping cream ingredients on high speed until firm. 
2. Transfer cream to a pastry bag with a large round / star tip attached.
3. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (the pudding powder will further firm up the cream, so it will pipe more "sharply").
4. Frost each tartelette with some whipped cream (not a lot - a small amount goes a long way).
5. Garnish [optional]: Sprinkle some lime zest on top of the whipped cream, and/or garnish each tartelette with a mint leaf.
6. Enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

Banana bread cupcakes with chocolate chips and walnuts swirl and chocolate-coffee frosting

Cupcakes recipe based on this: https://www.mako.co.il/food-cooking_magazine/oogio-net/Recipe-f1cb751be854141006.htm

You can skip the chocolate-coffee frosting and keep these as banana bread muffins, but... why would you? :)

Yields: 16-20 standard size cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes mix:

• 2 eggs (Large)
• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 grams) neutral oil
• 4 bananas (the riper, the better), peeled and mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Swirl mix:

• 75 grams chocolate chips
• 75 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp (or a few good shakes of) ground cinnamon

Frosting:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided (1/2 cup should be kept very cold in the refrigerator until step 5 below)
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I'm using half of Ghirardelli's Semi-Sweet Chocolate 4oz Baking Bar)
• 1 heaping tbsp vanilla pudding powder
• 1 heaping tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 espresso shot, cooled down

How to make

1. Frosting pre-prep:
1. Make chocolate ganache: Melt semi-sweet chocolate with 1/2 cup heavy cream over a double-boiler, or in 30-seconds bursts in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl), stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and glossy. 
2. Let ganache cool down in room temperature for about 30 min. 
3. Cover ganache bowl tightly (in plastic wrap or similar) and refrigerate for 60-90 minutes. 
2. Cupcakes mix (prepare while ganache is cooling):
1. Pre-heat oven to 355F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, oil, bananas, vanilla extract and salt. 
3. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together flour and baking powder. 
4. Add flower mixture to the large bowl and mix together just until combined (try to not over-mix, to prevent dense cupcakes).
3. Swirl mix: In a small bowl, mix together chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and cinnamon. 
4. Assembly and baking:
1. Line cupcake pan(s) with paper liners.
2. Into each cavity:
1. Fill ~1 tbsp of the cupcake mix - about 1/3 of the cavity height (aim to use about half of the cupcake mix total for this phase).
2. Cover the cupcake mix with ~1 tsp of the swirl mix (aim to use about half of the swirl mix total for this phase). 
3. Fill another tbsp of the cupcake mix. 
4. Cover the second layer of cupcake mix with the remainder of the swirl mix - cavity should be almost full. 
3. Bake 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove pan(s) from oven and let cool in room temperature.
5. [While cupcakes are cooling down: Another frosting pre-prep step: prepare the 1/2 espresso shot and let it cool down]
6. After the cupcakes cooled down it is recommended to transfer them to the container in which you plan to store them, or to the platter on which you plan to serve them. 
5. Frosting:
1. Place ganache, 1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream, vanilla pudding powder, powdered sugar and espresso in a stand mixer bowl. 
2. Using the mixer's whipping balloon attachment, whip everything together until a firm frosting forms; if needed - stop the mixer mid-way and scrape the bowl bottom and sides to ensure all the frosting ingredients are getting well mixed. 
3. Transfer frosting to a pastry bag with a star tip attached, and store in the refrigerator until ready to frost (at least 30 minutes) - during this time the pudding powder will further firm up the frosting, so it will pipe more "sharply". 
4. Frost the cupcakes (not too much frosting on each cupcake - a small amount goes a long way).
6. Enjoy! Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a few days. 

Reese's Cups (Chocolate and Peanut Butter) Tartelettes

Peanut butter mixture based on this recipe: https://www.oogio.net/giant_reeses_cups_cake/

Chocolate layer based on the chocolate filling from this recipe: https://www.metukimsheli.com/2011/06/3167/

Crust recipe is based on the Chocolate "Porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo: https://shemo.co.il/

Yields: ~18-20 tartelettes

Crust:

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg (large)
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

Ground peanuts bottom layer:

• 100 grams peanuts (I use dry-roasted, non-salted peanuts)
• a pinch of salt
• 35 grams sugar
• 1 tsp AP flour
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (not olive oil!)

Chocolate layer:

• 10 ounce (~280 grams) semi-sweet chocolate (I'm using two and a half of Ghirardelli's Semi-Sweet Chocolate 4oz Baking Bars), roughly chopped
• 1 cup (~240 ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk (Large)
• Splash of heavy cream / half-and-half / milk mixed with 1 tsp vanilla extract - about 2 tbsp total.

