A No-Bake Chocolate & Candied Hazelnut Tart
A chocolate bar that tastes like your favorite chocolate candy bar (with nuts, sweet and crunchy nuts ?).
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.