A rich and decadent Chocolate Pretzel Tart with a nutty, salty pretzel crust and a perfectly shiny and velvety chocolate filling. This tart is cozy and chocolatey with a hint of salt to keep things flirty! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, the Holidays, or just because.
CHOCOLATE PRETZEL TART
Uhm. HEY BABES!! I don’t think you’re ready for how indulgent today’s recipe is! I made you a Chocolate Pretzel Tart!! It has deliciously nutty, salty, crunchy pretzel crust and a velvety chocolate filling. This tart is rich and decadent with a hint of salt – YUM!
It’s the kind of dessert you want to make to impress someone: rich, chocolatey, and cozy! Date nights in, Valentine’s Day, the Holidays… this tart is perfect for pretty much any occasion. And everyone will love it (promise).
This means you won’t have leftovers (it happened to me, I was saddened lol).
You can also make it into a Gluten-Free Chocolate Tart by using GF pretzels instead of regular pretzels!
SO! Get your chocolate bars out & let’s get started!
2 PARTS TO CHOCOLATE PRETZEL TART
- Salty Pretzel Pie Crust
- Creamy Chocolate filling
FOR THE PRETZEL PIE CRUST
This baby uses my go-to “Pretzel Pie Crust” crust as a base. It’s incredibly easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients: salty pretzels (mini twists or sticks), maple syrup, cold butter, and cold water.
You can use a food processor or a ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crush the pretzels! You’re looking for a sand-like consistency with a few bigger crumbs for a fun crunch! 🙂
You want to bake this crust for just 10 minutes and allow it to cool down to room temperature before adding the filling to prevent it from becoming soggy or integrating into your chocolate filling.
Also, while baking this crust develops a delicious nutty, brown butter flavor that is out of this world so it’s totally worth it!!
FOR THE CHOCOLATE FILLING
I love this tart because it’s not just chocolate ganache, it has an *actual* chocolate filling with heavy cream, milk, chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, cornstarch, and a splash of vegetable oil.
The oil is what makes this tart *so* shiny and elegant (if you look closely, you can totally see how shiny it is).
As for the chocolate, you want to make sure you’re using 70% cocoa chocolate bars. No chocolate chips please :(. You need some high-quality chocolate with a high cocoa content to make sure the filling will have the right consistency *and* a rich flavor!
This filling is very easy to make but you have to get the consistency & temperature right! It’s cooked on the stovetop over medium-low heat (you never want the cream to boil and you should be stirring constantly to keep the filling from sticking to the pan).
The mixture is ready when it coats the back of your wooden spoon and if you run a finger across it, the line stays, kinda like this (excuse how messy my spoon is lol):
You want to pass your chocolate filling through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of any clumps that might be present (another tip to get that shiny smooth top!) and you also want it to cool slightly before pouring it into your crust. A hot filling will typically tend to “melt” your crust, so wait until it’s warm.
Cover your filling with some plastic wrap making sure it touches the surface of the filling to prevent it from forming an annoying thin crust (kinda like custard) while you wait for it to cool down.
HALP! HOW DO YOU STORE A CHOCOLATE TART?
Pop your tart in the refrigerator as soon as you’re done assembling it. You want to keep this tart covered in the refrigerator at all times!
Please don’t keep this baby at room temperature for too long or the filling will gradually go from perfectly set to soft and messy (also, the crust will inevitably absorb some of the filling and get soggy)!
Slice, serve, and if no one’s interested in an extra slice (hard to imagine lol), pop it back where it belongs!
HAPPY BAKING BABES!! I hope you’ll love this rich Chocolate Pretzel Tart as much as I do!
Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating if you make it! I LOVE hearing from you! <3
OH! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY:
- Mochi Brownies
- 5 Ingredient Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Crispy Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Russian Jam Filled Cookies
Chocolate Pretzel Tart
Ingredients
For the Pretzel Tart Crust
- 4 cups salted pretzels (sticks or mini twists) use gluten-free pretzels for GF eaters
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter cold, diced
- 1-2 tbsp water cold
For the Chocolate Tart Filling
- 4 tbsp milk room temperature
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3.5 oz chocolate 70% cocoa, chopped
- 17 oz heavy cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tsp canola or sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Pretzel Tart Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Crush the pretzels until you get a sand-like mixture with a few bigger crumbs. You can use a food processor or a ziplock bag and a rolling pin for this step. Add the butter and maple syrup and mix/pulse until the mixture comes together to form small clumps. Add in 1 tbsp of water and mix until the mixture comes together. Add an extra tbsp of water if necessary. Form into a ball.
- Press the pretzel mixture into a 9-inch pie plate or tart tin using the back of a spoon or a bottom of a glass to help you get a smooth top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Allow the crust to cool down to room temperature, meanwhile make the filling.
For the Chocolate Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk and cornstarch together until completely combined and smooth (there should be no lumps).
- Add the chocolate, heavy cream, cocoa powder, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla to a saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until combined and smooth. Keep stirring to keep the mixture from sticking to the saucepan. Do not allow to reach a boil, lower the heat if necessary.
- Remove the chocolate mixture from heat and gradually pour in the milk and cornstarch mixture while stirring constantly. Stir to combine, then return to heat. Lower heat to low and keep cooking and stirring until the mixture has thickened (about 9-10 minutes). The mixture is ready when it coats the back of your wooden spoon and if you run a finger across it, the line stays (see in-post picture for reference). Remove from heat.
- Pass the chocolate mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of any clumps. Don't skip this step if you want a perfectly smooth and shiny top. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, once it's warm pour it into your room temperature crust. Gently tap the pie on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Place the tart in the refrigerator and chill for at least four hours (or overnight) before serving, you want the pie to be cool and completely set before slicing and serving. Top with extra crushed pretzels or flaky salt if desired. Serve. Store covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 days (you can store it longer than 2 days but the crust will get softer).
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