Peanut Butter Cream:

• 140 grams natural peanut butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, soft
• 70 grams powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla pudding powder
• 1/2 cup (~120 ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Decoration (optional):

• 9-10 pieces of Reese's Minis (regular or dark), halved

How to Make:

1. Pre-prep: Take 1/4 stick of butter [*] and peanut butter (if you keep it in the refrigerator) out of the refrigerator (butter will need about 1 hour to soften, peanut butter will need less than that).
   [*] Note: This butter is for the peanut butter cream, not the crust.
   For the crust (which requires butter too) you need to use cold butter, straight out the refrigerator. 
2. Crust dough:
1. Using a fork, mix together the flower and baking powder until combined.
2. Process butter and sugar in a food processor until combined.
3. Add egg and 1/4 of the flour mixture, continue processing for a few seconds.
4. Add the rest of the flour mixture, continue processing until a single ball of dough is formed; do not over-process; once a dough-ball is formed - stop processing.
5. Divide the dough ball to 2 equal parts, flatten each part to a disc (about 1/2 inch thick), wrap each disc in plastic-wrap, and store them in the refrigerator until use, at least 30 min.
3. Tartelette crusts:
1. Remove dough discs from refrigerator, let them sit in room temperature for a couple of minutes.
2. Knead one of the discs for a few seconds until it's a bit softer and easier to work with.
3. On a generously-flour-dusted surface, roll the disc to a sheet about 3-4 mm thick.
4. Using a ~3 1/2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter (or small bowl), cut discs out of the dough, and place them in mini-tartelette / standard muffin pan cavities. Gently press the center of each disc to the bottom of each cavity and the circumference of each disc to the sides of each cavity. 
5. [Repeat steps 3.2 - 3.4 above with the other dough disc; if there is leftover dough - knead it and roll it again to cut a couple more discs, if desired]
6. Using a fork, puncture the bottom of each disc (to prevent air-pockets). 
4. Ground peanut layer + initial baking: 
1. Heat oven to 340F. 
2. In a food processor, pulse the peanuts with salt, sugar and flour until they are finely ground.
3. Add in oil, and continue pulsing until well combined and mixture consistency resembles damp sand. Do not over-process, we don't want to end up with peanut butter. 
4. Put ~1 teaspoon of the ground peanuts mixture into each tartelette crust. 
5. Using a small glass or another tool (or even a teaspoon), press the peanuts mixture firmly onto the crust bottom. 
6. Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for at least 10 minutes. 
7. Remove pan from freezer, remove wrap. 
8. Immediately transfer pan to the oven, bake for ~9-10 minutes.
9. Take pan out of the oven, set aside in room temperature to cool down; Crusts' bottoms might have risen a bit while being in the oven - they will "fall" back down while cooling. 
5. Chocolate layer (prepare while crusts are cooling down):
1. Make chocolate ganache: Melt chocolate with heavy cream over a double-boiler, or in 30-seconds bursts in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl), stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and glossy. 
2. Let ganache cool a bit, 10-20 minutes. 
3. Beat egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract mixture (with a fork or a small whisk) in a small bowl.
4. Add egg mixture into the cooled-down chocolate. Beat until everything is well combined - mixture should become very smooth and glossy. 
6. Final baking:
1. Fill each crust with the chocolate mixture almost to the top of the crust height; if needed, gently shake pan a bit to flatten the chocolate mixture / evenly distribute it in the crusts. 
2. Bake for ~11-13 minutes until centers of the top chocolate layer still look glossy and jiggle gently (they will further solidify while cooling down), and the edges have just started to turn matte.
3. Cool completely in room temperature.
4. At this point, it is recommended to transfer the tartelettes to the container in which you intend to store them, and/or the serving platter on which you intend to serve them.
7. Peanut Butter Cream + final assembly:
1. Whip together all peanut butter cream ingredients except the whipping cream at medium speed until combined. 
2. Increase mixer speed, and gradually pour whipping cream to the mixer bowl until combined and a thick cream is formed. If needed - stop mixer mid-way and scrape bowl's bottom and sides to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated into the mix. 
3. Transfer cream to a pastry bag with a large star tip.
4. Frost each cooled-down tartelette with a "star" of peanut butter cream (no need for a lot of frosting - a small amount goes a long way, the tartelettes are already super rich as is). 
5. [optional] decorate each tartelette with a half of Reese's Minis piece.
8. Enjoy! Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days in an air tight container. 

