Christmas

No-Bake Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart with Sea Salt

by:
March  3, 2018
3
5 Ratings
No-Bake Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart with Sea Salt
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Serves 10-12
Author Notes

Warning: This is a highly decadent and addictive recipe. Chocolate. hazelnuts. Maldon salt. It's a chocolate lover's dream, without any added sugar. This would be perfect for any dinner party, or just to have in the fridge when a friend stops over for tea and a talk. Ummm, or just for you, at midnight. —Danielle Rehfeld Colen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the tart crust:
  • 5 ounces thin chocolate cookies or biscuits (you can use shortbread, gluten-free cookies, Italian chocolate tea biscuits, or even salty chocolate cookies)
  • 3 ounces toasted, peeled hazelnuts, plus more for garnish
  • 10-12 pitted medjool dates
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • For the Chocolate Ganache:
  • 8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped or in chips
  • 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or in chips
  • 5 ounces heavy cream (150 ml)
  • 1 pinch Maldon salt, for serving
Directions
  1. For the tart crust:
  2. Break up the biscuits a bit and place them in a blender or food processor with nuts. Pulse until very well chopped. They should resemble fine crumbs.
  3. Add 10 dates and a pinch of sea salt. Pulse well. Blend until the mixture begins to come together about 20-30 seconds. Add the other dates if needed and blend again. The mixture should be wet and should hold together when you test it.
  4. Press the dough into the bottom of an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for 10 minutes.
  1. For the Chocolate Ganache:
  2. In a small pot, warm the cream over medium heat until you see little bubbles at edges. Add the chocolate and turn off flame. Wait one minute and stir until glossy.
  3. Pour the chocolate directly on top of the crust. Allow it to set in a cool place for an hour before serving. You can also pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes-1/2 hour if you're in a rush. If making ahead and refrigerating for more than 2 hours, the ganache may lose some of its sheen. Remove and allow to temper for 30 min-2 hours before serving (Depending on how long it's been refrigerated) so that the ganache softens. You can also very quickly run a creme brûlée torch over the surface of the tart to get the sheen back. Just before serving sprinkle with a few pieces of hazelnut and sea salt crystals. I love the texture and flavor of Maldon, but you could try fleur de sel, too!
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  • Alisa Loughlin
    Alisa Loughlin
  • Danielle Rehfeld Colen
    Danielle Rehfeld Colen
Danielle Rehfeld Colen
Danielle rehfeld is a New York based cook and writer. Her website the inherited plate features recipes and videos that celebrate foods and people from our rich global Community.

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3 Reviews

Alisa L.
Alisa L. April 24, 2019
I’m not sure what happened here, but the chocolate barely filled the crust and was not set after an hour. It tasted good because what’s not to love about the ingredients, but overall, a fail.
 
Alisa L.
Alisa L. April 24, 2019
If you have insight on what went wrong I’d love to hear it because yours looks so beautiful.
 
Danielle R.
Danielle R. April 25, 2019
Hi Alisa-

So sorry you had an issue with the recipe! Bummer. What size vessel did you do it in? It is meant to be a pretty thin layer of chocolate. I typically press the crust into a fluted tart pan with removable bottom(I don't go up the sides like they do in the photo here) and I freeze it so it gets nice and cold while I make the ganache. then I pour the chocolate over top and kind of tilt the pan moving it around until the chocolate spreads. between crust being in the freezer and placing in a cool place after pouring in chocolate or putting back in the fridge to set, I found it set ok. I'm so sorry it was a fail.