Chocolate Pecan Tarts

Happy Friday!  Boy this week went by in a blur!  Our family was meeting like ships in the night this week…it will be so great to hunker down and spend some time together.  And maybe I’ll have a nap…I’m worn out from last weekend, lol!

I’m in a baking and cooking kind of mood lately…it must be this winter that never ends.  My tastebuds love it, but my pants not so much…oh well.  When life hands you pecans, you have to make Chocolate Pecan Tarts right?  Isn’t that how the saying goes?

I had other plans for this recipe…originally I had hoped to make chocolate pecan galettes…but let’s just say that they didn’t work.  They were what you might refer to as a recipe fail (I’ve had a few of those lately).  The kind where you have to clean the oven and you smell liked burnt sugar.  Good times.  So instead of making them little rustic galette pies, which would have been the cutest, I made them into tarts with homemade pie crust.  And they’re goooooood.  Not as cute as I thought they would be, but they’re delish.

And to add insult to injury, I took these photos with my iPhone.  Yep, my phone, because my camera is broken.  🙁  So that’s an awesome expense…but I have to admit I’m really excited now…I’m upgrading to a better camera and I’m thrilled!! Anyway, I did make some delicious, chocolatey and nutty tarts for you.  They were worth all the trouble…they’re so good…I even had one for lunch yesterday, I took one for the team, all in the name of product testing!

Chocolate Pecan Tarts

I used my tried and true pie crust recipe for these tarts, and it takes these tarts to the moon and back.  Flaky pie crust with chocolate and pecans in every bite.  YUM.

Chocolate Pecan Tarts

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• Yield: 20 tarts 1x

Ingredients

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Tart/Pie Crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup shortening (lard)
• 1/4 cup water

Chocolate Pecan Filling

• 3 tbsp butter (melted)
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (about the size of chips)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Making the Tart Crust:

1. Sift flour, salt and sugar into a bowl.
2. With a pie cutter, cut in shortening until the particles are pea sized.
3. Sprinkle in water, 1 tsp or so at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Don’t over mix or the crust will be tough.
4. Press into a ball. It is okay if it is crumbly. In fact crumbly makes for a tender, flaky crust! Set aside.

Making the filling:

1. In a bowl whisk together the butter, cream and cocoa powder until smooth.
2. Add the honey, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt and mix well.
3. Stir in the pecans and chocolate.

Putting the Tarts together:

1. Split the pie dough into 2 balls, then using a rolling pin, roll out each ball, doing one at a time (it’s just easier to handle the dough this way).
2. Using a 3 inch circle (like a drinking glass, or cookie cutter), cut out your tart shells.
3. Place the tart shells into a muffin tin.
4. Add a heaping tablespoon of the chocolate pecan mixture into the shell (fill the pie shell about 3/4 full).
5. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned.
6. Let the tarts cool completely. They really should sit for at least 1 hour or more before you eat them. These tarts need time for the chocolate to harden…they just taste SO much better this way.

Recipe adapted from 175 Best Mini Pie Recipes

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Serve these little chocolatey nutty gems with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  YES.

For more great Friday Recipe Club pecan recipes, check out these fabulously delicious links:

• Maple Pecan Porridge
• Pecan Chocolate Banana Bites
• Pecan Coffee Cake Muffins
• Easy Butter Pecan Tarts
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Turtles
• Chocolate Jam Pecan Bars
• Sinfully Good Southern Pecan Pie

Have a delicious day!