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1. Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the flour and butter bits in a bowl and, with your fingertips, rub them together until the mixture resembles flakes of coarse meal.
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2. Add the cream cheese and continue to rub until the dough is smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
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3. Pecan tassies are baked in a miniature muffin pan with 12 cups, each 1¾ inches across the top and ¾ inch deep.
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4. To make a pastry shell, cut off about 1 tablespoon of the dough and press it firmly into the bottom and against the sides of an ungreased muffin cup; repeat the process until you have filled two muffin pans.
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5. Smooth the inside surface of the pastry shells with a pestle or the bottom of a small glass.
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6. To prepare the filling, beat the eggs lightly with a wire whisk or a rotary or electric beater. Beat in the brown sugar ½ cup at a time, then add the cooled melted butter and the vanilla extract and salt.
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7. Place 1 teaspoon of chopped pecans in the bottom of a pastry shell, pour in about 1 tablespoon of filling, and set a pecan half on top. Bake the tarts in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling has puffed slightly and the top begins to crack. The filling will be somewhat firm to the touch.
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8. Turn the pecan tassies out on wire racks to cool completely to room temperature before serving them.
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