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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Mini Dark Chocolate Tarts with Salted Caramel Sauce

    Published: Nov 20, 2018 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe

    These mini dark chocolate tarts are rich and delicious. The salted caramel sauce only takes 10 minutes to make, but gives them a lovely extra flavour dimension. Perfect for a party, dessert or afternoon tea. 

    Close up of three mini chocolate tarts with salted caramel drizzle on a white plate. Get the recipe.

    Recipe commissioned by Thermapen.

     

    Can I tempt you with a mini dark chocolate tart? How about if we then drizzle it with a decadent and delicious salted caramel sauce?... Yeah, I knew you'd want one. 

    These teeny tiny little bites of deliciousness are a show-stopping party food. But they're actually really easy to make! 

    Feel free to make your own shortcrust pastry, but you can also cheat a little and use store bought pastry or even buy pre-made mini tart shells. That cuts the time and effort for these tasty treats right down and shhhhhh.... I won't tell anyone. 

    Then you can get on with the fun business of making the decadent dark chocolate cream filling and the dreamy salted caramel sauce.

    Mini chocolate tarts with salted caramel sauce, shown on a wooden tray and a white vintage plate next to a dish of salt and jar of caramel.

    Tasty Tarts

    A rich truffle-like chocolate cream filling, nestled inside a crisp pastry case. Seriously, what more could you want in a dessert that's perfect for a party or buffet? Wait, you want to add a flavourful salted caramel sauce for extra decadence!

    I promise that both elements of this recipe are really easy. Melting, heating and stirring. Just be careful when you add the cream to the caramel - the sugar-water gets very hot and the cold cream bubbles up a bit. 

    You will need:

    For the mini dark chocolate tarts
    1 package of shortcrust pastry, or store bought mini tart shells
    double cream (aka heavy cream)
    dark chocolate
    caster sugar
    butter
    vanilla

    For the salted caramel sauce:
    water
    granulated sugar
    double cream (aka heavy cream)
    vanilla
    sea salt

    Other equipment:
    Bowl
    Pan
    Wooden spoon
    Food Thermometer (I use a Thermapen® )
    Baking Tray
    Baking paper
    Whisk
    Jar

    Wooden table with chocolate tarts, jar of salted caramel sauce, sea salt. Get the recipe.

    Thermapen®

    For these tasty mini chocolate tarts (and many other recipes!), I use a Thermapen® food thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of many recipes and helps to ensure success.

    For years I've been using mine for everything from honeycomb and homemade lollipops, to carrot and ginger hot cross buns and pecan brittle. It's also really great for bread and I use it for my delicious date and walnut loaf. 

    Food thermometers are perhaps thought of as mainly useful for meat, but as a vegetarian, I still use it all the time. It's particularly useful for bread as well as plenty of sweet treats.

    The  SuperFast Thermapen® 4 Cooks Thermometer is the UK’s best-selling food thermometer.
    * Measures a temperature range of -49.9 to 299.9 °C.
    * Used worldwide by hundreds of thousands of cooks
    * Fast, accurate and convenient
    * Patented 360° self-rotating display that automatically turns to make it readable in any position.

    Mini chocolate tarts on a plate.

     

    How to Make Mini Dark Chocolate Tarts with Salted Caramel Drizzle

    How to make chocolate tarts. Step 1 melt the cream, butter and chocolate together. Step 2: stir well until melted. Step 3: pour into pastry shells

    For the Dark Chocolate Tarts: 
    Step 1: Add the cream, butter, chocolate and sugar to a bowl over a pan of simmering water. 
    Step 2: Melt together, stirring until smooth and glossy. 
    Step 3: Spoon into the pastry cases. 

     

    How to make salted caramel sauce: Step 1: melt the sugar into the water. Step 2: Bring to the boil.
    For the Salted Caramel Sauce
    Step 1: Add the water and sugar to a pan over a medium/high heat. 
    Step 2: Bring to the boil. 

     

    How to make salted caramel sauce. Step 3: Boil until an amber colour and reaches 175C. Step 4: Carefully whisk in the cream.
    Step 3: Heat until a dark amber colour and 175C. 
    Step 4: Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the cream. 

