This Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart is a twist on the traditional pecan pie and is the perfect tart to sit next to a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. The toasted pecans are sandwiched between a deep chocolate ganache and a homemade caramel, which is very easy to make.
The entire tart can be made ahead in steps or can be frozen in its entirety a month ahead making Thanksgiving that much easier.
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Recipe Ingredients
Pate Sucree Crust
CLOCKWISE: Flour, granulated sugar, egg yolks, unsalted butter
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Dark Satin Ganache
BACK ROW: Semisweet chocolate, heavy cream
FRONT ROW: Corn syrup, unsalted butter
Filling
BACK ROW: Semi Sweet Chocolate, heavy cream
FRONT ROW: Butter, corn syrup and pecan halves
Caramel
BACK ROW: Water, granulated sugar, heavy cream
FRONT ROW: Unsalted butter, vanilla, corn syrup
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
Step by Step Instructions
Blind Baked Pate Sucree Crust
Step 1. The unbaked Pate Sucree Crust ready to be baked.
Step 2. Foil is sprayed prior to lining the unbaked crust.
Step 3. The foil is flipped over so the sprayed side is touching the pastry. Fit the foil to the crust.
Step 4. It is important that beans or other weights fill the foil lined crust to the top.
Step 5. The weighted crust is placed on a rimmed baking sheet for easy handling in and out of the oven.
Step 6. The baked crust after the weights are removed. A crack in the crust may appear if slightly over-baked as it does here. That's fine as long as it doesn't go all the way through to the pan.
Dark Satin Ganache
The Dark Satin Ganache is used in many recipes on this blog. Australia's favorite snack, Lamingtons. See my American take on the Lamington Torte using this ganache.
Filling
Using the ingredients listed in the Recipe Card, go to the Lamington Torte for process shots of the ganache.
Step 7. The chocolate ganache covers the bottom of the tart shell. Refrigerate or freeze until the top is just set. Do not let it get solid. Reserve the remainder of the ganache. Keep it at room temperature.
Step 8. Pecan halves cover the chocolate ganache. Press them in lightly so they adhere to the ganache.
Caramel Layer
Using the ingredients listed in the Recipe Card, go to Caramel A Building Block of Pastry for process shots.
Step 9. Freshly made caramel is poured over the pecans with the resultant air bubbles popping up.
Step 10. Breaking the air bubbles on the caramel layer with a toothpick.
Step 11. Piping an edge around the tart with the reserved chocolate ganache.
Step 12. The Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart completely edged. Refrigerate to set.
Recipe FAQ's
It is important when making caramel to use a candy thermometer or one that will go to at least 350°F. Caramel will be thinner or thicker depending upon the temperature. It will thicken as it cools.
The beans or pie weights keep the bottom flat and the sides from sliding down the side of the tart pan. It is important to line the unbaked shell with foil (do not use parchment paper, it isn't strong enough) that has been sprayed on the side that touches the crust. Fill the pan to the very top with the beans or pie weights. Follow the baking directions given.
Yes, there is the dry method and the wet method. The dry method melts and browns the sugar in a heavy pan - preferably cast iron. This is tricky, since some of the sugar melts faster than other and it can granulate easily. The wet method adds water to the sugar to make it easier for the sugar to melt and color uniformly.
The taste of the caramel depends upon how deep the color of the sugar is. A very light color will not have a lot of taste. The deeper the color the more intense the taste.
Caramel can become grainy when even one grain of grain of sugar is not dissolved. Washing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush and cold water helps remove any grains stuck to the sides of the pan. Another aid is to add corn syrup which is a invert sugar. It is used in candy making to prevent granulation.
Storage
This pecan tart can be made several days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature to serve. It can also be frozen completely made. After it is made, freeze it, wrap well and store for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Expert Tips
- The caramel, and chocolate ganache can be made days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- The pate sucree shell can be made the day ahead and held, covered, at room temperature.
- If you don't want to edge the tart with the ganache, finish it with chopped pecans.
- If there is any leftover ganache, thin it with a little cream or water and use it as the best chocolate sauce ever.
