“THE SWEET TOOTH IS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON, AND THERE ARE DELIGHTFUL NUGGETS TO BE FOUND EVERYWHERE.” Mark Bittman
Delightful nuggets, indeed! I don’t know about you, but I always love having a ‘whole something’ all to myself. Not a slice or a piece….but my own little dessert, no matter how small! And I’ve become enamored with petite sweets. Maybe it’s for that reason. But when ‘indulging in moderation’, it’s nice to have a one or two bite dessert. And I think they are also easier to eat and serve when entertaining. I found this dessert in Yankee magazine. And being a New England girl at heart, I just had to try it! A delicate and buttery, hazelnut shell is filled with rich, chocolate ganache and just a sweet hint of raspberry! Check it out…..
Yields: 24 Tartlets
Level of Difficulty: Easy
FOR THE SHELLS:
- 1 1/2 cups of whole hazelnuts
- 10 Tablespoons of salted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup of firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
Using a food processor, chop the hazelnuts to the texture of course sand. In your standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the butter and brown sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and the chopped hazelnuts, and mix just until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
When you are ready to bake the tartlets, preheat your oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a mini tart pan with butter. You may use a mini muffin pan, but they will be a little larger. Form about 2 teaspoons of dough into a ball and then press it into the tart cup, creating a well for the filling. I used the blunt handle end of a whisk to create a uniform well in each tart. Bake until the shells are golden brown, about 15 minutes. The dough puffs a bit while cooking. So when I removed them from the oven, I used the end of my whisk again to press the well of the tartlets. Let the shells cool completely in the pan.
FOR THE GANACHE:
- 2 cups of miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup of heavy cream
Place the chocolate chips in a heat safe mixing bowl. In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream over medium high heat until it just begins to simmer. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour over the chocolate chips. Stir continuously until all the chocolate is melted and blended. Refrigerate until ready to fill the shells.
TO ASSEMBLE YOU WILL NEED:
- 1/2 cup of seedless raspberry preserves
- 1 pint of fresh raspberries
Carefully lift and remove cooled tart shells from pan. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of preserves into the bottom of each shell. Using a pastry bag, pipe the ganache into each shell until just full. Press a whole raspberry, upside down, into the ganache.
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Yankee.
These look killer! Seriously how pretty is that little treat. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and raspberries. I love petite treats to as I don’t like to share desserts and big ones lend themselves to people wanting a taste lol. When it’s little I just pop the entire thing in my mouth even if it’s a touch to big no sense giving anyone the opportunity to ask for a nibble. I promise I will share anything and everything just not my dessert or hubby lol.
LOL…Susie, I feel the same way. If I have a piece of cake, someone might ask if they could have a bite. But if I have a teeny tiny dessert…..who would dare ask for me to share! : )
Oh, Anne – this is stunning! I’m a huge fan of moderation (and I struggle with the practice daily) but I feel that no food should be off limit if it’s indulged in wisely. Love, love, LOVE these! I can see where they would be perfect for a dinner party!
Thanks Ann! Moderation is a good thing and one little bite now and then couldn’t hurt! : )
I am not over the top for desserts but yes, one or two bites after a meal is simply soothing. Beautiful tartlets and the fruits on top is even more tempting for me.
Thanks Nava! And I agree….a bite or two of dessert after dinner is simply soothing! : )
Anne, this is what I call a perfect bite! What a lovely sweet treat!! Well done. I love the use of hazelnuts… so smart.
Love the pictures! ~ Ramona
Thanks Ramona! : )
I love the sound of these tartlets! I’ve made a different version before using Nutella, but I like the ground up hazelnuts in the shell a lot!
Actually, I love the sound of Nutella in the center of these!!!! : )
What a decadent morsel. Lovely blend of flavors and you know I’m filing this one for a dessert table.
Thanks Sandra! And what I wouldn’t give to be a guest at one of your lovely dessert tables one day!!!! : )
I love mini desserts. These are so loveable, the crust sounds amazing. And the quote – the sweet tooth is definitely global!
Thanks Cassie…..and I am so hooked on mini desserts!!! : )
Such a cute and cool dessert. I have fallen in love all over again!! Great post. Buzzed
Thanks so much! I love cute and little desserts! : )
mini desserts are definitely here to stay and yours I’m afraid won’t stay long if I’m around. I mean, just look at them. Moderation, moderation but still, there’s a word named “craving”
Thanks Roxana! Sometimes I just crave a mini dessert!!! : )
How fantastic these gems look! Not only does the appearance pull you in but the delicious blend of flavors does too! This one is a winner in my book, saved so I can enjoy at my house. Yum!
