Using a buttery shortcrust pastry as the base, these miniature chocolate tarts from The Pioneer Woman are filled with a smooth and creamy chocolate ganache. They are perfect for serving guests, celebrating special occasions, or enjoying themselves on a whim. The crackly surface protects a rich chocolate ganache within, and they may be topped with anything from chopped almonds to whipped cream to fresh fruit.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Mini Chocolate Tarts are ideal for chocolate lovers, and the serving size makes them suitable for either one or two individuals.
• These are prepared with a delectable chocolate butter shortbread crust, and they are filled with an equally excellent chocolate ganache.
• Mini chocolate tarts are surprisingly simple to put together and turn out to be quite tasty.

Pioneer Woman Mini Chocolate Tarts Ingredients

Before beginning to create this recipe for Mini Chocolate Tarts, it is suggested that you measure and prepare your ingredients so that the cooking process will run smoothly and simply. For full measurements, please refer to the recipe card that can be seen below.

For The Chocolate Shortbread Crust

• Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. Whenever we make brownies, we like to use dutch process cocoa powder due to its intense chocolate flavor. However, natural cocoa powder will still produce delicious results.
• Flour. To make this recipe, we used all-purpose flour, but cake flour would also work.
• Eggs. One egg is required for this recipe; just make sure it’s at room temperature.
• Kosher Salt. About a quarter of a teaspoon of kosher salt is needed for this dish.
• Powder Sugar. If you don’t have powdered sugar on hand, you can easily produce some by processing granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until it reaches the consistency of powder.
• Butter. Do not use margarine or coconut oil for the unsalted butter in this recipe; the crust will taste strange if you do. Remember to use cold butter.
• Vanilla Extract. Brings out more of the taste.

For The Chocolate Ganache

• Chocolate. Make sure to use high-quality dark chocolate, such as your favorite semisweet or dark chocolate bars, for the best results.
• Heavy Cream. For this recipe, full-fat heavy cream is required; light cream cannot be substituted.

What Kind Of Flour Do You Use In Mini Chocolate Tarts?

For these little chocolate tarts, we use all-purpose flour, although cake flour or pastry flour would also work very well.

Can I Use Pre-made Pastry Shells?

Yes. If you use pastry shells that you buy from the store, you may create these mini chocolate tarts; you will only need to skip the procedure of preparing the crust.

How To Make Pioneer Woman Mini Chocolate Tarts

Make the crust

• Make the tart dough first. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor until mixed.
• Blend in the chilled cubed butter until there are pea-sized chunks of butter. If you don’t have a food processor, you may incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture by hand. Check that your hands are chilly.
• Then stir in the egg and vanilla essence until a dough forms. Don’t overwork the dough.
• Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, covered with plastic wrap.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle using a cookie cutter or a circular bowl (1 inch bigger than the mini tart pans) and cut little rounds of pastry.
• Insert the pastry into the tiny tart pan and push it down with clean fingertips. Remove the excess edges. Make fork holes in the bottom of the pan and set it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.

Make the chocolate ganache

• Melt dark chocolate and heavy cream in a small to medium mixing basin using 30-second bursts in the microwave or in a bain Marie.
• Allow the chocolate and cream to remain for 10 minutes to melt before mixing until the chocolate ganache is smooth and silky.
• Fill the chilled tart shells almost to the top with the chocolate ganache. Transfer to the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set.

What To Serve With Mini Chocolate Tarts?

• A Sprinkle of Chopped Nuts
• A Scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream
• A Dollop of Marshmallow Fluff
• A Dusting of Cocoa Powder
• A Drizzle of Chocolate Sauce
• A Scoop of Coffee Ice Cream
• A Dollop of Crème Fraîche
• A Sprinkle of Cinnamon
• A Drizzle of Honey
• A Scoop of Mint Ice Cream

Recipe Variations

• Instead of using a baked shortcrust crust, you may make your mini chocolate tarts with a crust that does not require baking.
• Those who prefer milk chocolate over ordinary chocolate should use a milk chocolate ganache to fill these mini chocolate tarts rather than a standard chocolate ganache.
• You can make these mini chocolate tarts gluten-free by using gluten-free flour for the regular flour or by using your preferred gluten-free pie crust recipe.
• Prepare dairy-free mini chocolate tarts by substituting vegan heavy cream or coconut cream for the traditional heavy cream. Alternatively, you could make your go-to recipe for dairy-free chocolate ganache instead.
• These are delicious when topped with whipped cream that has just been created, chocolate drizzle, fresh berries, or chopped toasted almonds, as we do.

How To Store Mini Chocolate Tarts?

• In The Fridge. Because they contain dairy, you should keep these mini chocolate tarts in the refrigerator; however, you should cover them with plastic wrap or foil to avoid the aromas from the refrigerator from soaking into the tarts. When placed in an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator, these mini chocolate tarts will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
• In The Freezer. Mini chocolate tarts are an excellent choice for freezing; to do so, just wrap them in plastic wrap as tightly as possible (using several layers), then place them in a container that is airtight and freezer-friendly, and freeze the mixture for up to two months. Put your mini chocolate tarts into the refrigerator the night before so that they may defrost.

My Personal Recipe Tips

• Make sure the butter you use for the crust is extremely cold. We recommend chopping the butter into little cubes before storing it in the refrigerator so that it will be very cold when you are ready to use it.
• Before working with the pastry dough, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will ensure that the crust does not rise too fast when it is baked.
• If the crust gets too puffy during the baking process, use a cup to push it back down.
• It is essential that you utilize ingredients that are at room temperature, such as butter, because doing so is the step that guarantees that your combination will combine into a uniform mixture.
• All of our tart recipes call for the use of an easy-release tartlets pan since this ensures that the finished tart can be removed from the pan without any difficulty.
• Before you begin to create this dish, make sure that all of your ingredients are properly measured and prepared so that the actual cooking process will go quickly and effortlessly.

Try More Recipes:

• Pioneer Woman Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Cake
• Pioneer Woman Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pioneer Woman Mini Chocolate Tarts Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 140
• Total Fat 8g
• Saturated Fat 5g
• Cholesterol 5mg
• Sodium 35mg
• Total Carbohydrate 16g
• Dietary Fiber 1g
• Sugars 9g
• Protein 2g

Nutrition Facts Source: Source