Chocolate Ganache Mini Tarts with Homemade Shortbread Crusts

These mini-tarts feature chocolate or vanilla-flavored homemade shortbread crusts. Fill them with a rich but effortless bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate ganache. Garnish with fresh fruit or whipped cream.

13 tarts

chocolate ganache mini tarts garnished with raspberries an mint

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Additional Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

1¼ cup (150 g) unbleached flour
¼ cup (25 g) dark unsweetened cocoa powder - (replace with flour for vanilla crusts)
½ cup (60 g) confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) table or sea salt
½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, cold
1 large (50 g) egg

Chocolate Ganache Filling for Tarts

4 ounces (114 g) bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ cup (114 g) heavy cream or whipping cream
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) soft butter

Instructions

Crusts

Make the shortbread crusts: Add 1¼ cup unbleached flour, ¼ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (or flour for vanilla-flavored), ½ cup confectioners' sugar, and ¼ teaspoon table or sea salt to a food processor and pulse to combine.
Cut ½ cup unsalted butter, cold into 8 pieces. Add to dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
Add the egg: Whisk 1 large egg in a small bowl, then add to the processor. Pulse 5-6 times to begin to moisten the mixture. Let the machine run steadily for a few seconds. Observe until the mixture begins to stick together and starts to form a ball. The machine will make a different sound as this happens.
Shape and chill the dough: Form the dough into a cylinder like cookie dough, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes or freeze up to one week in the freezer.
Portion the dough: Cut into 12 equal slices (you may get 13 by gathering scraps). Roll each between plastic wrap into a circle slightly larger than your tart mold.
Press into molds: Fit the dough into molds, pressing into the bottom and sides. Trim the edges and freeze until firm. (see pictures in post) This can be a little tricky at first. Practice makes perfect.
Bake the shells: Place on a baking sheet and line each shell with foil. Bake at 400˚F (200˚C) for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake 2–3 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely.

Chocolate ganache filling:

Chop 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate and place in a bowl.
Heat ½ cup heavy cream or whipping cream until just boiling and pour over chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes, then gently stir until smooth.
Use a whisk or spoon to begin stirring in lazy circles starting from the middle until mixture is uniform. Don’t stir too vigorously or the chocolate will lose its gloss
Adding butter: Add 2 tablespoons soft butter in small pieces and continue mixing gently until the ganache is once again uniform.
The mixture should be thick enough to go straight into the crusts, but if runny, refrigerate for a few minutes until it thickens.

Assemble the tarts

Spoon ganache into cooled shells. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with fruit, whipped cream, or chocolate shavings at the last minute before serving.

Notes

Crust Storage: Wrap dough well and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.

Shell Prep Tip: For best freshness, freeze unbaked tart shells and bake the day you plan to serve them.

Ganache Make-Ahead: Prepare ganache ahead and refrigerate. To soften, place the container in a bowl of warm water until spoonable.

Yield Tip: Recipe typically makes 13 tartlets—12 from sliced dough and one extra from gathered scraps.

Nutritional Information