Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart

With pretzels baked into the crust, this milk chocolate pretzel tart has a silky, rich filling for an elegant dessert that’s salty and sweet.

As my toddler’s eating has gotten pickier, it’s become clear that he inherited my snack food gene. Now instead of eating the veggies on his plate, he carbs out on pita chips and crackers.

Should I blame myself? Nope! I have to think glass half-full on this one and say that my son has good taste.

I probably should be embarrassed that he’s been known to request pretzels for breakfast, when a normal person wouldn’t touch those salty nibbles until at least lunch.

There’s no way I can be the only parent with a limited threshold for forcing healthy eating on my offspring.

As a child, I was hooked on white rice, and the extent of my vegetable consumption was raw carrot sticks.

Now I am a proud lover of all veggies. There are so many other parenting worries that I’m just going to assume his culinary tastes will grow…eventually.

Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart: The Ingredients

We don’t make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. I just like to use it as a reason to bake a special treat for us to enjoy together.

It had to be chocolate because it is a favorite at our house, and then I used my son’s snack of choice–pretzels, of course.

With its extra crunchy crust, this milk chocolate pretzel tart was equal parts salty and sweet.

Crushed pretzels act as the majority of the flour in the crust. Confectioners’ sugar helps to sweeten it.

The filling is a rich ganache, a combination of milk chocolate and heavy cream.

I decorate the top of the tart with the few remaining broken pretzels and flaky sea salt.

Each slice was wonderfully rich, so I only let my little guy have a few bites. I don’t need to encourage the sweet tooth that I passed on to him.

He needs no help from me in that department. 

Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes + chilling
• Yield: 1 9-inch tart 1x

With pretzels baked into the crust, this milk chocolate pretzel tart has a silky, rich filling for an elegant dessert that’s salty and sweet.

Ingredients

• For crust
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1–1/4 cups coarsely crushed thin pretzels (about 3–1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• For filling
• 3/4 pound milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1–1/2 cups heavy cream
• Maldon sea salt and crushed pretzels, for serving

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, 3/4 cup pretzels and the confectioners’ sugar on low until creamy. Beat in the flour, egg and the remaining 1/2 cup pretzels making sure to leave some pretzel pieces. Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pat the dough into a disc. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough between the plastic wrap sheets into a 12-inch circle. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and invert the dough into a 10-inch fluted tart pan. Press the dough into the sides of the pan patching any tears as necessary. Remove the other sheet of plastic wrap. Trim the excess dough and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm.
3. Line the shell with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes until the dough is almost cooked through. Remove the parchment and weights and continue cooking until set, an additional 10-15 minutes. Cool the shell completely before brushing with the melted bittersweet chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
4. Place the milk chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes before gently whisking until smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
5. Pour the milk chocolate filling into the shell and chill in the refrigerator until set, at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with sea salt and pretzels before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Food & Wine February 2009