Patty Ann's Chess Cakes

These miniature chess cakes are an old Southern tea-tray staple, baked in mini-muffin tins with a tender cream cheese pastry crust and your choice of two old-school fillings: a buttery brown sugar pecan version or a coconut version. Each bite is rich, sweet, and roughly two-and-a-half mouthfuls before it disappears.

The cream cheese pastry is the secret. Cream cheese cut into the butter and flour gives you a flaky, slightly tangy shell that holds its shape against the wet, sweet filling. It’s the same trick used for rugelach and is much easier to work with than standard pie dough at this small scale.

Make one filling for purists or both for a tea tray that gives guests a choice. The brown sugar pecan version tastes like a tiny pecan pie; the coconut version is a chewy, almost macaroon-like bite. They look almost identical so consider labeling.

Pro Tips

• Press the pastry into the mini-muffin cups in a thin even layer; thick walls give doughy tarts.
• Don’t overfill; one teaspoon per cup is the right amount and prevents bubbling over.
• Run a sharp knife around each tart while still warm to release them cleanly from the tin.
• Store between layers of wax paper as the recipe suggests; they stick to each other readily.

Variations

• Add a few mini chocolate chips to either filling for richer treats.
• Use the brown sugar filling with walnuts instead of pecans for a different nut character.
• Drizzle cooled tarts with thin powdered sugar glaze for a dressier look.