Starbucks Copycat Blueberry Muffins with Copycat Cheese Danish Filling

What should you bake when you crave a Starbucks blueberry muffin and a Starbucks cheese danish at the same time? This!

Based on https://www.oogio.net/starbucks_copycat_blueberry_muffins/ , cream cheese layer based on part of this recipe. 

Yields: ~14-16 muffins (standard size)

Streusel:

• 65 grams sugar
• 80 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• pinch of salt

Muffins:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, soft (room temperature).
• 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 lemon/lime
• 2 eggs (large)
• 280 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
• Fresh or frozen non-thawed blueberries - about 150 grams (between 1/3 and 1/2 pint)

Cream cheese layer:

• 1 package (227 grams / 8 ounce) cream cheese, soft (room temperature)
• 70 grams sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 lemon/lime

How to make:

1. Pre-prep: Take cream cheese and 1 stick of butter[*] out of the refrigerator to soften - they will need about an hour (could be more or less depending on the room temperature).
   [*] Note: this stick of butter is for the muffin mix - NOT for the streusel! For the streusel (which requires butter too), use cold butter straight out of the refrigerator. 
2. Streusel: Process all streusel ingredients in food processor until crumbs form; transfer crumbs to an air-tight container, store in refrigerator/freezer until use. 
3. Cream cheese mixture: Using a spoon or a small silicon spatula, mix together the cream cheese layer ingredients until well combined. 
4. Muffin mix:
1. Pre-heat oven to 355F.
2. Place soft butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a mixing bowl (or a stand-mixer bowl). Using a fork/spatula (or the stand-mixer's flat beater), mix these together until well combined. 
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after adding each one until combined. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder until combined.
5. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the mixing bowl, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix just until combined.
5. Assembly and baking:
1. Line muffin pan(s) cavities with paper liners. 
2. For each lined muffin cavity:
1. Fill cavity with the muffin mix (I'm using a pastry bag without a tip), up to about ~1/2 of the cavity height.
2. Grab a few blueberries and place them on top of the muffin mix, gently pushing them in (they can peek out, no need to fully submerge them into the muffin mix).
3. Put a bit of the cream cheese mixture on top of the blueberries (I'm using a small pastry bag without a tip, you can also use a couple of teaspoons).
4. Put a generous amount of streusel on top of the cream cheese. 
3. Bake for 20-25 until golden. 
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely in room temperature.
6. Enjoy! You can store leftover muffins for a few days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Apple and Almond Cream Tartelettes

Based on https://www.oogio.net/apple_pie/ , crust recipe is based on the Chocolate "Porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo: https://shemo.co.il/

Yields ~18-20 tartelettes

Streusel:

• 65 grams sugar
• 80 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• pinch of salt

 Crust:

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

Almond Cream:

• 60 grams almond flour
• 60 grams sugar
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg-yolk (yellow) from a Large egg
• 1 tbsp AP flour / corn starch
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Apples:

• 2 large (or 3 medium, or 4-5 tiny) apples - I use Gala. 
• 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• ~1/2 tsp cinnamon (few good shakes)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Greek yogurt cream frosting [optional]:

• 150 grams greek yogurt
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla pudding powder
• [optional] cinnamon

How to make:

1. Streusel: Process all streusel ingredients in food processor until crumbs form; transfer to an air-tight container, store in refrigerator/freezer until use. 
2. Crust dough (no need to clean the food processor bowl/blade! yay!): 
1. Using a fork, mix together the flower and baking powder until combined.
2. Process butter and sugar in a food processor until combined.
3. Add egg and 1/4 of the flour mixture, continue processing for a few seconds.
4. Add the rest of the flour mixture, continue processing until a single ball of dough is formed; do not over-process; once a dough-ball is formed - stop processing.
   [If mixture is too dry - add a splash of milk; if mixture is too wet - add a bit of flour]
5. Divide the dough ball to 2 equal parts, flatten each part to a disc (about 1/2 inch thick), wrap each disc in plastic-wrap, and store them in the refrigerator until use, at least 30 min.
   
