Coucou!  Bisous bisous!

Because what good is Valentine’s day without chocolate?

No good!  Must have chocolate.  Certainly.  Surely.

It doesn’t have to be complicated or fussy.  But you best believe it better be present somewhere.

 If you need chocolate, these tarts are just the ticket.
They are chocolate taken to the max, pushing the boundary of being too rich, too ridiculously chocolaty.

They’re dead simple (Keep It Simple Stupid) but have serious wow factor.

Dark, fruity chocolate is spiked with a pinch of cinnamon and maple syrup, whisked into luxurious ganache with hot cream, and then poured into buttery tart shells.  

As the ganache sets, it becomes like the interior of a good truffle: soft and creamy, but with substance you can actually sink your teeth into.  Chocolate gets all over your mouth, but not a drop will be lost to the front of your shirt.

Hello, total date food in my eyes.

This pâte sucrée is such a dream to work with.
I’ve been developing this recipe for ages; it’s my go-to.  I’ve probably made 20+ tarts using this dough.

It’s easily adaptable; swap in a different flour (even GF), add some ground nuts, some cocoa powder, press it in or roll it out.
It’s equally good when you need to parbake and when you don’t; it’s rich and buttery, but not too sweet.
Not brittle, but sturdy, and yet not heavy.  It’s light and crispy and melts on your tongue after you’ve taken a bite.

It’s not made in the way you might expect, but that’s okay.
Butter, salt, and sugar are creamed together for what feels like ages (around 5 minutes at high speed), then flour is gently mixed in as an egg yolk is simultaneously added.
The whole process takes about 10 minutes, and then you’ve got a chunk of tart dough to stick in your fridge (it’ll last a couple days) or your freezer (wrapped well in foil, it’ll last for a month or so) and use whenever your heart so desires!

This recipe simple by design.  (KISS, people, KISS)
9 ingredients, huge return.
Easy, fast prep and long down time means these can be prepared ahead to share with your sweetheart later.
These will score you major sweetheart-points because, people.  They’re truffles in tart form.
I mean, c’mon.  It’s almost unfair how good these taste for how easy they are.

Also, we know chocolate + salt + cinnamon = devilishly good.
(Previously, in cookie form)

P.S. These truffle tarts would be greatly appreciated by anyone in the place of a box of truffles… Just sayin’.

Chocolate Truffle Tarts
makes 6-8 small tarts, or one 8- or 9-inch tart

ingredients:
for the pâte sucrée:
114 grams butter
50 grams sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
140 grams flour
1 large egg yolk

for the ganache:
256 grams dark chocolate, chopped
200 grams heavy cream
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

to assemble:
flaky sea salt
{pine nuts}

directions:
Make the pâte sucrée: beat butter, salt, and sugar together for 5 or so minutes, until incredibly fluffy and pale; there should be no grit left to the mixture.
Scrape the bowl and add in the flour, as you are slowly mixing the flour in, add the yolk and allow to dough to come together into a homogeneous ball.
Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
To roll out, use a very well floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thickness before pressing into desired pans.
Prick all over with a fork and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line the tart shells with aluminum foil and weight with dry beans or rice.
Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly golden, then remove beans and bake for 5 more minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
Chop chocolate and place in a large, microwave-safe bowl with heavy cream and cinnamon.
Microwave until 2/3 melted, then remove from microwave, add maple syrup, and whisk until ganache is totally smooth and shiny.
Pour into cooled shells and refrigerate until set, about an hour.
Top with pine nuts and flaky sea salt.