MINI PUMPKIN-NUT PIE

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup canned pumpkin
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon light rum or rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Beat ½ cup butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl until creamy. Stir in flour. Divide dough into 24 (1-inch) balls; press dough evenly in bottom and up sides of ungreased miniature muffin pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

While shells are baking combine ½ cup brown sugar, pumpkin, yolk, melted butter, milk, rum, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. When shells come out of the oven spoon or pipe pumpkin mixture into each cup. Combine pecans, ¼ cup brown sugar and last of melted butter; sprinkle over top of each filled pumpkin cup. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool in pans on wire rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cups and remove from pan – serve warm or cool completely. Makes 2 dozen.