Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Tart

I feel strongly about crust. Maybe not as strongly as about political and social issues but crust is definitely important and way more fun. Crust should be more than a delivery vehicle for filling. It should be worth eating on it's own, too. OK, that's my crust manifesto. Now let's talk about ways to make that sort of crust happen and also include a seriously kick ass filling because Valentine's Day is coming and it needs to be delicious.

 

One way to make crust special is to play with different flours and here's where I walk out of the standard baking aisle at my supermarket and over to the gluten free section of the store. Not that I'm in the market for GF but that's where my store keeps the Bob's Red Mill products including their marvelous nut flours. Hazelnut flour and chocolate? Oh, yes, I definitely think so.
 

When I was testing crust recipes I knew I had a winner because the unbaked batter was absolutely delicious and I couldn't wait for it to actually bake up. I decided to blind bake (pre-bake) the tart shell and make a no-bake creamy, silky, chocolate filling. Seriously, the cool, creamy filling, the crunchy, nutty crust...dessert heaven. Whether you're making this for your special someone on Valentine's Day or for your friends, it's guaranteed to get plenty of love. Enjoy!

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Hazelnut Chocolate Cream Tart

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Recipe for a chocolate cream pie with a hazelnut crust.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 Cup Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut flour
• 1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/4 Cup ice water

For the Filling:

• 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 Cup cream or half and half
• 4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz. Whipped cream (or prepared whipped topping)
• Pinch of salt

For the Topping:

• 4 oz. Milk chocolate
• 4 Chocolate and hazelnut candies (optional)

Instructions

1. To make the crust, add the all purpose flour, hazelnut flour, butter and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles course crumbs. With the machine running, slowly pour in the ice water and continue mixing just until a dough ball forms. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately a 10" circle. Drape over your rolling pin and transfer to an 8" or 9" tart pan with a removable bottom. Move the rolling pin over the edges to trim off any excess dough. Prick the bottom of the dough multiple times with the tines of a fork and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the edges of the crust are a light golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
4. Make the filling by adding the chocolate chips and two tablespoons of the cream to a bowl and microwaving for two minutes. Stir and return to the microwave for a few more seconds if not completely melted. Stir in the remainder of the cream and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Add the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla to a bowl and use a hand mixer to combine. Mix in the cooled chocolate and then the whipped cream. Pour into the cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set.
6. Shave the milk chocolate over the tart by running a vegetable peeler along the edge of the chocolate bar. Top with the chopped hazelnut candies, if desired.

Created using The Recipes Generator

This recipe was sponsored by Bob's Red Mill with whom I'm very proud to be working this year. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.