Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts with chocolate crust. A simple yet elegant dessert recipe.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart. Simple yet elegant dessert recipe at TidyMom.net

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If you are a salted caramel fan, you don’t want to miss out on this easy Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts recipe with a chocolate crust. Allison and I made these a few week for some friends and it was a huge hit!  We will definitely be making them again .

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart recipe at TidyMom.net

It’s mid November, and we have already had a few inches of snow and frigid cold temperatures.  This morning the wind chill was -1.  That is January weather for St. Louis, NOT mid November.  I think someone needs to have a talk with Mother Nature.

In our desperate attempt to see the bright side………our thoughts, naturally, turned to chocolate and salted caramel.

A day of snow and cold is the perfect excuse for a night of fancy salted caramel chocolate tarts for dessert.

These tarts are oh so decadent, rich and buttery, and they are knock-your-socks-off good! I tossed some pecans on top of a few and they reminded me of a giant homemade turtle.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts. A simple yet elegant dessert recipe at TidyMom.net

I’m a self-confessed caramel addict especially when it’s salted caramel. The soft, slightly chewy, smooth, salty caramel layer cuts through the richness of the double chocolate goodness and adds a whole other dimension to these tarts. The salted caramel almost steels the show.

Just what the doctor ordered, Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts would be wonderful on a holiday dessert table.

Elegant Salted Caramel & Chocolate Tart recipe at TidyMom.net

These salty caramely chocolatey delights will grace any cold snowy day with a little warmth and goodness.

Salted Caramel & Chocolate Tarts. Simple yet elegant dessert recipe at TidyMom.net

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tarts

Yield: 6 mini tarts
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Caramel Filling :

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • fleur de sel or coarse sea salt, and pecan halves for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. For the crust, whisk to combine the flour and cocoa powder. Set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg yolks and beat well. Add the dry ingredients until incorporated. The dough will look crumbly, but it should come together in next step.
  3. Press the dough out into 6 mini tart pans. Prick all over with a fork, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crisp, then cool completely on a wire rack.
  4. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil (do not stir) until golden caramel color. Remove the pan from the heat, and add cautiously add the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla and salt, stir to combine . Pour the caramel into the cooled crust.
  5. To make the chocolate ganache, heat the heavy cream to a simmer,either on the stovetop or in the microwave, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 60 seconds, then stir until smooth. Pour the chocolate ganache over the caramel tart, and refrigerate for a few hours until set.
  6. Garnish with fleur de sel and pecans.

Notes

  • My mini tartlet pans were 3.5 inches in diameter
  • To make a full size 9 inch tart: Press dough to a 9"  tart pan with a removable bottom, prick the tart shell with a fork and refrigerated for 15 minutes then bake about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Fill with caramel and top with ganache and chill for a few hours until set.
  • The caramel on this tart will hold its shape when cut but not when you leave it out in a warm environment for too long.

Did you make this recipe?

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