     

    How to make salted caramel sauce: Step 5: stir in the vanilla and sea salt. Step 6: Pour into a jar.
    Step 5: Stir in the vanilla and sea salt. 
    Step 6: Drizzle over the chocolate tarts and pour the remainder into a jar. 

     

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
    Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts.

    Get the Mini Chocolate Tarts with Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe

     

    Close up of three mini chocolate tarts with salted caramel drizzle on a white plate. Get the recipe.

    Mini Dark Chocolate Tarts with Salted Caramel Sauce

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    These mini dark chocolate tarts are rich and delicious. The salted caramel sauce only takes 10 minutes to make, but gives them a lovely extra flavour dimension. Perfect for a party, dessert or afternoon tea. 
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Chilling 2 hrs
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, International
    Servings 36
    Calories 160 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    For the pastry

    • 36 store bought mini tart cases (Or 320g/11oz package store bought shortcrust pastry)

    For the chocolate cream filling

    • 300 ml double cream (heavy cream)
    • 300 g (1 ⅔ cups chopped or chips) dark chocolate chopped
    • 5 tablespoon caster sugar
    • 50 g (⅓ stick) butter cut into small cubes
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla

    For the salted caramel sauce

    • 125 ml (½ cup) water
    • 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
    • 175 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt

    Instructions
     

    If not using pre-made pastry cases:

    • Preheat oven to 200ºC/400F. Lightly grease the cups of a mini muffin tin.
    • Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry into discs slightly larger than the diameter of the muffin cups. Gently press each one into the muffin tin. Prick the bases with a fork a few times then leave to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool completely.

    For the chocolate cream filling

    • Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the cream, chocolate, sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir until it all melts together and becomes glossy and smooth.
    • Pour into the pastry cases and gently tap to level and remove any air bubbles.
    • Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate for 2 hours.

    For the salted caramel sauce

    • Measure out all the ingredients first. Add the water to a saucepan, then pour in the sugar (Note: don’t stir, but just allow the sugar to melt into the water - you don’t want to splash the sugar against the sides). 
    • Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes until it turns a rich amber colour and the food thermometer reads 175C/350F.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully (the sugar water is HOT!) whisk in the cream. It will bubble up a lot. Then stir in the vanilla and salt.
    • Allow to cool then drizzle over the chilled chocolate tarts and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt.
    • Pour the remainder into a sterilised glass jar and allow to cool. It’s delicious on ice cream, crumble, cupcakes or even the odd sneaky teaspoon straight out of the jar.

    Video

    Notes

    You can make your own pastry, use store bought shortcrust pastry or buy premade mini tart shells. 
     
     
    The nutritional information provided is approximate and is created with online calculators. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 91mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 230IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1.3mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

    Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this UK food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes and also easy vegan desserts.
    Kate x

    Disclosure: This recipe was commissioned by Thermapen. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a UK food blogger and write Veggie Desserts.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth Lee

      November 20, 2018 at 5:26 pm

      5 stars
      I love everything about these mini desserts and I love the Thermapen - use it all the time! Can't wait to serve these!

      Reply
    2. Britni

      November 20, 2018 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      These look amazing ! I love the smaller portions, perfect for snacking!

      Reply
    3. Ellen

      November 20, 2018 at 12:46 pm

      This is my kind of dessert. Dark chocolate, salted caramel, and one all for myself.

      Reply
    4. Caroline

      November 20, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      These look so pretty and sound delicious! I love the idea of them being little bites as well.

      Reply
    5. Jacqueline Debono

      November 20, 2018 at 12:25 pm

      5 stars
      These mini chocolate tarts look super! I know my hubby would love them he's a big dark chocolate fan!

      Reply
    6. Claudia Lamascolo

      November 20, 2018 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      these are just the perfect bite I would love that combination of flavors and perfect for holiday!

      Reply
    7. Danielle Wolter

      November 20, 2018 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      OMG, I totally need these in my life. I love dark chocolate and salted caramel. I'm totally making these 🙂

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Healthy Recipes

    • Butternut Squash Salad
    • Easy Healthy Cabbage Soup
    • Easy Vegan Ramen (15 minutes)
    • Rajma Masala (Kidney Bean Curry)

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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