This Salted Caramel Truffle Tart is the perfect dessert for any occasion! Buttery shortbread crust, decadent salted caramel, and rich chocolate ganache all topped with truffles makes every bite a treat! Simple ingredients, outstanding flavor.
Looking for more impressive yet easy desserts? Make sure to try my Flourless Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramels and these yummy homemade Pecan Turtles!
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart Recipe
Rich, decadent and simply amazing… this Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffle Tart is a delicious and impressive dessert!
Starting with a shortbread crust that provides the foundation for the delicious layers above, this recipe sets the stage for the real stars: the smooth caramel and rich chocolate ganache. But the magic doesn’t stop there. Topping it all off are sumptuous truffles, bringing an additional layer of depth and sophistication to the dish.
One bite and you will understand why these truffles are so incredibly popular. That moment when you taste the smooth, creamy LINDOR chocolate, and for a moment the world seems to melt away.
As you can imagine, my family sees me making dessert quite often. While I was making this pretty treat I noticed them buzzing around a bit more than usual. Everyone was extra anxious for a slice. My “sampling committee” gave this Chocolate Truffle Tart their full approval! =)
Wouldn’t this be an amazing treat to share with for the holidays? It has all the elements of the perfect dessert: rich, beautiful and loaded with chocolate!
What You’ll Need
This beauty starts with a crisp shortbread crust, then a layer of salted caramel, rich chocolate ganache and is toped with Lindt LINDOR truffles. As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need…
Shortbread Crust
- egg yolk and heavy cream – Adds richness to the crust.
- vanilla extract – Adds warmth and flavor to the shortbread.
- all purpose flour – Provides the structure to the crust.
- powdered sugar – Gives the crust a nice sweetness.
- salt – Balances and enhances the flavor.
- unsalted butter – Cut the butter into 1/4″ pieces. If using salted butter, omit salt from the recipe.
Salted Caramel
- wrapped caramels – Such as Kraft or Brachs. You’ll need 25.
- heavy cream – Gets melted with the heavy cream to create a sumptuous caramel sauce.
- sea salt – Creates the classic salted caramel flavor that perfectly balances the sweetness.
Ganache
- semi-sweet chocolate – Milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips can also be used.
- heavy cream – The chocolate will be melted in the hot heavy cream and together they create the ganache.
Toppings
- Lindt LINDOR truffles – You pick the flavor, carefully cut in half.
- unsweetened cocoa powder – For dusting, totally optional.
How To Make This Tart
Make the crust
- Whisk egg yolk, cream and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Blend flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor for about 5 seconds.
- Add butter cubes to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal, about 15 seconds.
- With the machine running, add egg mixture and continue to process until dough begins to form. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill about 15 minutes.
- Roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, to about 1/4″ thick. Roll dough in the general shape of your pan. I used a long rectangle (14″x4″), but you could use a round tart pan instead.
- Remove top layer of plastic wrap, then flip the dough over, into the pan, allowing it to hang over the sides. Ease dough into the pan by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand, while pressing the dough into the corners with the other hand. Leave any dough that is hanging over the edges in place for the moment. Gently press dough into the groves along the sides of the pan (adding bits of dough as needed), then roll a rolling pin over the top of the pan to trim off any excess dough.
- Cover tart pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Dough lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month)
- After 30 minutes (or more), remove tart from freezer, remove plastic wrap, and carefully press a sheet of foil into the frozen tart shell, covering the edges. Top foil with pie weights, dry beans or dry rice to weigh down the foil.
- Place prepared tart on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and the foil and bake (uncovered) for an additional 5-10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely
Make the caramel
- Unwrap caramels and place in a bowl with heavy cream. Microwave for 3-5 minutes at 50% power, checking and stirring every minute or so. Once the caramels are melted, stir well and add salt. Stir, then set aside to cool a few minutes.
- Pour caramel into the (mostly) cooled crust. Move entire tart to the fridge and chill about 10 minutes.
Make the ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
- Heat the cream in a bowl in the microwave until very hot (but no need to boil). Add chopped chocolate and then let it sit about a minute. After a minute, stir until the chocolate is fully melted and well combined.
- Place bowl in the fridge and allow to thicken a bit. You want it to be just soft enough to pour, but thick enough that when you top it with the truffles they will stay in place (and not sink into the ganache). Check the fridge and stir ganache every 10 minutes or so until desired thickness is met. Pour chocolate on top of caramel layer, and spread as needed with an offset spatula.
- Top ganache with cut truffles, then dust tart with cocoa powder.
- Chill about 15 minutes, then serve at room temperature.
