Dare you to read this entire post without drooling! Not only has our recipe guru, Marisa, put together the how-to for these scrumptious dark chocolate tartlets, but she’s also included directions for a salted caramel drizzle to top them off with! Is it acceptable to skip dinner and head straight for dessert?
These tartlets are made from scratch, and so they score major points in both looks and taste without being too fussy in the effort department. Dress them up as seen here, with drizzle, berries, and nuts, or get creative with different toppings. Perhaps crushed candy cane for the holidays? Or a little burst of whipped cream? Regardless of how fancy you style these babies (or leave them naked in all their glory), nothing says perfect decadence like a final sprinkle of our new Cocoa Dessert Finishing Salt.
Let the drooling commence!
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tartlets Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
1½ cups flour
¼ tsp Evolution Salt Co. Himalayan Salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
Filling
⅔ cup cream
3 tbsp sugar
1½ tbsp butter
7 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder (or espresso powder), optional
¼ tsp Evolution Salt Co. Himalayan Salt
2 tbsp milk
Evolution Salt Co. Cocoa Dessert Finishing Salt, for topping
Salted Caramel Drizzle
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon Evolution Salt Co. Himalayan Salt
Dash of vanilla
Directions
For the crust:
1. Sift flour and salt in a medium size bowl.
2. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until incorporated.
3. Gather dough and form it into a disk. Wrap the disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Place 4 tartlet pans on a cookie sheet.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into (4) 6-inch rounds. Re-roll the scraps as needed. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared pans with the dough circles. Use a small kitchen knife to trim off the excess dough. Prick the bottom of each tartlet with a fork a few of times.
6. Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes while oven is preheating to 350 degrees F.
Remove tartlets from refrigerator and put them into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let the tart shells to cool completely.
For the filling:
1. Add cream and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in butter, dark chocolate, espresso powder, and salt. Finally stir in milk.
2. Pour into cooled tart shells. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until set.
3. Before serving, carefully remove tarts from pans and sprinkle with Evolution Salt Co. Cocoa Dessert Finishing Salt.
*Note: You can easily make mini tartlets from this recipe by cutting out 3-inch dough rounds and shaping them into a mini cupcake sheet pan. You can also easily double this recipe to make more!
For the Salted Caramel Drizzle:
1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add in butter and whisk until combined. Simmer until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in the cream (it will bubble up ferociously after you add it!). Whisk until well combined. Whisk in salt.
4. Pour caramel into a heatproof jar. Allow it to cool a few minutes before using.
5. Once cooled, drizzle a spoonful over each refrigerated chocolate tartlet.
How would you dress these tartlets up? Do you think you’d even have any left to serve once they’re finished baking? We’re always in favor of making a couple more than you think you’ll need – you know, in case any of them get messed up and have to be eaten right away. *wink wink*
Featuring:
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Recipe adaptations from bakedambrosia.com & bakerbynature.com for Evolution Salt Co. by Marisa Carta Ratliff.
Marisa Carta Ratliff has a deeply rooted foundation in both art and food, and more specifically, styling and pastries. She is both a baker and maker, and when she’s not spending time with her husband or wrangling her wild-hearted two year old, she loves to spend her days playing with good food, and making it look how it tastes. She resides on the First Coast in Jacksonville, FL – just a hop, skip and a jump from the seafoam and salt air.