This decadent chocolate hazelnut tart is packed with ground hazelnuts, graham crackers, & chocolate custard. Perfect for the chocolate addict in your life!

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart on a tray

This chocolate hazelnut tart is decadent, rich, and creamy – a real chocolate lover’s dream! Despite how easy it is to pull together and the minimal ingredients list, it looks worthy of any bakery-case.

What Exactly is a Chocolate Tart?

Chocolate tarts are French desserts that consist of a rich, chocolate custard nestled into a pie crust. The common thread between all tarts? They are flour-less, dense, and extremely decadent. With each forkful of this tart, you’ll get the perfect combination of silky custard and nutty crust. Bon appetit!

How to Prepare this Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Making this chocolate hazelnut tart requires you to whip up a quick, homemade custard and a simple pie crust of graham crackers and ground nuts.

  • Make the Pastry Crust: In a food processor, blend both the hazelnuts and graham crackers until fine. In a large bowl, mix the hazelnuts, graham crackers, cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, and melted coconut oil. Press the dough mixture into a tart pan or baking dish and bake it at 400°F for 10 minutes.
  • Make the Chocolate Custard: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk the eggs, milk, and sweetened condensed milk together until it thickens. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until they’re completely melted.
  • Assemble the Chocolate Tart: Next, pour the custard into the tart crust and chill the tart in the refrigerator for an hour.
  • Make the Chocolate Ganache Glaze: In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate chips into the milk. Next, stir in the honey until ultra-smooth. Allow the glaze to cool at room temperature. Then, spread it over the tart in one, even layer. Decorate the top if you wish and enjoy!

Tart Pan 101: To make the tart-making process that much easier, enlist the help of a tart pan! Much like a springform pan for cheesecake, they come with a removable bottom so removing the tart is easy as pie (or in this case…tart!).

3 Tips for a Perfect Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

  • Don’t over blend the hazelnuts. If you over blend the hazelnuts, they will turn into nut butter. Blend them until they turn just fine in texture.
  • Continuously mix the custard so it doesn’t burn. As you’re bringing the custard to a thick consistency, make sure to constantly whisk it. This will not only help it thicken, but it will also prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the small saucepan.
  • If you’re using raw hazelnuts, toast them first. The crust tastes best with toasted nuts! To toast hazelnuts, throw them in a skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan every so often until the outside of the nuts turn slightly brown and a nutty aroma fills the air.

Hot Tip for a Perfect Tart Slice: Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it with a napkin, and slice the tart. Repeat before each slice for smooth, clean cut!

Storage Best Practices

Here, find all you need to know to keep your tart as fresh as possible in storage.

  • Refrigerator: To keep the tart fresh for 4-5 days, store it in an airtight cake container in the fridge. This will keep the custard from hardening and the crust from drying out.
  • Freezer: To freeze the tart for up to 1 month, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and gently place it in a plastic storage bag. To thaw the tart, place it in the fridge overnight.

FAQ

Why did your chocolate tart not set properly?

There are two reasons your chocolate tart did not set properly: 1) the custard wasn’t cooked long enough or 2) the tart didn’t have long enough to chill in the fridge. For the first cause, make sure the custard is cooked until it reaches the consistency of sweetened condensed milk. For the other cause, make sure the assembled tart has at least 1 hour to set in the fridge.

How do you know when your chocolate tart crust is fully-cooked?

Since the tart crust is flourless, it only needs about 10 minutes in the oven to bake to form. When you pull it out of the oven, it should be slightly firm to the touch and will continue to harden while it cools at room temperature.

Why is the custard filling for your custard tart runny?

The custard filling will turn out runny if it hasn’t been cooked long enough and to the right consistency. If it’s still runny after the allotted time in the recipe, cook it for an additional couple of minutes until it thickens.

Can you make mini chocolate tarts using a muffin tin?

Yes! You can make these tarts in a muffin pan instead if you want to make individual serving sizes. Depending on your oven, you may need to reduce the time you bake the crusts, so watch them closely the first time to make sure they don’t burn.

Why does your chocolate tart custard taste eggy?

The custard filling will taste eggy if you cooked it too long. This will cause the egg to scramble and the flavor will completely overpower the custard.

Other Hazelnut Treats to Try

About Author

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Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.