3. Almond cream (guess what! still no need to clean the food processor bowl/blade! double yay!): 
1. Process almond flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until crumbs form.
2. Add egg, AP flour / corn starch and a splash of milk, and continue to process until a thick cream is formed. If mixture is too thick / clumps - add another splash of milk and continue processing some more. 
3. Transfer cream to a pastry bag (no tip needed).
4. Seal top of pastry bag (using e.g. a plastic clip) and store in the refrigerator until ready to use (can be stored safely for a couple of days this way, but make sure to refrigerate immediately, as this mixture contains a raw egg)
   
5. [At this point, you can continue to step 4 (Apples), or go to step 5 (Tartelette Crusts) then come back to step 4 - depends if you want to prep the apples first, then let them cool while prepping the crusts, or - prep the crusts first and let them freeze while prepping the apples - doesn't really matter; the important thing is to have the cooked apples cooled down to room temperature and the crusts completely frozen before proceeding to step 6]
4. Apples:
1. Peel, core and cube the apples.
2. Cook all ingredients in a small pot on low-medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, uncovered, until apples are softer (no need for them to be super soft, they will soften more in the oven).
3. Remove from heat and drain away the fluids if needed. Let cool to room temperature. 
5. Tartelette Crusts:
1. Remove dough discs from refrigerator, let them sit in room temperature for a couple of minutes.
2. Knead one of the discs for a few seconds until it's a bit softer and easier to work with.
3. On a generously-flour-dusted surface, roll the disc to a sheet about 3-4 mm thick.
4. Using a ~3 1/2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter (or small bowl), cut discs out of the dough, and place them in mini-tartelette / standard muffin pan cavities. Gently press the center of each disc to the bottom of each cavity and the circumference of each disc to the sides of each cavity. 
5. [Repeat steps 5.2 - 5.4 above with the other dough disc; if there is leftover dough - knead it and roll it again to cut a couple more discs, if desired]
6. Using a fork, puncture the bottom of each disc (to prevent air-pockets). 
7. Wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap or aluminum foil (or put it in an air-tight freezer-safe container if you have a large enough one) and store in the freezer until ready to bake (at least 1 hour). 
6. Pre-frosting assembly and baking:
1. Remove almond cream from refrigerator, let it rest a few minutes in room temperature to soften.
2. Pre-heat oven to 340F.
3. Remove pan from freezer. Fill the crusts with almond cream (not a ton - up to about ~1/3 of the crust height is enough).
4. Add a layer of the apples mixture on top of the almond cream. 
5. Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel on top of the apples. 
6. Bake tartelettes for 25-35 minutes until golden. 
7. Remove from oven and let cool down to room temperature.
7. [optional] Frosting [can be prepared while tartelettes are in the oven]:
1. Whip all frosting ingredients in a mixer with a whipping-balloon attachment until firm. 
2. Fill a pastry bag with a smooth or star tip attached. 
3. Put the pastry bag in a high glass (or keep it in the high glass or whatever vessel you probably used anyway for filling the pastry bag) and seal the top of the bag (using a plastic clip or similar). Put in the refrigerator until ready to use (while in the refrigerator, the frosting cream will further firm as the pudding powder kicks in - this will help the frosting hold its shape better after being frosted on the tartelettes). 
4. Once the baked tartelettes are cooled down: At this point, it is recommended to transfer the tartelettes to the container in which you intend to store them, and/or the serving platter on which you intend to serve them (it's easier and less messy to move around non-frosted tartelettes compared to moving around frosted tartelettes... trust me).
5. Frost each tartelette with the frosting cream (no need to use a lot of frosting on each tartelette, a small amount goes a long way, the tartelettes are super-rich as is even without any frosting).
6. [optional] Gently dust a bit of cinnamon on top of the frosting for extra decoration.
8. Enjoy! Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Highly recommend to consume within 2-3 days, after that - the crust may become soggy. 

Mini Pecan Pies

These pies gave me such a hard time at first! I pre-baked the pie crusts in my muffin pan, as I usually do for these type of recipes; but this time, the crusts "sunk" a little bit more than usual. So I decided to over-fill the crusts with the pecan filling in order compensate for the lost height.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well - a lot, actually: The overflown filling stuck to the muffin pan so bad and could not be removed (who would have thought that a gooey filling based on sugar, corn-syrup and eggs would stick to anything?...) - I actually had to throw away my muffin pan!...

Before I threw away the pan, I scraped whatever I could from it and tasted - and it was absolutely divine!
Saddened by the ruined pan, yet encouraged by the wonderful taste of (whatever I could salvage from) the pies, I did what anyone else is supposed to do after throwing away a ruined pan - I bought two new pans! A regular muffin pan, identical to the one that I had before, and another pan especially for mini-tarts! Oh, special-mini-tarts-pan, where have you been all my life?...
The second time around went much much better! The secret is - you guessed it - do not overfill the pies' crusts! And use a mini-tarts pan when making mini-tarts. Kind of a no-brainer...