Some other tantalizing recipes to consider
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Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart
Ingredients
Blind Baked Pate Sucree Crust
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (175 grams or 6 ¼ ounces)
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces (114 grams or 4 ounces)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams or 1 ¾ ounces)
- 2 large egg yolks
Chocolate Ganache
- 5 ounces pecan halves (140 grams)
- ½ cup 40% or heavy cream
- ¼ cup clear corn syrup
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (75 grams or 2 ⅓ ounces)
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate (280 grams)
Caramel
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (250 grams or about 8 ¾ ounces)
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream hot
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (75 grams or 2 ⅔ ounces)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
Blind Baked Pate Sucree Crust
- Go here to make the crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a piece of foil large enough to cover the the inside of the crust and extend over the sides.
- Flip the sprayed foil over so the sprayed side fits inside and up the sides of the crust.
- Fill it with beans or another pie weight.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Do not over-bake as the crust can crack. Cool completely.
Chocolate Ganache
- Go here for process photos.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant and slightly browner. Cool completely.
- Combine the cream, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan. Heat until the butter melts. It should be steamy hot but not boiling.
- Remove from the heat and submerge the chocolate. Wait for 2 minutes then gently whisk until smooth.
- Pour 1 ½ cups into the crust, smooth it out, and refrigerate or freeze just until the top is set. Do not let it get hard. It takes about 10 minutes in a freezer, but longer in the refrigerator.
- Reserve the remainder of the ganache at room temperature.
Caramel
- Go here for process photos.
- Place the water, sugar and corn syrup in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir over heat until the sugar is dissolved completely.
- Bring to a boil; wash sides of the pan down with a natural bristle pastry brush dipped in cold water or place a tight fitting lid on the pan for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a medium golden color.
- Heat the cream until very hot. Off heat add the vanilla.
- Off heat, immediately add the butter and stir until it is melted.
- Pour the hot cream with the vanilla in all at once and stir. If some of the cream lumps up don’t worry. It will dissolve in the next step.
- Return to medium high heat and bring to a boil. Boil to 236°F on a candy thermometer.
- Wait about 5 minutes and pour the hot caramel over the pecans to the top of the crust.
- Most likely, there will be air bubble that come to the top. Prick them with a toothpick or a cake tester. Repeat until they are all broken.
- Cool the tart at room temperature until the caramel is set.
Finishing
- Fit a pastry bag with a ¼ inch open star tip. Pipe small circles all the way around the edge.
Notes
- The tart crust can be made a month ahead, frozen, and wrapped well. Blind bake as above from the freezer.
- The caramel may be made a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Heat it or microwave it gently, stirring often, until pourable. Use as above.
- The tart can be made several days ahead. Store in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen up to a month, well wrapped, and thawed overnight in the refrigerator.
- This is very rich so small pieces should be served.
- There may be some ganache and/or caramel left. Make two great sauces by adding a bit of cream to each one. Heat them to loosen them. Serve with cake, ice cream, tarts, etc.
Nutrition
Hilda Willman says
Just finished making my fourth of these tarts in the last two weeks! It is a winner. So delicious and, while not so simple a monkey could make it, the effort is well worth it. All my friends think I'm a champion baker. The secret to my success -- Helen Fletcher's recipes! Also made a Chocolate Cranberry Curd Tart and a Rum Raisin Tart from European Tarts for a dessert event this week.
Helen S Fletcher says
You are the best Hilda. So happy you are still enjoying baking. I'm not going anywhere so more to come. Wait till you see the blog on Monday.
Hilda Willman says
Helen, is the vanilla added along with the butter, or with the cream?
Helen S Fletcher says
It depends upon the recipe. There is so much butter in this one but the center bottoms of the pans can always be sprayed no matter the recipe. Just don't spray the sides.
Helen S Fletcher says
Step 6 tells you to add the vanilla to the cream and that goes in last. Sorry if I forgot it in the actual recipe. I'm still learning this new format. Happy Thanksgiving to you also and thank you for the birthday wishes. 83 is good. I have my health other than usual aches and pains and am so fortunate to be able to work and blog. Happy to hear from you.
Marlene Steiner says
Can I substitute the corn syrup ir omit or altogether? I don't use corn syrup.
Thank you.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Marlene, You might be able to with the ganache but not the caramel. If you are concerned the corn syrup is high fructose, it is not. Only commercial companies such as soda, etc. can obtain high fructose. Consumers have not been able to get it for a long time. The corn syrup is an invert sugar that keeps the caramel from becoming grainy. It's used in a lot of candy.
Helen S Fletcher says
Marlene I found this online. It may help you. I haven't tested any of these so I don't know anything other than what is in the article. Go here https://robustkitchen.com/8-best-corn-syrup-substitutes-invert-and-non-invert-options/