Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

This salted caramel chocolate tart is my homemade version of a Twix candy bar! It’s grown-up, rich, sweet, and a little salty. There are three easy components to make it: shortbread crust, salted caramel, and chocolate ganache.

OVERVIEW

• Skill Level: Intermediate
• Components Used: Shortbread Crust, Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Ganache

I love a Twix candy bar and I knew I had to turn it a decadent tart. When you think about it, a Twix is really just three simple layers: caramel, chocolate, and cookie. I can do that!

To create the cookie layer, I’m using my shortbread cookie dough to make a buttery and extra crunchy crust. Next, a layer of caramel sauce. I opted to make a slightly salty version of caramel to balance out the sweetness. On top, I’m adding my silky smooth and rich chocolate ganache. A light sprinkle of coarse salt over the top is the perfect touch to this grown-up dessert.

My salted caramel chocolate tart is ultra rich and decadent so you’ll want to cut it into small pieces. For this recipe, you’ll need a tart pan with removable sides.

Why you should make this tart

• This tart tastes like a grown-up Twix bar! It has the same flavors and texture but is so much better than the store-bought, ultra-processed candy.
• If you’re into baking, you’ve probably made the 3 components before. Put those skills to good use, put them together, and voilà!
• The separate components can be made in advance and assembled when you need it.

Components

Shortbread Crust: Shortbread is the base for this tart. It’s crisp, buttery, and a little salty making it the perfect crust for this rich tart. I’m using the same dough recipe as my classic shortbread cookies.

You can easily swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour mix making this tart completely gluten-free.

Salted Caramel: For the salted caramel layer, I’m using my basic caramel sauce recipe adding a good hit of salt. The key to making a smooth and creamy caramel sauce that’s also thick and chewy enough to make a clean slice, is to heat it to 235-240°F/ 112-115°C.

Chocolate Ganache: The chocolate ganache for this recipe is a 1:1 ratio meaning it’s equal parts cream to chocolate. This ratio makes the perfect thickness of ganache for a tart filling. It’s soft enough to be spread out but thick enough to be sliced cleanly. Use a good quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate.

Variation Idea

Chocolate Peppermint Tart: Omit the salted caramel. Triple the amount of chocolate ganache and add 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract. You can also swap the shortbread crust for a chocolate graham cracker or Oreo crust. Sprinkle crushed peppermints or candy canes on top of the ganache.

How to make salted caramel chocolate tart

This tart requires three components: shortbread crust, salted caramel sauce, and chocolate ganache. Let’s get started!

Make the shortbread crust

Cream together the room temperature butter and sugar. It’s very important that the butter is soft so it will properly cream with the sugar and become light and fluffy. Add the salt and flour.

Mix until incorporated and then stop. Grab some with your hand and press together to see if it holds together. If it does, then it’s ready. If it’s too crumbly add a splash of water.

Pour the dough into a round tart pan with removable sides. If you don’t have one, you can also use a pie dish but it will be a bit difficult to remove and serve.

Press it with your fingers up the sides and into the bottom of the pan evenly. Pierce the bottom with a fork all over. I like to put the tart shell onto a sheet pan to bake. Bake the crust by itself for 16-20 minutes until golden brown. This is the only time the tart will be baked so it’s important that the crust is fully baked and set.

Set aside while you make the caramel sauce.

Make the salted caramel sauce

If you’ve ever made caramel before, you will recognize this as the “wet method”. The wet method combines sugar and water in a saucepan. The benefit of the wet method is that it slows down the caramelization process and makes it less likely to burn the sugar.

Turn the heat on to medium and watch carefully as the sugar starts to dissolve in the water. As the mixture boils, the sugar will start caramelizing. Stay close by because the caramelization process moves very quickly. If the sugar is caramelizing unevenly, gently swirl the pan to even out the color. This process takes my stovetop about 12 minutes.

Once the sugar smells nutty and is golden brown, add the room temperature diced butter and stir until fully melted. Carefully pour all of the heavy cream into the pan and stir vigorously with a silicone spatula. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit. 

Add the salt and continue cooking and stirring the mixture until it reaches between 235-240°F/ 112-115°C. This step takes my stovetop about 6 minutes.

I highly recommend using a candy thermometer to ensure accuracy. If it doesn’t reach the desired temperature than your caramel will be too soft and won’t slice cleanly. If you boil it far beyond the desired temperature, the caramel will be too thick and hard to chew.

Remove the sauce from the heat immediately and pour into the crust. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before moving it into the refrigerator. Let cool for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator. It should no longer ripple when moved.

Make the chocolate ganache

Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips into a bowl. Pour the heated heavy cream over the top and let it sit for about 3 minutes without stirring. The heat from the cream will melt the chocolate. Add the salt.

Put your whisk into the center of the mixture and begin whisking in small circles going in one direction and slowly moving outward in bigger circles until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the ganache over the cooled caramel layer and spread to the edges evenly using an offset spatula. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top if desired. Chill for at least 1 hour uncovered in the refrigerator.

Serving

When ready to serve, remove the tart from the refrigerator and let sit out for about 5 minutes and then remove the sides of the pan and place on a platter. These few minutes sitting out will make it easier to remove the pan sides.

To make clean slices, use a large knife or bench knife. Run the knife under hot water, wipe off the water, then slice. This is a very rich tart so I suggest cutting small slices.

Storage

This salted caramel chocolate tart can easily be made in advance! Store in the refrigerator uncovered for 2-3 days before serving. Leftovers should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.

MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like to try these other delicious tart recipes.

• Cranberry Crumb Tart
• Oreo Chocolate Mousse Tartlets
• Banoffee Pie