Storage Information
To spread out the work a bit, feel free to make the tart crust a day in advance (and keep covered, at room temperature).
Once prepared, the entire tart can be kept at room temperature (or in the fridge in warm weather) for a full day. I’m sure it would be perfectly fine even longer, but I always recommending enjoying baked goods when they are as fresh as possible.
Trish’s Tips and Tricks
- Aren’t those truffles just beautiful all lined up? The truffles just add an extra layer of decadence to this tart. If you can’t find the truffles, another candy would work beautifully or just a drizzle of caramel sauce.
- For a totally different, but equally beautiful look, you could roughly chop the truffles into quarters, and lay them jagged sides up for a more organic design.
Equipment Needed
I chose a rectangle shaped tart pan for this dessert, but feel free to use a round tart pan if that’s what you have.
This dusting wand is perfect for the dusting of cocoa powder on top of the tart. Powdered sugar is another option if you want the freshly snowed look.
More Caramel Desserts You’ll Love
- Apple Cobbler with Caramel Sauce
- Caramel Cream Cheese Apple Dip
- Salted Vanilla Caramels with Pecans
- Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
- Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Tart
How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffle Tart
Salted Caramel & Chocolate Truffle Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, cut into 1/4" pieces and chilled
Caramel
- 25 wrapped caramels such as Kraft or Brachs
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon good quality sea salt
Ganache
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 15 Lindt LINDOR truffles cut in half
- unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
Make the crust
- Whisk egg yolk, cream and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor, blend flour, sugar and salt about 5 seconds.
- Add butter cubes to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal, about 15 seconds.
- With the machine running, add egg mixture and continue to process until dough begins to form, about 12 seconds.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill about 15 minutes.
- Roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, to about 1/4″ thick. Roll dough in the general shape of your pan. I used a long rectangle (14″x4″), but you could use a round tart pan instead.
- Remove top layer of plastic wrap, then flip the dough over, into the pan, allowing it to hang over the sides. Ease dough into the pan by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand, while pressing the dough into the corners with the other hand. Leave any dough that is hanging over the edges in place for the moment. Gently press dough into the groves along the sides of the pan (adding bits of dough as needed), then roll a rolling pin over the top of the pan to trim off any excess dough.
- Cover tart pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Dough lined tart pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month)
- After 30 minutes (or more), remove tart from freezer, remove plastic wrap, and carefully press a sheet of foil into the frozen tart shell, covering the edges. Top foil with pie weights, dry beans or dry rice to weigh down the foil.
- Place prepared tart on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375*F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the pie weights and the foil and bake (uncovered) for an additional 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
- Set aside to cool.
Make the caramel
- Unwrap caramels and place in a bowl with heavy cream. Heat in the microwave for 3-5 minutes at 50% power, checking and stirring every minute or so. Once the caramels are melted, stir well and add salt. Stir, then set aside to cool a few minutes.
- Pour caramel into the (mostly) cooled crust. Move entire tart to the fridge and chill about 10 minutes.
- Prepare truffles by cutting them in half. They do not have to be perfect pieces, but if you break a few, you can simply add them to the ganache (when you add the chopped chocolate to the cream, as directed below).
Make the ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
- Heat the cream in a bowl in the microwave until very hot (but no need to boil). Add chopped chocolate and then let it sit about a minute (if you have a few broken truffle pieces, you may add them as well). After a minute, stir until the chocolate is fully melted and well combined.
- Place bowl in the fridge and allow to thicken a bit. You want it to be just soft enough to pour, but thick enough that when you top it with the truffles they will stay in place (and not sink into the ganache). Check the fridge and stir ganache every 10 minutes or so until desired thickness is met. Pour chocolate on top of caramel layer, and spread as needed with an offset spatula.
- Top ganache with cut truffles, then dust tart with cocoa powder.
- Chill about 15 minutes, then serve at room temperature.
I am just finding this recipe and will be making it for my next party. Any tips on halving the truffles, they always seem to shatter?
Thank you
This looks outstanding! I’m drooling!
OK I am an avid cook and baker and I honestly can say that I can’t remember the last time I have been so excited to try out a new recipe!
I’ll let you know how it turns out, I don’t expect any complaints!
Wow, I have a whole, unopened box of Lindor choccies that are desperately winking at me from the corner of the room. They want to be glammed up – I just know it and now I’ve found THE perfect recipe for them. Thank you for posting such a delish recipe. Shall definitely be making this one. Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com
What a gorgeous Tart!! I adore Lindor Truffles! A definite Must Bake!!!
This sounds amazing!! I love salted caramel and chocolate . So I am sure it’s a win.