I initially tried to go for a neatly folded edge for my mini-pies crust, however it was quite challenging to do (at least for me....); so I ended up doing a more "rustic" folding (which kind-of opened up in the oven anyway...); eventually - they turned out rustically-cute!

The crust recipe is based on a chocolate "porcupine" recipe by Micky Shemo.
The pecan filling recipe is based on the Pecan Pie recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
None of the reference above is to blame in any way for my first attempt mishap! (sadly and shamefully, I take full responsibility for that one...). 

Mini Pecan Pies
Yields: 12 mini pies

WHAT:
for the crust:

• 50 grams sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1 egg
• 210 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• [optional, if mixture is too dry] 1-2 tsp milk
• [optional, if mixture is too soft/wet] 1-2 tsp flour

for the pecan filling:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (180 gr) light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
• a pinch of salt
• a (larger) pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (170 gr / 6 ounce) roughly-chopped pecans, divided to 1 cup (4 ounce) and 1/2 cup (2 ounce). 

for the frosting (optional):

• 2 heaping tbsp cocoa-hazelnut spread (e.g. Nutella)
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

HOW:

• Prepare the Crust Dough: Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In a food processor or a mixer with a flat beater, mix together butter and sugar until well combined. 
• Add in egg and a quarter of the flour mixture. Mix for a few seconds. 
• Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until a large dough-ball is formed, not beyond. 
• If mixture is too dry and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of milk, as needed. 
• If mixture is too soft/wet and not solidifying into a ball, add 1 or 2 tsp of flour, as needed. 
• Form the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disc shape. 
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the "Crust" stage (at least 30 minutes). 
• Prepare the Pecan Filling: Put the butter In a small saucepan; place over medium heat until butter is melted plus 4-5 additional minutes, stirring occasionally, until butter darkens and has a nutty fragrance (but be careful not to burn it!). Remove from heat, set aside. 
• Whisk together (vigorously - the corn syrup is quite stubborn!) corn syrup, sugar, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined. 
• Whisk in the eggs, one at a time (don't add the second egg before the first one is well-combined into the mixture) until well combined. 
• Slowly pour the melted butter into the mixture, while whisking constantly; continue to whisk until everything is well combined. 
• Stir 1 cup chopped pecans into the mixture. Set mixture aside. 
• [the mixture would be gooey and liquid-y; if you plan to pour the filling into the crust (that's what I did), I recommend transferring the filling mixture into a vessel with a pouring tip; alternatively, you can spoon the filling into the crust (no need to transfer the filling into a different vessel in that case)]
• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F)
• Crust: Remove refrigerated crust dough from plastic wrap, and knead/mold a little with your hands, to warm it up a bit. 
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to be ~3-4 mm thick on a generously-flour-dusted surface. 
• Prepare one mini-pie: Using a 4-inch-diameter cookie/biscuit cutter or a similar tool with which you can cut round shapes (e.g. a small bowl), cut a disc out of the flattened dough. 
• Line one cavity of a mini-tart pan with the dough disc (no need to oil the pan or line it with paper liners), pressing the disc to the bottom and sides of the cavity to form the mini-pie crust. There should be a ~1/2 inch dough edge hanging out of the cavity.
  Make sure that there are no tears in the dough, do not puncture the dough. 
• Give the filling a good stir (the pecans tend to float to the top of the filling; stirring will evenly distribute them again within the filling) and pour into the mini-pie-crust ~1 tbsp of filling. I cannot stress this enough - do not overfill the crust!
• Sprinkle some chopped pecans (out of the 1/2 cup of pecans that didn't go into the filling mixture) on top of the filling. 
• Freely (yet gently) fold the dough edges that are hanging out of the cavity inwards to cover the cavity edges on top of the filling. Be careful not to get the filling spilled out of the crust and into the metal cavity in the process. 
• Repeat the "Prepare one mini-pie" process for the other 11 cavities in the pan. 
• [Leftover dough? Make some jam sandwich cookies!]
• Baking: Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake for ~25 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set. 
• Remove pan from the oven and let it completely cool down in room temperature, at least 1-2 hours. 
• At this stage, you can enjoy the mini-pies immediately, or frost them. In any case, this would be a good time to take them out of the pan.  
• Frosting (optional): Using a mixer with a whipping attachment, whip together all frosting ingredients on high speed until firm. 
• Transfer the frosting into a pastry bag with a star tip attached, and frost a "star" on top of each mini-pie. 
• Enjoy immediately! 

