PECAN PIE CASSEROLE OR MUFFINS

Pecan pie is a buttery, gooey, favorite cold-weather treat. Here you enjoy all the rich flavor of the pie, without needing to bake a crust from scratch. It’s simple enough to make any weeknight, but yummy enough for holiday dinners.

1 18.25-ounce box yellow cake mix
4 eggs, divided use
½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ cups light corn syrup
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups chopped pecansPreheat oven to 325°F. Grease a casserole dish.
Combine cake mix, 1 egg, and butter. Mix well. Set aside ½ cup of this mixture and pour remaining batter into casserole dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
Combine reserved batter, remaining 3 eggs, and the rest of ingredients in a bowl. Mix. Layer this mixture on top of baked layer and return to the oven for 50 minutes.

I use this recipe for when we cook at the river and make them up the night before.  Instead of using a baking pan, I do it in my large muffin tins.  Just spoon some mix about 1/3 full in the tins, bake, layer mixture on top and bake again.