Which is more worth it: the tart or the couch?
I always pick the tart.
Some days are a blur of workouts, work, cooking and sleep. That makes me wonder if waking up before dawn to run hard is worth the reward of two chocolate tarts — one warm from the oven and one chilled. It’s not only tarts, either: cookie dough, cupcake batter and pie sometimes show up on the same day. When a warm tart touches my lips and then the chilled one follows, I’m sold. Still, there are days I just want to stay on the couch. Couch plus tarts, cookie dough and pie doesn’t equal healthy. Treadmill plus tarts, cookie dough and pie equals… somewhat better. (PS — don’t take nutrition advice from a pastry chef.)
I wish I didn’t have to play the treadmill-versus-delicious game, but people don’t all eat dessert like I do. If I ask for a “sliver” of that Devil’s Food Cake, it usually means I’ll have two more—so you might as well cut me a quarter. Brownies? Half the batch disappears fast. Cherry pie? It barely lasts two days. A fork here, a spoon there… and it’s gone.
Biology says you can’t have the couch and all that chocolate, and I will always choose chocolate.
This recipe is a crowd-pleaser—unless your guests dislike chocolate. If so, why invite them?
Think of a cookie-like cocoa crust paired with a deeply dark, silky filling and finished with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
The pastry is inspired by the French sablée: crumbly in the mouth but sturdy enough to hold its shape. It barely shrinks during prebaking, so you get more room for filling.
The filling is a silky chocolate ganache gently set with a single egg. It holds its shape but still melts like butter on the tongue.
Give in to temptation — it’s worth it.
xo
Christina.
Double Dark Chocolate Truffle Tarts
Christina Marsigliese
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 6 tablespoon 84g soft unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup 40g icing sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 142g all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon 18g cocoa powder
For filling:
- 1 cup 237ml 35% whipping cream
- 120 g dark chocolate chopped
- 3 tablespoon 40g sugar
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
Instructions
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Topping: 1 cup 35% whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. For the pastry, beat the butter with the icing sugar and salt until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks all at once and mix until combined. Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and stir until a stiff dough forms. Shape into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Prepare an ungreased 12-cup muffin pan. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly, then roll between parchment paper to just under 1/4-inch thick. Use a 4-inch round cutter to stamp circles and fit each into a muffin cup, pressing to form a shell. Re-roll scraps as needed. Chill for 15 minutes.
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Dock the pastry with a fork and bake 10–12 minutes until dry and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C).
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To make the filling, heat the cream until it boils, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Cool 5 minutes, then stir in the sugar, egg and a pinch of salt until combined. Spoon filling into the prebaked shells and bake 10–14 minutes until the edges are just set and the center remains slightly soft. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate if not serving immediately.
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When ready to serve, whip the cream until thickened, add the sugar and whip to soft peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream around the tart edges and serve.