Tarts & Pies

October 23, 2024

Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets

The process of making those chocolate hazelnut tartlets is a bit long but it is worth the wait and effort.

Those different layers of texture marry perfectly together: the crumbly of the shell, the hooey-gooey of the praline, the creaminess of the ganache and then the crunchiness of the cocoa nibs and hazelnut - all working together to make that deep chocolate taste shine.

Chocolate hazelnut tartlet cut in half

You can prepare the tart shells and the praline in advance.

The tart shells can be stored in a sealed container for up to a week. The praline can be stored in a sealed jar for several month at room temperature.

Having those elements already ready will allow you to realize those tartlets faster the day you decide to do it.

Chocolate hazelnut tartlet

You can also serve the tartlets with whipped cream or ice cream which will allow to bring some smoothness to balance the depth and intensity of the chocolate. Drinking milk also allows to bringing some freshness.

Chocolate hazelnut tartlet

How to store those tartlets? 

Those tarlets are best eaten on the same day but if you have some left, you can store them in the fridge for a couple ot days.

With a deep chocolate flavor, those chocolate hazelnut tartlets have the perfect balance between sweetness and intensity. A Must try!

Chocolate Hazelnut Tartlets

Prep:
105
min
cook:
70
min
total:
235
min
Author:

Elodie

Ingredients

Chocolate tartlet shells:

  • 150g butter cubed
  • 90g powdered sugar
  • 30g almond meal
  • 2g salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 230g all-purpose flour
  • 20g cocoa powder

 

 Hazelnut praline:

  • 200g hazelnuts (preferably not hulled)
  • 133gr sugar
  • 34g water

 

 Chocolate ganache:

  • 100g heavy cream
  • 130g bittersweet chocolate
  • 30g butter cubed

 

Decoration:

  • Whole toasted hazelnuts
  • Cocoa nibs

Instructions

Prepare the chocolate tartlet shells:

  1. Combine flour and cocoa powder in a medium to large bowl.
  2. Cream together butter, salt, sugar, almond meal and the egg in another bowl.
  3. Add in the flour mixture in two times.
  4. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, make a slab, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for 1h in the fridge.
  5. Take the dough out and cut it in half. Put halfback in the fridge while working with the other half. Roll it in a 3mm thicksheet.
  6. Preheat the oven at 350F / 180C
  7. Grease the inside of the tart rings and fill them with the dough:
    1. Either cut larger disks than your tart rings and then place them loosely inside the rings, carefully apply the pastry around the edges of the ring and make sure there is no gap between the bottom and the edge.
    2. Or, using the ring cut out the base of the tart, then cut strings of dough larger than the edge of the rings and long enough to cover the inside edge of the ring.
  8. Trim off the excess dough and blind bake for20min, then 10 min without the weights
  9. Let cool the tart shells on a wire rack 

Prepare the praline:

  1. Pour water and sugar in a big enough sauce pan. Remove sugar from the sides of the pan with a wet brush. Heat until it boils
  2. When the syrup reaches 116C (241F) Add the almonds and hazelnuts. Decrease heat to medium-low heat and stir. Note: it is important to decrease the heat to allow the nuts to roast properly without cooking the sugar too fast
  3. Keep stirring the sugar / nuts mixture. Be patient, it will take some time. The sugar will start crystallizing and go back to a sugar crumble consistency coating the nuts. At this stage the nuts will roast and take flavor. The sugar will then melt down and become caramel. Do not stop stirring or increase the heat. This process will be pretty long, about25-30min.
  4. When all the sugar has melted and the caramel has a beautiful amber color pour the mixture onto a baking mat or parchment paper
  5. Once completely cooled break down into pieces. In a blender, blend the bark into a powder then a praline paste. This stage may take some time. You should not need to add any oil as the oil from the nuts will come out. Watch the blender temperature as it may overheat. In that cases top for 10 min and resume blending after.

 

Prepare the ganache:

  1. Heat the heavy cream
  2. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5min
  3. Mix well and add the butter.

 

Assembly:

  1. In each shell, pour 1 ½ tbsp hazelnut pralineand then fill the tartlet shell with the ganache.
  2. Put in the fridge for at least 1h
  3. Top each tartlet with a hazelnut and cocoa nibsif desired.
  4. Enjoy!