Thanks Tina….I love chocolate and raspberry together. Oh and the hazelnuts! : )
Those little shells are just amazing…I can imagine lots of possibilities for using them!
Thanks so much! And I’m with you….just think of all they can be filled with! : 0
Oh these are so cute and delicious looking!
Thanks Ryan! Hey…and I am really enjoying your blog! And I’ve been trying to leave you a comment there….but it won’t allow me to! But I’ll keep following! : )
I love petite desserts too – it’s like a mental thing that makes you feel better about eating more than one!
Jen….isn’t that the truth! : )
I love how pretty these are, and I’m sure they are tasty too. Chocolate, hazelnut and raspberry??? Perfection!
Thanks Sheri…..it is a good trio, isn’t it?! : )
Growing up in a family of ten, I can assure you that I relate fully and completely to the idea of having something all to yourself
. I absolutely love hazelnut – amongst my fave nuts – and these tartlets are just so gorgeous Anne… I love the sizing and all the delicious elements. The raspberry chapeau is the perfect punctuation over the dreamy chocolate ganache…
Aww thanks Kelly! We should all wear raspberry chapeaus! : )
Just found your blog and love it! These look delicious! I’m nuts about anything with the whole chocolate-hazelnuts business going on.
Thanks and I love your Candy Girl blog, too! : )
These are stunning, Anne!!! Just gorgeous (not to mention delicious!!). Have a great weekend!
Thanks Liz….I’ll be catching up with you soon! : )
These are so pretty Anne, the hazelnut shells are just perfect! I love miniature desserts! Have a great weekend
Thanks Meghan! I love mini desserts, too! And hope your week has been fabulous! I’m visiting soon to see if you’ve done any more video tutorials! : )
Oh my goodness these are so pretty. Two enthusiastic thumbs up on this one.
Thanks Kim!!! : )
These are incredible, Anne! I love the hazelnut shells!!
Thanks Stephanie….and so many things we can do with these shells! : )
Um, these sound totally fantastic! And I love how they are just the perfect size!
Thanks Sarah! I love little bite sized desserts! : )
UnbeliEEEEEEEEEEEvable.
Yaaaaay! Thanks Emily! : )
I love hazelnut anything but this is beyond delicious. Love that chocolate ganache oozing out. Just brilliant.
Thanks so much! I just love the whole chocolate hazelnut experience! : )
These are adorable and fabulously delicious looking – thanks!
Thanks Chris! : )
I LOVE chocolate and hazelnut together! This makes me almost want to break my diet lol. I am drooling over here! Job well done! Thanks for sharing! =]
Thanks Kym! But don’t break your diet! Okay…..well……maybe just one! ;- )
These are beautiful! I have to make them.
Thanks Dorothy! Just think what we can stuff inside these little shells! : )
I honesty couldn’t tell you what a hazelnut taste like, but if it goes with chocolate – it’s got to be tasty!
These are the cutest little tarts and I’m sure they are deeeelicious! Great pictures!
MJ…you know…as a nut to just eat….hazelnuts are not my favorite. But I certainly do love them in baking! And don’t even get me started on nutella! : – }
Adam fell in love with hazelnuts when he lived in Italy where they make the most AMAZING confections with them and this has him drooling. Small and dainty as they are we’re sure that there would be very little moderation exercised with these sweet morsels around.
Thanks you guys! I just love hazelnuts in baking. Though honestly….I could just suck the ganache out of these and leave the hazelnut shells behind! ;- 0
Anne, these little tartlets are so gorgeous! Putting them on my dinner party dessert menu – so elegant. And you’ve issued the perfect instruction to go with these – “enjoy”. I certainly will! Have a great weekend.
I’ve made these a few times now, always a hit. This time I didn’t have hazelnuts so I used 1-1/2 cups ground almonds instead. And also no raspberry preserves so I put caramel in the bottom, then the ganache. These little shells are great to have in the freezer all the time. So versatile, and quick to fill when needed. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for such a kind comment, Lori! I love that these shells are so versatile. And I love your addition of caramel! And what a GREAT idea to freeze the shells for a quick fill when you need it! Thanks so much for sharing that tip with everyone!