So this Christmas…and what have I done?…yeah, not yet. I’ll save that song for next week 😉 But of course there’s Christmas air all around, most of the houses on my street have Christmas trees in their windows, it’s decently cold and my fridge is full to bursting – so much so that I store some of my perishables in an insulated cardboard box outside. Having to… According to some – I’m not naming names – it’s weird, I’d argue that it’s realistic and a good way to solve a real problem.
In the spirit of Christmas, I have two more festive dessert recipes for you before I sign off on the rest of this year. First up, is this delicious yet deceptively easy to make Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. I love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut, always have and always will so this was a no-brainer. I’ve taken lots of step-by-step photos for you to make sure you’re clear on what you want to do.
If you have never made such an elegant tart before, don’t worry, this recipe is for you. The shortbread pastry comes together in a few seconds in a food processor, and all it takes is a gentle stir to add the filling and that’s it. Really! It really is that simple.
Since it’s Christmas, I decided to fortify this tart with a healthy glug of hazelnut liqueur – I rarely drink any alcohol but I like a touch of booze in desserts every now and then – but this is definitely optional. If you’re making this for someone who doesn’t have any, use some plant milk instead. Below, I’ll talk you through all the key ingredients and show you – how to make this simple yet impressive dessert. I hope you’ll give it a look and if you do, you’ll love it as much as we and my neighbors who have tried it.
More about ingredients
Hazelnuts: You may want to use blanched (and roasted) hazelnuts for the crust, they’re quite common in the UK at least. If you can only get skinned hazelnuts, spread them on a baking tray and roast at 175° C / 350° F for 8-10 minutes – until most of the skins have split and the nuts are fragrant. Place them on a kitchen towel and rub between your hands to loosen the skins. Allow them to cool before grinding.
Flour: I used all purpose (plain) flour to make my pastry. If you want to make it gluten-free, use a good gluten-free flour mix that contains a mixture of flour and starch (this is important) and add a touch of xanthan gum to bind the pastry together. When making a gluten-free crust, I find that instead of rolling it out, it works better to crumble the inside of the tart case and shape it with your hands.
Xanthan Gum: This ingredient is only needed when making a gluten-free version of the pastry. Xanthan gum is a binder that is a staple in gluten-free cooking and helps hold pastries together. Another option is to use psyllium husk powder (and maybe some extra water). I haven’t tested this crust, but based on my experience with this ingredient in other recipes, I recommend using 1-2 tsp.
Cardamom: I like to add a bit of cardamom to this crust, but if you’re not a fan or don’t get it, you don’t have to.
Sugar: I use a very fine sugar (known as caster sugar in the UK) to sweeten the crust slightly. You can use as little or as much as you like. And if you don’t have caster sugar, icing sugar (known as confectioners’ sugar in the US) would be another good substitute. Use the same amount by weight.
Vegan butter: Replace traditionally used butter with vegan butter blocks (I like to use Naturli and Violife, but those are available in most UK supermarkets). You can also use coconut oil. I recommend using a refined coconut oil like this one because it doesn’t contribute any coconut flavor.
Dark Chocolate: I used 70% cocoa vegan dark chocolate for this tart. The brand I like to use is Green & Blacks but any dark chocolate works (I’ve also tried Dr Oetker 72% cocoa solids) as long as the cocoa percentage stays the same.
Vegan Cream: I make a vegan cream by Oatley’s so it’s easily accessible in the UK, but I’ve made this ganache in the past with full fat coconut milk and it works just as well, but it adds a hint of coconut flavour, not a coconut themed dessert after all. Can’t be interested.
Maple Syrup: I used maple syrup to sweeten the ganache but any liquid sweetener with a neutral flavor should work just as well – I’d steer clear of date syrup because it has quite a strong flavor. Alternatively, make a simple sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in a small amount of liquid and use that instead.
Hazelnut Liqueur: A touch of hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico) is nice and makes this tart even more festive, but if you don’t have alcohol, use plant milk instead. I used Otley Barista in place of the alcohol in my tests.
Hazelnut Butter: Hazelnut butter ganache tastes like Nutella. I make my own by grinding roasted hazelnuts in a food processor, but a store-bought one works just as well. Be sure to stir it well before using it in a recipe.
To make the shortbread crust, grind the hazelnuts to a fine meal in a food processor. Next, add the rest of the dry ingredients and the cubed vegan butter.
Stir everything a few times, until the mixture resembles sand (picture on the left). Turn the food processor back on and slowly trickle in the cold water from the refrigerator while the food processor is running. Add just enough for the dough to stick together when kneading with your hands, but no more. I added 45 ml (3 tbsp). The photo on the right shows what the mixture looks like after all the water has been added – don’t rely on the looks though – squeeze a bit in your hand to be sure.
