Name: Pretzel, Caramel, and Milk Chocolate Tart
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/2 c. unsalted butter; 3/4 c. powdered sugar; 3 c. broken small pretzel twists; 1/2 c. flour; 1 large egg; 1 c. granulated sugar; 1 c. heavy cream; 6 tbsp. unsalted butter (at room temperature); 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 6 oz. milk chocolate (chopped into 1/4 -inch chunks); 3/4 c. heavy cream; 1 cup whole or broken pretzels

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*I was given a copy of Marbled, Swirled, and Layered in exchange for an honest review.
As always, all opinions are my own.

I am beyond thrilled to chat with you about this recipe! Mostly because it came from my friend Irvin’s INCREDIBLE new cookbook. Have you heard of Marbled, Swirled, and Layered? Everyone is talking about it. Um HELLO.. The NY Times just listed his book as one of the best baking books of 2016. What?! I wholeheartedly agree. But before I talk more about that I’ll give you a little back story on how I met Irvin. We started as online friends ocassionally crossing paths in various Facebook circles. We really connected when he answered #allthequestions I had about attending Feast Portland last year. He was SO helpful. I was able to meet him in real life when I attended Feast. He was so fun to be around, even if for just a few moments. There have been a couple of conferences we’ve been at together as well. But my FAVORITE memory is earlier this year when I went to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. Irvin ended up being on that press trip too and I was so happy that he was there. After the two and a half day event, I had a handful of hours to burn before my flight to head home. Irvin invited me to head to San Fran (where he lives) and he’d show me around the city to kill time as opposed to being confined to the airport. It was the best decision I made because I had a blast! He’s an excellent tour guide, took me to delicious bakeries, adorable grocery stores, and fun shops along the way. It was so much fun and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the afternoon. So. Much. Fun.

Now about this book. First of all, 150 recipes. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY RECIPES! Really? Not only that Irvin talks to you about baking equipment, troubleshooting, ingredients, and gluten-free conversions. Each recipe not only looks stunning but sounds even more impressive. Thumbing through I wanted to make #allthethings. Each recipe is so carefully written. Not a detail has been missed – in fact, for each recipe there are alternative options. For example the original recipe for the tarts that I chose was a Rosemary Caramel and Dark Chocolate-Potato Chip Tart… which sounds incredible. This Pretzel, Caramel, and Milk Chocolate Tart was one of two alternatives. The other being a Pretzel, Peanut, and Chocolate-Beer Ganache Tarte. The creativity in this book is unreal. Irvin has done an impeccable job and I’m so happy for all of his success. His hard work, blood, sweat, and tears that has been poured into this cookbook is very much apparent. If there’s one book you need to add to your collection it is Marbled, Swirled and Layered.

Items used in this post:

Pretzel, Caramel, and Milk Chocolate Tart

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Caramel Tart, Chocolate Tart, Pretzel Chocolate Tart

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 12

Calories: 740 kcal

Author: Yvonne

If you like the sweet and salty combo, then I can guarantee that you will LOVE these Pretzel, Caramel, and Milk Chocolate Tarts. The perfect combination of sweet and salty, the perfect amount of sweetness and the showstopper of the party!

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
3 c. broken small pretzel twists
1/2 c. flour
1 large egg

Caramel Filling

1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. heavy cream
6 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Chocolate Filling

6 oz. milk chocolate chopped into 1/4 -inch chunks
3/4 c. heavy cream

To Finish

1 cup whole or broken pretzels

Instructions

Make the crust

Place the butter, powdered sugar, and flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until blended and light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Crumble pretzels in your hand, using a food processor or in a blender (for a more fine consistency). Mix on low speed, raising the speed to medium as the pretzels break down and incorporate into the dough, 15-30 seconds. Add the egg and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape the dough into a 10-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Wet your hands and press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Freeze for about 10 minutes to chill.
Preheat the oven to 350F. When the dough has chilled and is firm to the touch, place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Line with a piece of parchment paper and fill with dried beans, uncooked rice, or pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges of the crust to start to turn golden brown. Carefully remove the paper with the weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust looks dry. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Make the caramel filling

Place the sugar in a large pan with a single handle. Cook over medium-high heat, occasionally shaking the pan, until the sugar starts to melt. Stir the caramel with a wooden spoon or heatproof silicone spatula.
Once the sugar starts to melt and brown on the edges of the pan, stir with a wooden spoon or paddle to make sure all the sugar melts. Continue to cook the caramel until it reaches a deep dark golden brown, the color of an old penny. You don't want to burn it. Remove from the heat and carefully drizzle a little bit of the cream into the caramel while stirring with a whisk. The caramel will steam and bubble, so be careful! Continue to slowly drizzle in the cream, a little bit at a time, stirring with a whisk. Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring until it melts before adding more. Stir in the vanilla. Return to the heat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until any solids have dissolved. Continue to cook until the caramel reaches 240F (somewhere between the soft-and hard-ball stage). The caramel will start to thicken and look viscous. Stir in the salt and pour the caramel into the tart crust.
Tilt the tart sideways left and right to evenly distribute the caramel over the crust. Let the caramel cool completely before making the chocolate filling about 1 hour.

Make the chocolate filling and finish the tart

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small sauce-pan. Pout the hot cream over the cooled caramel, tilting the cart to evenly distribute the chocolate filling. Sprinkle the finishing salt over the top of the ganache, then add the pretzels. Refrigerate for about 1 hour to set up before serving.