Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart
I have a bunch of old Gourmet magazines that I am saving. Saving for what I am not sure, but still saving none the less. I was flipping through one recently and came across a recipe for a milk chocolate tart with a pretzel crust that I must have ear marked 8 years ago but never made. I thought there is no time like the present and made the recipe. It was a total fail and way too complicated. Since I love the idea of a chocolate pretzel tart, I decided to write my own recipe and I love it. It is basically like a candy bar in tart form. The combination of salty and sweet is perfect for sweet tooth and dessert nay sayers alike. Also it is perfect for Valentine's Day because Valentine's day is the perfect excuse to eat nothing but chocolate...all...day...long.
Couple notes about the recipe.
First I add an egg white to the crust. This is totally optional - I personally don't like when graham cracker or pretzel crusts crumble when you cut them and by adding in an egg white, it helps tp keep the crust together and looking pretty.
Also I like milk chocolate. I know that is a total foodie faux pas but I am ok with it. Give me milk chocolate any day over dark chocolate. But if milk chocolate is not your jam, consider using semi-sweet or ever bittersweet. If you do change the type of chocolate know that since the tart has no sugar in the filling, the filling will only be as sweet as the chocolate.
Lastly, this tart lasts for a couple days in the fridge. The only downside to that is the pretzel garnish gets soggy. If you are going to make it a day or two before serving, I would suggest adding the pretzels on top the day you want to serve it.
Enjoy!
Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart
- 4 1/2 cups pretzels, plus more for garnish
- 1 Tbs. brown sugar
- 1 egg white
- 4 oz. melted butter
- 12 oz. milk chocolate
- 1 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. heavy cream, warm
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick spray.
In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until the texture of sand. Add brown sugar, egg white and melted butter. Pulse until well combined.
Press the pretzel crust into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. (if the tart shell puffs up during baking it will "depuff" once it is removed from the oven). Let tart shell cool.
In a bowl add 10 oz. chocolate and 1 1/4 cup warm cream. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth. If chocolate is not melting easily, pop the mixture into the microwave for 30 intervals and whisk until smooth. Let chocolate mixture cool slightly. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Pour chocolate mixture into pretzel crust and bake for 20 minutes or until only the center jiggles slightly. Let tart cool for about 30 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the remaining chocolate and warm cream. Let the cream melt the chocolate for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Spread the chocolate glaze on top of the tart and sprinkle with pretzels. Let tart cool for about 1 hour before serving.
Serves 8 to 10