It’s the festive Raya season. Raya aka Aidilfitri is one of the festivities we celebrate here in Malaysia. Just like any other festivals, baking is a must. Cookies, cakes, tarts or anything that will make you have those sweet cravings. (:
So, for this Raya I decided to bake few desserts and one of it that I want to highlight is a super simple dessert; Chocolate Almond Tartlets. I referred to few recipes I found from several sources and improvised them. It turns out really nice I’d say. The size is just a perfect bite size; the crust was crunchy without it crumbling, and the chocolate almond filling melted and crunched in the mouth in all the right yummy way!
CHOCOLATE ALMOND TARTLETS
INGREDIENTS
Tart Crust:
250g Cold Butter (chopped into small cubes)
120g Icing Sugar
500g Plain Flour
1 Egg
Mini tartlet casings (1.5 inches diameter)
(You can also substitute this with ready-made tart shells usually sold at most baking shops)
Filling:
350g Dark Chocolate Compound/Blocks
1/3 cup Whipped Cream
1 tsbp Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Water (optional)
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
½ cup Baked Almond Flakes (reserve extra to garnish)
METHODS
Tart Crust:
- Pre-heat the oven at 180°C / 350°F.
- Combine the butter and icing sugar until evenly incorporated. It should be crumbly like breadcrumbs.
- Add in the plain flour bit by bit to form a soft dough. Do not over-mix the dough.
- Take a walnut size of the dough and gently press it evenly on the tartlet casings. Not too thin and not too thick. Scrap off the access dough.
- Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and bake until golden brown about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, remove the crust from the casings.
Filling:
- Coarsely crush the almond flakes and sprinkle it in each tart shell.
- Prepare a double boiler. Once the water in the base pot boils up, melt the chocolate and butter.
- Pour in the cream and oil. Stir gently until mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour chocolate filling into the shells. Garnish the top with almond flakes (or your choice of sprinkles) and refrigerate until set. (It was also really yummy eating it without refrigerating. So, you can either put it in the fridge for it to set faster or let it set at room temperature so it is softer. Up to you.)
** The recipe makes about 50 mini tartlets. Store it in airtight container and keep it refrigerated. Let it stand at room temperature before serving.
Enjoy it! (:
xxx
NZ