Chocolate Pecan Tart with Caramel Sauce

There’s nothing scary about this Chocolate Pecan Tart with Caramel Sauce! In fact it’s my go-to dessert for a special occasion where I want to treat my guests, but don’t have much time to put into making a dessert

If you really want to make this Chocolate Pecan Tart extra easy, purchase a good quality caramel sauce, and pass on making your own. Although making the sauce is well worth the effort. Added bonus – this 9 inch dessert serves 10-12 people because it’s very rich. A small slice is all you need!

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Chocolate Pecan Tart with Caramel Sauce

A rich chocolate ganache filling in a pecan crust with a touch of cinnamon drizzled with caramel sauce

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 8

Author: Adapted from Bon Appetit February, 1993 recipe

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups pecans
• 1/4 cup golden brown sugar packed
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

Filling

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces good semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bars

Caramel Sauce (you can substitute store-bought sauce instead)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Garnish

• strawberry fans

Instructions

Tart

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend the first 3 ingredients in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter and blend until well combined. Then press the nut mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

Filling

• In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate into the crust. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours.) You can prepare the tart and the sauce a day in advance.

Caramel Sauce (you can substitute store-bought sauce instead)

• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sugar and cook until deep golden brown, whisking frequently, about 10 minutes. The mixture goes from a very grainy to a more smooth paste-like texture after approximately 10 minutes. Add cream and cook at a low boil until sauce is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, whisking frequently. The sugar will initially harden into clumps when the cream is added but will melt again as the sauce is boiling. It takes approximately 15-30 minutes to reduce the sauce (depending on your heat.) A longer, slower boil will continue to deepen the color of the caramel sauce. Cool slightly before serving. If making caramel sauce in advance, rewarm until free-flowing.

Finish

• Slice tart and drizzle with caramel sauce then top with strawberry fan.

Notes

I have made this homemade sauce and used store-bought caramel. Both produce a delicious result.