Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

When a lusciously creamy and rich chocolate filling gives way to an intensely nutty and crunchy hazelnut crust it’s true dessert perfection. Friends say hello to my version of a Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. Simple and oh-so delicious. Made even more rich and delicious thanks to AE Dairy’s Chocolate Milk, thank you AE Dairy!!

Admittedly dessert recipe developing is not my favorite part of the job. I love to throw ingredients together on a whim and just know it’s going to turn out fabulously every time. Dessert is a different beast. You must have exact measurements and sometimes you have to test a recipe a dozen times before it turns out right. Mercifully the chocolate gods bestowed their luck upon me and this easy Hazelnut tart was perfected in just three tries. And if I can do it, you can do it too. Another bonus? You can make it days in advance which means this is a dessert you’re going to want in your repertoire for the upcoming holidays and more.

Ingredients

Hazelnuts. When I was doing research, many of the recipes I was finding required hazelnut flour. I want this hazelnut tart to be approachable to everyone so we are going to use whole hazelnuts for the crust.

Sugar. We need sugar in two places, the crust and the filling. Even though the chocolate milk and chocolate have sugar in them, this is dessert so I add a touch more.

Butter. This is essentially a hazelnut shortbread cookie crust so you’ll need soft, unsalted butter.

Vanilla. We throw in a good amount of vanilla to the crust AND the filling, Use 100% pure vanilla extract.

AE Dairy Chocolate Milk. When it comes to dairy you know we’re using our favorite local brand AE Dairy. My kids are obsessed with their Whole Chocolate Milk so we always have it in the fridge and knew it would be the perfect base for our chocolate filling. Their chocolate milk is the best for many reasons but first and foremost, they use a rich blend of three European cocas making for a super rich and delicious chocolate milk. I also love that there’s no high fructose corn syrup and it doesn’t have any added hormones, antibiotics or pesticides. It’s a special treat I feel good about giving my kiddos and of course baking with. Do make sure you grab whole milk, it gives our Chocolate Hazelnut Tart a really rich, wonderful texture and taste.

Cream. We need a little bit of cream to stabilize the filling.

Chocolate. In addition to the rich chocolate milk, I also use about a cup of dark chocolate. You could use your favorite chocolate, the only thing I would recommend is milk chocolate.

Eggs. This is another ingredient we need to stabilize our tart inn the baking process. Use room temperature eggs.

Let’s make a Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Toast the nuts. Add the hazelnuts to a large cold skillet. Turn the heat on medium and toast the nuts until they smelly nutty, about 3 minutes. Watch out, they burn easily! Let the cool COMPLETELY before making the crust. I like to do this earlier in the day so I’m not waiting around.

Make the crust. Measure 1 cup of the hazelnuts from the toasted nuts. We will use the rest to garnish! Add them to a large food processor. Pulse the nuts until they resemble a coarse sand. Do not blend too much or you will make hazelnut butter (also delicious!). dd flour, sugar and salt. Pulse 2-3 times until combined. Add the vanilla and the butter one tablespoon at a time. Pulse until combined.

Press into prepared pan. Dump the dough into the prepared pan. Press the dough with your fingers or a spoon into the bottom and up the sides. Place on a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 7-8 minutes until firm. It’s important to put the dough back in the freezer before baking so the butter has a chance to solidify again.

Bake the crust. Take the crust out of the freezer and prick all over with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and pour baking weights into the crust. Place on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven. Remove the parchment and pie weights. Prick with a fork again and place back into the oven for 10 minutes until the crust is set and slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Make the filling while the crust bakes. Pour AE Dairy Chocolate Milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until simmering, stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. While the milk is heating place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the milk over the chocolate, whisk until the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated. In another small bowl, add the eggs, whisk until combined. Ladel a 1/2 cup into the egg mixture while whisking to bring the eggs up to temperature. Ladle one more 1/2 cup into the egg mixture while whisking. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate and milk mixture.

Bake the filling. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cooked crust. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the filling is set but still slightly jiggly. Cool completely. Garnish with remaining hazelnuts.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes! Make it 2-3 days in advance. Garnish with hazelnuts right before serving.

What temperature do I serve it at?

I like my hazelnut tart room temperature. Definitely let it cool for a bit before serving but other than that it’s totally up to you. It’s delicious room temp or cold.

S