Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

chocolate, chocolate, expresso pecan tart

Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

I made this recipe for our annual Christmas open house last night, and I wish that I had made two, because it didn’t last long. It’s a three-stage process, but the crust, and pecans can be made two to three days before and kept refrigerated. The final assembly can be accomplished twenty-four hours ahead of time, and then served the big day. Oh, and since this is such a rich cake, cut the slices small. You can probably get 12 slices out of one tart. So, let’s get cooking…

yield 10 -12
prep time 20 Min
cook time 40 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For chocolate, chocolate, expresso pecan tart

  • THE PECANS
  • 1 md
    egg, white
  • 1/2 Tbsp
    sugar, granulated variety
  • 1 Tbsp
    dark brown sugar
  • 1 tsp
    ground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp
    salt, table variety
  • 1 1/2 c
    pecan halves
  • THE CRUST
  • 1 c
    chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (see my recipe on making this from scratch: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/dessert-cake/ground-chocolate-cookie-wafer-base.html?p=4 )
  • 1/4 c
    sugar, granulated variety
  • 1 tsp
    ground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp
    salt, table variety
  • 5 Tbsp
    sweet butter, unsalted, melted
  • THE FILLING
  • 1 c
    heavy cream
  • 4 oz
    bittersweet chocolate
  • 3 oz
    semisweet chocolate
  • 1 tsp
    espresso powder
  • 4 Tbsp
    sweet butter, unsalted, and cut into four pieces
  • 2 tsp
    pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp
    ground cinnamon, i like saigon cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp
    salt, table variety

How To Make chocolate, chocolate, expresso pecan tart

  • 1
    THE PECANS
  • 2
    Place a rank in the middle position, and preheat oven to 340°F ().
  • 3
    In a bowl large enough to hold the pecans, combine all of the ingredients, except the pecans, and whisk until fully incorporated.
  • 4
    Add the pecans and toss until completely coated, and then spread out in a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  • 5
    Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • 6
    After cooling, separate the pecans, remove any extra or additional coating, and reserve.
  • 7
    THE CRUST
  • 8
    Add the dry ingredients to bowl, and mix with a fork until fully incorporated.
  • 9
    Add the melted butter, and mix with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened.
  • 10
    Using a tart pan, approximately 9 inches in diameter, press the crumb-butter mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.
  • 11
    Chefs note: the type of pan here is rather important it needs to be a tart pan that has a removable bottom.
  • 12
    Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat oven to 350°F ().
  • 13
    Place the tart pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the crust is set.
  • 14
    Allow the crust to thoroughly cool on a wire rack.
  • 15
    THE FILLING
  • 16
    Add the cream to a saucepan and warm up to a light simmer.
  • 17
    Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, and then add the chocolate and stir until fully melted.
  • 18
    At one piece of butter and stir until melted, and then do the same for the other three pieces of butter; one piece at a time.
  • 19
    Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and then stir until fully combined.
  • 20
    Add the mixture to the cooled crust, and place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for 30 minutes. This will partially set the filling.
  • 21
    Remove from the fridge, and arrange the pecans on top in a nice decorative pattern.
  • 22
    Chefs tip: I added a bit of decoration by using some white chocolate in a pastry bag and doing a squiggly pattern over the top.
  • 23
    Return the tart to the refrigerator and allow to completely set for a minimum of four hours. Enjoy…
  • 24
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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