Chocolate Caramel Tarts
Dark chocolate and salted caramel are a match made in heaven. Instead of the classic chocolate ganache, I opted for a dark chocolate sour cream ganache topping to counterbalance the sweetness of the gooey caramel filling. Instead of making ten small tarts, you can bake one large tart.
Category: Pies & tarts
Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)
- Makes 10 tarts
- Prep time: 1h + chilling time
- Cook time: 45min
- Total time: 1h 45min + chilling time
- Difficulty: Intermediate
For the crust:
Ingredients
- 115g butter, at room temperature
- 60g powdered sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 230g all-purpose flour
- 20g cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
Directions
In the bowl of your standing mixer, whip together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix briefly. Transfer the whole mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter 10 small tart rings. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface or in between two sheets of plastic. Cut out circles slightly bigger than your tart rings, transfer and press the dough gently with your fingers into the bottom and sides of the tart rings. Scrape the remaining dough, knead it until it comes together, roll out and repeat the process. Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and blind bake for 10-15 minutes until completely done. Allow the tart shells to cool completely before filling them.
For the salted caramel filling:
Ingredients
- 265g white sugar
- 100ml water
- 200ml heavy cream
- 40g butter
- 1 tsp sea salt
Directions
Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan and increase the heat to high. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 150°C and the mixture is a deep caramel color. This will take 10–12 minutes. Meanwhile, place the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove the caramelized sugar from the heat and, working quickly, add the cream and butter mixture and whisk to combine. Add salt, return to the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes or until thickened slightly. Transfer the caramel filling to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Then transfer the filling to the refrigerator until nice and thick. Spoon the salted caramel into the tart shells and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until set. You could put them into the freezer for 30-45 minutes to speed up the process. The caramel filling has to be completely set before adding the chocolate layer.
For the sour cream chocolate ganache:
Ingredients
- 180g chopped dark chocolate
- 180g sour cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
Directions
Melt the chocolate, sour cream, sugar, and milk in a double-boiler, stirring constantly. Spread the warm chocolate over cold tarts and let it set. Keep the tarts at room temperature and sprinkle with some sea salt before serving. You can keep them in the refrigerator if you like, but make sure you bring them to room temperature before serving.
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