Autumn is here! Hope everyone north of the equator is enjoying the colorful fall foliage as much as I am. I don't know when I became obsessed with autumn, but I'm fairly certain it has something to do with my love for pies, turkeys, and anything that involves pumpkins. Anyway, what better way to kickstart autumn than some homemade Maple pecan tarts? A few years ago, I had the misfortune of being introduced by my brother and now sister-in-law to the first (and greatest) pecan tart I've ever tried in my life. It was life changing. It was also purchased 225km away in London, Ontario. We've made a couple of trips to London to hoard a bunch of those tarts before... And to ski... But we all know how hard it is to ski when you're thinking about pies during every downhill trip.

Since then, I've only had those tarts in my dreams. And most butter/pecan tarts I've tried thereafter - while delicious - just haven't compared. So, I was terrified of making anything too similar to the delectable London tarts this week. Instead, I went with a recipe that claimed to be better than pecan pies! The main difference was the absence of the gooey filling. I know what you're thinking - yes, it is the best part - but I quickly learned that the gooey goodness is mostly corn syrup. I know. My heart shattered at that revelation also. Since I wasn't up for purchasing corn syrup (anyone that calls aunt jemima's HFCS 'maple syrup' deserves to be slapped across the face with a thin slice of pumpkin!), I went with a less conventional pecan tart recipe. And it was incredible. I've already received requests to make a larger version for Thanksgiving!

This pie turned tart recipe is incredibly nutty. It took me two tries to perfect the crust because I made the mistake of thinking tarts and pies have the same bake times. The first batch burned. I also spent the greater half of the day driving around town looking for tart pans or at the very least, the aluminum disposable (unsustainable) variety. But it appears the people of bradford don't make tarts, because it was an impossible mission. I was determined to make the tarts, even if it meant using a muffin pan (and staying up until 3am). After a pretty pi(e)tiful baking experience, I was convinced the pies were stuck to the pan:

but thankfully, with a bit of a wiggle, they were freed. And delicious. You just can't get this much pecan action with the store bought stuff.

Recipe (makes about 18 tarts. Or a big pie. I halved the recipe to make 9 muffin sized tarts); adapted from this caramel pecan tart recipe

For the crust:

3/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

2 cups flour

2/3 cup powdered (icing) sugar

For the filling:

3 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped (I used a mixture of walnuts and pecans

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup butter

3 tbsp whipping cream

Pulse the crust ingredients in a food processor about five or six times until a coarse meal is formed.

Press the crumby mixture onto the bottom and sides of a lightly greased tart pan.

Bake at 350F until lightly golden. This should take about 8 minutes for tarts, or 20 minutes for a large pie. While the crust is baking, start making the filling! Cool the crust before adding the filling.

Heat the maple syrup, cream, butter and brown sugar for the filling in a small sauce pan until the mixture is boiling. Once boiled, remove pot from heat and stir in pecans.

Fill the tart shells with the warm filling and bake for 11-15 minutes at 350F, or until filling is bubbly.

Cool the tarts, and enjoy!!!