Empty the food processor onto your work surface and gently combine the dough using your hands, don’t knead it, just press it into a ball and then form into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Roll out the pastry resting on a lightly floured surface. Wrap it gently around the rolling pin and transfer it to the tart, unroll and line the tart with it, cut off the excess and use it to make any holes (and make cookies from the rest). Bake and cool.
Melt the chocolate and vegan cream together in a bowl of simmering water. Once melted, stir gently until you get a homogeneous mixture, then add the maple syrup, liqueur and finally the hazelnut butter. Stir gently to incorporate then fill the tart case with it, refrigerate until set.
- 100 g / ¾ cup blanched and toasted hazelnuts*
- 185 g / 1½ cups all-purpose flour or GF flour blend*
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (if using GF flour only)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- 50 g / ¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar
- 120 g / 4.25 oz (about ½ cup) vegan butter or unflavored coconut oil
- Cold water from the fridge
Ganache filling
- 300 g / 10.5 oz 70% dark vegan chocolate
- 120 ml / ½ cup vegan single cream (I used Oatly)
- 120 ml / ½ cup maple syrup
- 60 ml / ¼ cup hazelnut liqueur (such as Frangelico) or plant milk
- 180 g / ¾ cup smooth hazelnut butter*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
method
Shortbread base
- Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until the food is ground.
- To the hazelnuts, add flour, xanthan gum (only if using GF flour mix), salt, cardamom, sugar and cubed cold vegan butter. Pulse until the fat cuts into the dry ingredients and the mixture resembles sand (see photos above).
- While the food is processing, slowly add the cold water. I found that 45 ml / 3 tbsp of water was enough – to stop the food processor and grab some dough in your hands, if it clumps together, you’ve added enough. If it’s too dry, process the mixture again in 1 teaspoon increments – you want to add as little water as possible. The exact amount of water depends on how accurate you are with your measurements and how absorbent your dough is.
- Using an empty food processor and your hands on a clean surface, gently bring the pastry together, do not knead. Form it into a flat disc, wrap in a piece of clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- I use a non-stick pastry case with a removable bottom, if you don’t, you may want to grease it and/or line it with baking paper.
- Place the cooled pastry on a lightly floured surface, roll it gently a few times with a rolling pin and then roll it out into a 3-4mm thin circle large enough to cover the base and sides of the tart tin.
- Roll the rolled pastry around the rolling pin, place the rolling pin on top of the tart case and gently unroll the pastry over the tin. The ground hazelnuts make this pastry a bit more brittle, but don’t worry – patch up any brittleness with the off-cuts. I had enough leftover pastry to make 20 small star-shaped biscuits (they were baked at 175° C / 350° F for 12 minutes).
- Mold the pastry into the tart case (make sure it fits snugly all around) and trim off the excess with a sharp knife. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork.
- Put the lined tart case back into the fridge while you preheat the oven to 175° C / 350° F.
- When the oven is ready, line the inside of a pastry case with a large piece of baking paper and then arrange the baking beads (or dried beans) on top of the pastry. Bake blind for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the beads and baking paper and return the tart to the oven for another 5-7 minutes. If the edges brown too quickly, protect them with a piece of foil (like in the photo in this recipe). Cool completely before filling.
Ganache filling
- Place the broken chocolate chips and vegan cream in a glass or metal bowl over a bain marie (water bath). Place the pot over low heat until the chocolate melts (the water in the bottom will barely simmer and should not boil). Be careful not to let the water touch the bowl of chocolate.
- Once the chocolate seems melted, gently whisk in the cream with a wire whisk, then add the maple syrup, hazelnut liqueur (or tree milk) and hazelnut butter. If using hazelnut liqueur, which tends to be sweet, you may want to reduce the amount of maple syrup slightly (80 ml/1/3 cup) and replace it with more plant milk.
- Let the mixture cool, but it should still be pourable, then fill the tart case.
- Transfer the tart to the fridge. Let set for 4-8 hours then decorate if desired. I used biscuits from pastry offcuts, mini vegan meringues, hazelnuts and orange zest.
- Heat and cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
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*For a gluten-free version, use a good GF flour mix (I like this one) and ½ tsp xanthan gum. When using GF flour, it usually works better to put the dough inside the tin case and shape it with your fingers.
*Hazelnut butter: I make my own by grinding roasted hazelnuts in a food processor, but store-bought works just as well. Be sure to shake it well before using.