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Chocolate and candied nuts. AND, no baking required!
To realize such a decadent dessert can be made so effortlessly is one of the reasons I love this recipe so much. I first began tinkering with this recipe way back in 2014 when I made a chocolate tart with a chocolate crust. I liked it. A lot.
Then I came across another recipe for a no-bake version, somewhat similar. Then I made my praline almond and chocolate cookies in 2017. Combining the elements I loved in each of these recipes resulted in the no-bake chocolate and candied hazelnut tart I am excited to share with you today.
Pouring the tart into a rectangular pan makes this a candy-bar of sorts offering simple narrow slices that you can hold in your hand and enjoy. All the while holding a cuppa in your other hand. The perfect pair.
You will want to plan to make this tart 4 hours ahead of time as you need to give it ample time to chill, but once it is chilled, it is fantastic.
Candied hazelnuts (or almonds or walnuts) are found in the tart and on top.
I do hope you enjoy this recipe. It brought many smiles to my face and those I have shared it with, and I hope it brings a smile to your household and loved ones as well. Be sure to stay tuned until the end of the video when the date of this year’s Holiday cooking episode will be shared. Now to the video!
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Links shared during the episode:
~Cook & Share! I would love to share your Simply Luxurious Kitchen inspired experiences from your kitchen! Tag me on Instagram with @thesimplyluxuriouslife #tslkitchen and your post could appear on my Instagram feed as well as on a future Show Notes post (see below). Many readers have already shared their meals inspired by recipes from TSLKitchen. Check out TSLL’s IG Story Highlights – titled, Viewers’ Recipes.
Digital Cookbooks for Each Season of the Show are available. If you are looking for all of the recipes for each previous season in one easy to find place without having to click through each episode for each season, I now have available a Digital Cookbook for Seasons 1, 2, & 3 ($8). Shop here.(Note: All TOP Tier Members/Subscribers can download these cookbooks for free.) Season 4’s cookbook will be available at the end of this season (end of October).
A No-Bake Chocolate & Candied Hazelnut Tart
Ingredients
Crust/Pastry
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp fleur de sel
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 large egg yolk
Candied Hazelnuts & Almonds (unsalted roasted nuts of your choice)
- 1 1/3 cup roasted unsalted hazelnuts
- 2/3 cup unsalted roasted almonds or just use all hazelnuts or walnuts
- 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp fleur de sel
Chocolate Filling
- 9 ounces high quality chocolate (dark chocolate, semi-sweet or bittersweet) Scharffen Berger is my favorite
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 egg whites
- 3-5 teaspoons espresso optional
Instructions
Pastry/Crust
- Combine in a food processor, flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse until combined and then add the egg yolk until just combined.
- Press the crust into the tart pan you have selected. Using it before you chill it makes it more malleable to create the crust just as you desire. Make sure to push up the sides to the top of the tart pan. Then place in the refrigerator (this is not necessary as it will chill for 3-4 hours after you place the filling in the tart). Otherwise, just set aside while you make the filling.
- Optional: I have baked the crust (15 minutes, 400 F/200 C) and not baked the crust. I too was delightfully surprised how much better the tart was not baking it. I found the crust too hard when I baked it (the crust still becomes hard not baking). This is entirely your preference. Admittedly, it was a mistake the first time I did not bake it and moved ahead with the recipe. But I have never looked back as it tasted so much better (and I didn’t know the difference as I kept the pastry thin and the warm chocolate when added worked a bit of magic).
Filling
- Roast the nuts if need be. Place on a dry baking sheet. Place in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Melt the sugar in a small sauce pan over low-medium heat. Stir consistently, but the entire time is not needed. Melt until amber in color and all sugar grains are dissolved. I use a spatula to stir.
- While waiting for the sugar to melt, place the roasted (unsalted) nuts (all hazelnuts and almonds – 2 cups in total), on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread to a single layer.
- Immediately upon finishing the melting of the sugar, pour as evenly as possible over all of the nuts. Not all of the nuts will be entirely covered, and that is okay, but make sure it is evenly and lightly distributed so the nuts receive the melted sugar (caramel), not the pan.
- Set aside the nuts to cool while you make the chocolate filling.
- Rough chop the chocolate (9 ounces) you will be using. Add the chocolate and the butter to a small to medium sauce pan. Melt over low-medium heat until combined. Add the salt and espresso (optional). Remove from the heat to let cool while you whip the egg whites.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix with a whisk or hand mixer the egg whites until soft white peaks form. Add 1/3 of the egg whites gently to the melted chocolate that has now cooled. Fold to keep as much air as possible. Then add the next 1/3 of egg whites, fold and then the final 1/3 of the egg whites until combined, but no more.
- Using a food processor, break of the nuts and pulse until roughly (or finely – your preference here) chopped.
- Add 1 1/3 of the nuts to the chocolate filling. Fold in with the spatula until combined.
- Take the prepared pastry crust and pour in the chocolate and nut mix. Spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 of chopped nuts to the top of the tart.
- Refridgerate for at least 3-4 hours.
- Enjoy chilled with a cup of hot tea.
~View more episodes of The Simply Luxurious Kitchen here.
Hi Shannon. I can’t believe it’s already the last episode of the cooking series! I love my Autumn ritual of waking up on Saturday morning and enjoying a cuppa while watching your show. I guess I will patiently wait for November 27th ?. Thank you for another lovely recipe and for bringing us another great season from The Simply Luxurious Kitchen!! I look forward to being able to download the cookbook!! Have a wonderful weekend ?
Dani, Thank you for tuning in this season. 🙂 Yep, the cookbook will be available by the end of next week. 🙂 I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the season and look forward to sharing the holiday recipe. 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!
This tart looks delicious. But one question: don’t you bake the crust? I cannot imagine eating a raw flour crust. Did I miss something? Thanks.
Nope! You’d don’t bake it. You just chill it. 🙂 I have done it both ways, and the pics you see are with it just chilling, not baking. It was delicious. But if it is your preference, you can bake it 15 minutes at 400 degrees (200 celsius) with pie weights and then remove the pie weights and bake for 5 minutes more. I found the crust to be too hard if I baked it. Make the recipe your own! 🙂 If you eat raw dough, which I do allll the time, you know the pastry cooked or not is your choice. However, when you chill it, it becomes firm and just hard enough as you can see in the pics.
Thanks. I will give it a try.
I completely understand your hesitancy. I was surprised as well. It really will depend upon your preference. 🙂 Let me know how it goes and thank you for the question as I have no doubt other readers had it as well. I appreciate your tuning in today. 🙂
Yum! I will be making this as a chocolatey treat next weekend.
Thanks for a great TSLK season again Shannon. Tonight we will be enjoying your burgers from season 3 as a decadent Halloween treat.
I look forward to the Holiday episode next month.
Sarah x
I cannot wait to try this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it:)
Looks delicious Shannon , but very rich with all that butter and chocolate ? ?
Which is why I love cutting it into small bars – almost the size of bite-size. That’s all you need! 🙂
Wow this season went so fast. I cannot believe that it’s over. I enjoy my Saturday mornings’ coffee watching these episodes. I’m happy we’ll have Christmas season .
Thank for your dedication !
Yes, please, thank you!
I will suggest this as our New Year dessert and I will put this to the consideration of the household – but I am pretty sure I already know the answer… 😉
I will have to use macadamia nuts – or pecan nuts – because one of us is allergic to hazelnuts.
This was a fantastic season! I wish there were still more episodes. 🙂
This was so much fun to watch, just like the rest of the cooking episodes! Keep ‘em coming!
So tickled you enjoyed! Thank you for watching. ☺️