Chocolate Tarts Recipe

Chocolate tarts have been a holiday tradition in my family for at least 30 years. My aunt started making these for Christmas parties and it was only after a fair number of years that a few others in the family started making them.  When these come out, everyone descends on them. These are decadent and incredibly delicious. You can make them with milk or dark chocolate - a mix of both is nice. I have no idea where the recipe came from.

This recipe uses mostly weights so you'll need a scale. You'll find the recipe near the end of this post if you want to print it - select the text you want and Print Selection from your browser.

Start with the shells - you can make these even a few days ahead.

Cream 5 oz of butter and 2 oz of white sugar. Beat them with your stand mixer for a couple of minutes.

Then beat in an egg, 8 oz of regular flour and a pinch of salt. You can chill this a while in the fridge if it's warm in your kitchen so it rolls easier. It will be quite stiff.

Roll it quite thin - 1/8", then cut out circles or flowers for fancier ones. The cutters should be about 3" wide.  

A super thin spatula will help you lift them. 

Press these into mini tart/muffin tins. Make sure the edges are carefully pressed down.  I use this awesome wooden mini tart presser.

 

Bake at 350F for 11-13 minutes - until just golden.

Closer to your party time (or anytime, hey, why should there have to be a party?), make the filling.

Scald 125 ml of whipping cream - also called heavy cream. To scald, heat just until tiny bubbles show at the edges.

Add 1 1/4 lbs of chopped good chocolate - use something decent like Lindt or whatever you have access to. Don't use chocolate chips - they are coated so they don't melt as nicely. Use any mix of milk and dark you like. You can add kirsch too - I don't as I don't like the taste of any liquor in desserts.  Mix every so often until all is melted - the finer you chopped, the quicker this will happen.

The add 1 oz unsalted butter. 

Once this melts, stir well and pour into your cooled shells.  I found this time it came out a bit thick so I had to spoon it in. Oh well, tastes great anyhow.

To make it extra fancy, drizzle white chocolate over the tarts once they cool. I don't like white chocolate  so I skip this.

Eat.

Chocolate Tarts Recipe

Shells

5 oz butter

2 oz sugar

1 egg

8 oz flour

Pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar

Blend in the remaining ingredients

Roll out to 1/8" and cut out circles

Press into a mini tart pan

Bake at 350 F for 11-13 minutes

Filling

1 1/4 lbs good quality chocolate

125 ml whipping cream

10 ml kirsch liqueur (optional)

1 oz unsalted butter

Scald cream, add chocolate, then add kirsch. As soon as all is melted, add butter. Mix and pour into tarts.