In the Oven: Easy Candy Bar Tart

Posting date is July 6th! Happy baking!

Note that there’s an error in the book – the baking interactions for the crust are omitted, but they’re included here.

Easy Candy Bar Tart
Yield: One 9-inch tart

For the Chocolate Cookie Crust
30 chocolate wafer cookies (about6 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Caramel Walnut Filling
1 cup sugar
1⁄3 cup heavy cream
21⁄2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon fleur de sel
2 cups walnuts, toasted

For the Chocolate Glaze
4 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
3 ounces (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Make the Chocolate Cookie Crust
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a food processor, pulse the cookies into a very fine powder. You should have about 1 1⁄2 cups. Place the crumbs in a medium bowl and stir in the sugar.

Pour the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined. The mixture will feel wet. Turn the crumb mixture out into the prepared pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides (just shy of 1 inch high). You can use the back of a large spoon or the bottom of a glass to even out the crust.

Bake the crust crust until it’s set (about 10 minutes) or until just fragrant. Put it in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Make the Caramel Walnut Filling
In a medium saucepan with high sides, combine the sugar with 1⁄4 cup water. Stir the mixture gently so you don’t splash any of it up on the sides of the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, and, without stirring, allow the mixture to boil. Once it begins to turn a rich amber color, remove it from the heat and slowly stream in the cream. After the mixture stops bubbling, return the pan to very low heat and whisk in the butter. Continue whisking gently until the caramel is uniform and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and fleur de sel.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and chill the tart for at least 1 hour.

Make the Chocolate Glaze
Place the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in the bowl of a double boiler over medium heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the water and stir the glaze to release excess heat.

Pour the glaze over the tart and use an offset spatula to smooth it out to the edges—try to cover the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate the tart for 1 hour to set the glaze before slicing and serving.

Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature. The tart can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.