Kitchen

[Mom2Dogs]

I want to make Peacn Tassies...usually I make from scratch the dough for the shell - but I saw a recipe using Phyllo shells - you just fill the shells with the home made filling.

I have never tasted phyllo dough/shells.  Is it a slightly sweet dough?

Thanks

[Carmie]

Phyllo dough sheets are thin layers of traditional strudel dough.

IMO, phyllo dough is tricky to work with.  It is thin as tissue paper and tears easily.  It also dries out quickly, so you have to work with it fast and keep it covered while you work with it.

It is not very sweet.  It is like the crunchy dough you get with frozen store bought turnovers when you bake them.

Don't get discouraged with phyllo recipes.  It's possible your first attempts might not look pretty, but I am sure your finished product will be delicious.

I am pretty sure I have seen phyllo dough made into small shells in the frozen food section.  All you need to is fill and bake. 

[rms1954]

My mom used to make these and I LOVED THEM!!  She always did the butter pastry herself.  I could not imagine phyllo dough .. it would totally change the experience for me.

[Etoile308]

Personally, I think phyllo dough might be too light and flaky  to use with a filling that can be heavier and more dense.

If for entertaining or a holiday dessert I would do a test batch first.

[charsha]

@Mom2Dogs Phyllo shells are great, I have used them for both savory and sweet recipies.  They hold up great, and much easier than the tricky sheets.  To me they have a more "neutral" taste, they are not very sweet. The ingredients you add are the real focus, and the shells have a nice crunch. Have fun!

[deepwaterdotter]

I use the Athens brand of frozen phyllo shells that I buy at my local grocery.

[Eileen in Virginia]

I make Pecan Tassies (we call them Tea Time Tassies) every Christmas, using a cream cheese-butter crust. We love the way the tangy crust offsets the sweetness of the pecan filling. I don't think you'd get that interplay of flavors with phyllo cups. 

I've used pre-made phyllo cups for mini lemon tarts. I can't remember if I baked them before filling them with store-bought lemon curd, but the flavor of the phyllo cups was pretty much meh - not much flavor at all. The phyllo cups are definitely simpler to use than the cream cheese-butter dough, but the flavor can't compare. 

[m0rgan]

I got a recipe from Taste of Home called mini baklava and they use the small phyllo

shells bought in the freezer department of the grocery store.  The filling is sweet so you really don't want the shells to be sweet.  The recipe calls for baking the shells before filling.  I keep the nut mixture in the freezer ready to go and a couple boxes of the shells too.

[wagirl]

OMG--what a great idea!! Have seen these little babies in the grocery store--never thought about actually using them!! I have used phyllo dough and it is not that difficult--you have to cover them with a damp towel while you use them. I made Ree Drummonds--pioneer woman--recipe for baklava that uses the sheets and HOLY COW!!!!! what a delicious treat!! Think I even made a salmon wellington once for Xmas dinner using them. 

[Effie54]

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@Carmie wrote:

Phyllo dough sheets are thin layers of traditional strudel dough.

IMO, phyllo dough is tricky to work with.  It is thin as tissue paper and tears easily.  It also dries out quickly, so you have to work with it fast and keep it covered while you work with it.

It is not very sweet.  It is like the crunchy dough you get with frozen store bought turnovers when you bake them.

Don't get discouraged with phyllo recipes.  It's possible your first attempts might not look pretty, but I am sure your finished product will be delicious.

I am pretty sure I have seen phyllo dough made into small shells in the frozen food section.  All you need to is fill and bake. 

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@Carmie  Good point. I made homemade baklava for Easter, using the phyllo sheets. Wow, it is hard to maneuver. I watched two YouTube videos on proper technique. You do have to keep it covered with a damp dish towel or it will tear. But also, I think the shells are premade and very good. No sweet taste, just really nice texture. Got me thinking about Thanksgiving. I was going to make pecan pie bars, but the last time I made them they didn't come out of the pan very well. I might try using phyllo cups as well. They're really easy to work with.