Leftovers? If you haven't frosted your mini-pies, they can be kept for a few days in an airtight container in room temperature. If you went decadent and frosted your mini-pies (of course you did!), keep the mini-pies in an airtight container in the fridge. Since these mini-pies are at their best in room-temperature, take them out of the fridge for 15-30 minutes before digging into them. 

Individual Oreo Cheesecakes

So... I discovered Pinterest lately. Interests? Desserts, sweets, cakes, and anything in between (not surprising).
Anyway, through Pinterest I found out that there is a massive amount of Oreo cheesecakes recipes on the internet! Who knew?... No wonder though - they are all so easy to make, look divine, and probably taste pretty good as well. 

We are so tiny!... Click us, we will get bigger :)

The following Oreo cheesecakes are inspired, well, by the other million Oreo cheesecakes out there... However(!) - these are exceptionally rich and decadent thanks to the fairly huge amount of chocolate used here. 
The cheesecake filling in this recipe is taken from a "Cheesecake with Raspberries and White Chocolate" recipe which appears on a Hebrew version/adaptation of "The Little Big Cook Book" that I have. 

Individual Oreo Cheesecakes
Yields: 12 individual cakes

WHAT:
for the bottom:

• 6 regular Oreo cookies

for the cheesecake filling:

• 16 ounces (454 grams / 2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 8 ounces (227 grams) white chocolate
• 150 grams sugar

for the chocolate frosting:

• 4 ounces (113 grams) semi-sweet chocolate
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream, divided to 150 ml and 50 ml (the 50 ml should be cold from the fridge)
• 1 heaping tsp vanilla pudding mix (powder)

for the decoration:

• 12 mini-Oreo cookies

HOW:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
• Start preparing the chocolate frosting: Place semi-sweet chocolate and 150 ml of heavy cream in a medium microwave-safe/heat-safe bowl. 
• Heat bowl in the microwave or place it over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted, well combined with the cream and smooth. Set aside in room temperature for a few minutes to cool down. 
• Wrap bowl with plastic-wrap and put in the fridge until the cakes are ready to be frosted - at least 2 hours. 
• Pre-filling: Line a regular cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners. 
• Separate each one of the 6 regular Oreo cookie-sandwiches so that you will have 12 individual cookies. 
• Place each individual cookie at the bottom of each cavity in the pan, cookie-filling-side facing up. 
• Cheesecake Filling: Place white chocolate in a medium microwave-safe/heat-safe bowl. 
• Heat bowl in the microwave or place it over a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside. 
• Using a mixer with a flat beater attachment, mix together cream cheese and sugar until well combined. 
• Add the melted white chocolate into the mixer, continue mixing until well combined. 
• Add eggs into the mixer, one at the time (add second egg only after first egg is well combined into the mixture). If needed - stop mixer, scrape bowl sides and continue mixing until everything is well combined. 
• Using a couple of spoons, scoop ~1 1/2 or 2 heaping tbsp of the cheese mixture into each one of the pan cavities (on top of the cookie bottoms). Each cavity should be almost completely full (until about ~1/2 inch below the top edge). 
• Tap the pan on the counter a few times and shake it from side to side a little bit to flatten the cheese mixture in the cavities and eliminate any air-bubbles, if any. 
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Cakes will puff up. 
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to completely cool down in room temperature, at least 1-2 hours. Cakes will "deflate" and a small cavity will form at the center of each cake - it's perfectly OK. 
• At this stage, it is recommended to transfer the cheesecakes from the pan into the container in which the cheesecakes will go through their final cooling in the fridge. The container should be airtight. 
• Chocolate frosting: Clean your mixer bowl thoroughly [assuming you don't want raw eggs residue (from the cream-cheese filling prep) in your frosting]. 
• Remove bowl with semi-sweet chocolate ganache from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap. 
• Transfer the chocolate ganache into the clean mixer bowl. 
• Add 50 ml cold heavy whipping cream and vanilla pudding mix into the mixer bowl. 
• Using the mixer's whipping attachment, mix the frosting ingredients for ~1 minute until firm frosting is formed. 
• Transfer frosting into a pastry bag with a large star or round tip attached. 
• Fill the small cavities in the center of each cheesecake with the frosting. 
• Decoration: Top each cheesecake with a mini-Oreo cookie. 
• Refrigerate cheesecakes for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. 
• Enjoy!

Leftovers? Keep cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

In case you're wondering... I photographed the upside-down cake before the frosting stage... :)