Chocolate Mini Tarts Recipe
These Chocolate Mini Tarts make the perfect treat for entertaining this season. A buttery shortbread tart base is filled with luscious chocolate ganache. These are perfection!
Servings: 9 mini tarts
Calories: 310kcal
Equipment
- Mini Tart tins
Ingredients
Sablée Shortcrust Dough
- 130 g salted butter room temperature
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
Chocolate Ganache
- 120 g dark chocolate 70% (bittersweet)
- 120 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 30 g salted butter
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
Decoration
- Cocoa powder, chocolate shavings or red currants (optional)
Instructions
Make the Sablée Shortcrust Dough
- Cream butter and sugar together. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or an electric hand-held mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy.
- Incorporate egg yolks. Add in the egg yolks and mix until well combined, about a minute.
- Add flour to form a dough. Sift the flour into the mixing bowling mix on low speed until just incorporated and the dough starts to clump. Use your hands to bring the dough together by gently squeezing it together. (Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes if the dough is sticky.)
- Press dough into the tart pan. Tear some dough from the dough ball and press it into the base of the tin to make a level and even dough base. Press dough onto the sides of the pan, getting more if needed. Ensure the sides are even all the way around. Use a rolling pin to cut off the excess, or a sharp knife.With the tines of the fork, dock the base of the tart. Repeat until all tart pans have been filled.Refrigerate tart bases for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F and bake tart bases for 30-35 minutes, turning them halfway through, until golden and the pastry crisp. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire wrack.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan on low until steaming and you see some tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan. Don't let it boil, otherwise, it will split.
- Add cream to the chopped chocolate. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is chopped into small pieces, it melts quicker like this. Then add the butter and golden syrup to the cream. Leave for a minute or so, then whisk until the chocolate and butter have melted and the ganache is smooth.
Assemble the Tarts
- Fill tart shells. Once the ganache is smooth, divide the ganache into each tartlet shell, filling to just below the top edge of the pastry. Then refrigerate tarts for a minimum of 1 hour until set. When ready to serve, allow the tarts to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes for the ganache to soften slightly. Then decorate with a dusting of cocoa powder, a sprinkle of chocolate flakes and some red berries.
Notes
Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
Yield: This recipe makes 9-10 mini tarts based on 5cm/2-in diameter shallow tart tins. If using egg tart moulds, they are deeper and will yield fewer tarts. You may want to x1.5 or x2 the ingredient quantities.
To store: The tarts are best eaten on the day they are made, however, will last in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 4 days.
To freeze: The tarts don't freeze well. Prepare the pastry and line the tart shells, then freeze. and then bake directly from the freezer, adding five or so minutes to the bake time. Then fill with ganache and refrigerate until set.
TIPS for the dough:
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs.
- Don't overwork the dough.
- Rest the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Refrigerate tart shells before baking.
- Use store-bought tart shells for a quick alternative!
- Use the best quality chocolate for optimal flavour. My favourite store-bought chocolate to use is Lindt.
- Don't boil the cream otherwise, the ganache will split
- Chop the chocolate as finely as you can so that the heat of the cream will melt it easily.
- Stir the cream and chocolate slowly until melted and combined.
- Don't use chocolate chips to replace the chocolate. They are designed to hold their shape and won't create as smooth a ganache.
Nutrition
Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 704IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 3mg