When you are craving something very specific and you want it just how you envision it in your own head, there is nothing left to do but to just figure out how to make it yourself.

I had been wanting a delicious but not too rich simple chocolate dessert, with just a touch of saltiness. There is nothing better than a good quality chocolate treat and tad bit of good quality sea salt. Yum, one of my very favorite things. I decided to just write up a recipe first, that I thought would work and just play it by ear, adding things as I went if I thought it needed it and then hope for the best. I find this to be one of the best ways to cook and bake and I am pleasantly surprised at how often it actually works out.

This tart was super simple to make and it was exactly what I was looking for. A slightly crunchy and nutty crust that needs the littlest bit of baking and a super creamy and velvety filling that is the perfect amount of richness, without going overboard and crossing into the world overly heavy and too rich. One of my biggest complaints of so many desserts. The sea salt on top is so perfect, both in how it looks on top of the glossy chocolate and the delicious treat that it provides your taste buds.

I ended up melting some dairy-free semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (from Enjoy Life) that I had on hand in my pantry, but you can also just use your favorite bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped for melting. If you want to make this refined sugar free, you could also try melting unsweetened bakers chocolate, and sweeten it to your liking with whatever you choose, such as stevia, maple syrup, palm sugar, etc.

I am super excited at how simple the crust was on this tart, I definitely plan to make some really fun tarts this spring and summer with this recipe

[print_this]Salted Chocolate Tart – Gluten-free, Grain-free + Vegan
serves 8 to 10

Crust

• 2 cups almond flour, aka almond meal
• 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

 

Filling

• 10 ounces non-dairy bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or dairy-free mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used a blend of coconut and almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (You could also use tapioca starch or corn starch)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• High quality sea salt for topping (see below note)

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch tart pan. In a large bowl, add all of the crust ingredients and mix very well. Add the crust mixture to the tart pan and press down firmly into the pan, going up the sides just a tad bit. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate into a glass bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, add the non-dairy milk and arrowroot starch and whisk very well to combine and remove any lumps. Over a medium-high heat, heat until it just barely starts to boil. Remove from the heat and add in the coconut oil and stir well to melt the coconut oil (if it wasn’t already) and to combine well. Pour the milk mixture over the chocolate and let sit a few minutes until the chocolate is melting, add in the vanilla extract, then stir very well for a few minutes, until the mixture is smooth, glassy and creamy.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared crust and allow it to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until fully set. Pop the ring from the tart pan off, sprinkle with a small amount of high quality sea salt, cut into slices and serve chilled.

NOTE: Sprinkle the sea salt on just before serving. If you sprinkle the salt on before the tart has fully set, it will start to dissolve into the surface, I had sprinkled a small amount on after it had chilled a bit, but before it was fully set, since I didn’t really think about that happening. It did start to dissolve a bit, so I just sprinkled just a tad a bit more on top before serving and for taking photos.

[/print_this]