Boarded-Up Window Caramel Nut Tart

Name: Boarded-Up Window Caramel Nut Tart
Total time: 5 h 45 min
Yield: 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: Bones mold; 3/4 c. white chocolate candy melts; 2 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leved, plus more for work surface; 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder; 3 tbsp. sugar; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 1/2 c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 (8-ounce) package cold cream cheese, cut into small pieces; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 1/4 c. chopped nuts and pretzels; Metallic dragées and melted chocolate, for decorating

Consume this sweetly sinister, deliciously dilapidated dessert at your own risk. (Cue the maniacal laughter.)

By Tara BenchPublished: Sep 6, 2019

Be the first to review!

Jump to recipe

Brian Woodcock

Yields:

12 serving(s)

Total Time:

5 hrs 45 mins

This dessert's an equal mixture of both "tricks" and "treats." Topped with delectable pastry strips and chocolate skeletons, it's a bone-a fide masterpiece!

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Ingredients

For the Bones:

Bones mold
3/4 cup white chocolate candy melts

For the Pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leved, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 (8-ounce) package cold cream cheese, cut into small pieces

For the Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 1/4 cups chopped nuts and pretzels
Metallic dragées and melted chocolate, for decorating

Directions

1. Step 1Make bones: Melt candy melts according to package directions. Transfer to a zip-top bag and snip a small hole in one corner. Pipe into a bone skeleton mold; chill 20 to 30 minutes. Tap out bones.
2. Step 2Make pastry: Pulse together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor, 3 to 4 times. Add butter and pulse until butter is the size of peas, 5 to 6 times. Add cream cheese and pulse until dough forms, 10 to 12 times (add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if needed to help dough form). Wrap two-thirds of the dough in plastic wrap; flatten. Repeat with remaining one-third of the dough. Chill at least one hour and up to 2 days.
3. Step 3Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll large piece of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Fit dough in the bottom and up the sides of an 8- by 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom; trim excess. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang all around; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake until set around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Lift parchment to remove beans or rice. Bake until bottom is dry, 6 to 8 minutes more; cool.
4. Step 4Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Roll small piece of dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Cut into strips of various widths. Run a fork over strips to create a wood grain pattern; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack.
5. Step 5Make filling: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. When water comes to a boil, stop stirring and wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any undissolved sugar and prevent crystals from forming. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until mixture is a medium amber color, 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Step 6Remove from heat. Slowly and carefully add cream, vanilla, and salt; stir until smooth. Add nuts and pretzels; stir until caramel begins to cool and thicken slightly, about 1 minute. Pour into baked crust and spread with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until cold, 1 hour or up to 5 hours.
7. Step 7Remove tart ring and base and place tart on a serving platter. Decorate with chocolate skeletons and bones and pastry “boards,” crossing pastry strips to look like boards over a window. Add metallic dragées to ends of boards to look like nails, adhering with melted chocolate. Serve slightly chilled.