Week 1 Dessert: Break Your Resolution dessert cups

Well...my husband decided that before I went back to work tomorrow, we needed to get away for a few days. It was a blessing. We did a mini road trip to eastern Iowa and central Iowa. A bit of the slots, hot tubs, and relaxation. It was a nice treat and I truly appreciated the mini vacation.

But of course, that meant that I was not able to blog for the past couple of days. Not that I was not doing the planning for today though.  As with all new things, I am a bit out of my comfort zone and this will be a real adventure to complete the first of 52 desserts for 2013. As I mentioned, whether you are talking with friends and family, or watching the television, it is all about resolutions right now. Get a gym membership, update the paint on your car, buy an indoor mini trampoline (okay...that one was me!), lose weight, spend more time with your family...all really good things. Yet, I wonder how many of us keep those resolutions beyond January? Should we not think more about what we do and say on every occasion and start living a more balanced and kind life? I say yes! And to that...I say, welcome to the Break Your Resolution dessert cups!

I was told long ago that if you need to scrimp and save, don't let it be on food. Eat the really good stuff and you won't eat as much. I hope that this recipe will inspire you to rethink the concept of a resolution and just enjoy life more!

Break Your Resolution dessert cups

2/3 c light Karo syrup
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 c flour
semisweet chocolate chips, I used Nestle
Sweetened flaked coconut
Diamond glazed pecans
2 sheets of puff pastry, I used Peppridge Farms
12-cup muffin tin, lightly greased with a spray oil

1. Start by thawing your puff pastry sheets if they are frozen.
2. Preheat oven to 325F.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the syrup and sugar to a boil (about 5 minutes on 4 of 6 on a gas stove). Pull of the heat, stir in butter and let cool.
4. With a hand mixer, beat eggs until fluffy. Add in the flour and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the butter/sugar mixture beating until smooth.
5. Open up and lay out pastry sheets on a clean surface. Cut each sheet in half lengthwise, and then in thirds to get 12 squares total.  Push a square into each pan cup.
6. Add a pinch of chips, a pinch of coconut, and a pinch of pecans into each cup.  This is to taste, if you want to use more of one filling over another.
7. Add the wet mixture to each cup filling to the top. This is done in steps as the liquid will seep into the filling. I had about 1/4 cup of wet mixture remaining.
8. Bake for 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden and filling is set in the middle. It should resemble a "tight" pecan pie filling. 
9. Cool in the pan and then remove and store in a sealed plastic container. These won't last long!

This recipe was adapted from Millionaire's Pie: http://www.recipe.com/millionaires-pie/