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Salted Caramel Tart
Calling all salted chocolate and chewy caramel lovers!! This gorgeous Valentine’s Day dessert is easier than you think.
A chocolate cookie crust gets pressed into the tart form so there’s no rolling needed to nail an exquisitely tender base. Then pour in that luscious caramel layer and top it off with 2-ingredient (but very professional looking!) chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of crunchy, flaky sea salt — and enjoy a happy, little slice of edible love!!
See this recipe come to life on IG.
Salted Caramel Tart
Prep time: 25 minutes + 2 hours 20 minutes cooling and refrigeration
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
Chocolate Crust:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 bag dried beans, for blind baking
Honey Caramel:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons honey
Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
Flaky sea salt, for garnishing
Instructions:
For the Chocolate Crust:
•Preheat the oven to 350ªF.
•In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the butter, sugar, cardamom, cocoa powder, flour, egg yolks, and salt. Pulse until combined and a dough forms (it may not fully form into a ball, but easily pinches together to hold its shape between two fingers). The consistency of the dough should be between a classic pie crust and a shortbread cookie dough. If the dough feels too sandy after pulsing, pour the dough from the food processor out onto a cutting board and press all of the pieces into a ball, gently kneading the dough just once or twice to incorporate everything together. Then proceed to press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 ½ to 10-inch tart plate with a removable bottom.
•Prick the crust all over with the prongs of a fork. Crunch up a piece of parchment paper and lay into the tart shell. Fill the shell with baking beans (this process is called blind baking). Bake for 15 minutes with the beans then remove the tart shell and place the beans into a heatproof bowl. Return the tart shell to the oven for another 2 minutes to gently bake the bottom crust that was covered by the beans. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
For the Honey Caramel:
•Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Swirl around with your finger until the sugar is the consistency of wet sand. Be sure not to get sugar crystals on the side of the pot, they can burn and break the caramel – use a heat resistant brush dipped in water to brush them off the sides of the pot if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and immediately begin timing 10 to 12 minutes. Do not stir the caramel as it’s cooking (sugars on the side of the pan can crystallize and cause the caramel to seize!), just swirl the pan occasionally to help the sugar evenly cook.
•Around the 9 minute mark, begin watching the caramel very carefully. Once the caramel turns blonde in color, remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the heavy cream into the mixture and whisk to combine – the mixture will sputter, so be sure to hold the whisk with an oven mitt to avoid burning yourself! When you begin whisking, the mixture may seize up, but continue mixing and return the pan to low heat. The cream will soon melt into the caramel and become smooth and creamy.
•Gently whisk in the butter and the salt. The mixture will bubble, continue to simmer until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently, the caramel should be glossy and you see nice ribbons of caramel when whisking. To see if the caramel is ready to remove from the heat, dip a metal spoon into the caramel, it should easily coat the back of the spoon nicely. Allow the caramel on the spoon to cool slightly, then carefully run your finger down the center of the caramel on the back of the spoon and the canal in the caramel should be able to hold its shape.
•Remove from the heat and whisk another 2 to 3 minutes to allow the caramel to begin cooling, the caramel will continue to thicken as it cools. Whisk in the honey once it’s slightly cooled and allow the caramel to cool for another 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, before pouring into the tart shell – this allows the caramel to thicken even more. Pour into the tart shell and refrigerate for an hour or two until set.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
•Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once simmering, pour the cream over the chocolate and allow the chocolate to sit for a couple of minutes, then stir to combine until a smooth ganache forms.
•Pour over the chilled tart and top with flaky sea salt. Place back into the fridge to set for another hour.
•When ready to serve, remove the tart from the tart shell, slice and serve. After slicing, feel free to let the slices sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes or so if you prefer your desserts room temperature. Store the tart covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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