Whenever I long to be in Italy, I grow nostalgic for chocolate and hazelnut treats. I fell for the rich and nutty combination in my travels and whether it be savoring a few nougatine with my afternoon espresso, or indulging in a cup of gianduja gelato for dessert, I simply can’t get enough of the duo.
With Italy in mind, I dreamed up this chocolate-hazelnut tart. The brown butter-hazelnut crust is crisp and buttery, a perfect counterpoint to the silky chocolate filling. There’s not a slip of cream in the entire recipe, so you can eat two slices relatively guilt-free, or if you must have your cream, whip it into a topping just before serving. I dusted my tart with unsweetened cocoa powder and added a sprinkle of chopped chocolate-covered hazelnuts; the choice is yours!
Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart
Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup hazelnuts, finely ground
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Filling & Topping
1/4 cup Nutella
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups reduced fat (2%) milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa, for dusting
2 Tbsp chocolate-covered hazelnuts, chopped
For the crust, preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 14-inch rectangular removable-bottom tart pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together flour, ground hazelnuts, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes. Add brown butter to flour mixture and stir until incorporated; press mixture in the bottom and up the sides of prepared tart pan. Bake for 24 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Place Nutella in a small bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds; set aside to cool slightly. Whisk together cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking frequently. Once mixture comes to a boil, continue whisking for about 2 minutes, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in Nutella and vanilla.
Pour filling into cooled shell and place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Before serving, dust tart with cocoa and top with chopped hazelnuts. Use a sharp knife to cut into wedges. Store leftovers in the refrigerator loosely covered.
Yield – 12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
Calories – 225
Carbs – 24
Yum! This looks incredible! I love chocolate and hazelnut together…so good :)
The tart is a stunner! The luscious chocolate and hazelnut is marvelous, well done Laura!
I love these gorgeous, vibrant pictures, Laura! And the tart? Yum, yum, yum…
I bet this tart tastes delicious! You can’t go wring when you have chocolates and hazelnuts. Beautiful!
Ahhhhhhhmazing. This looks incredible. I want to be neighbors. :)
A beautiful tart and heavenly combination!
Cheers,
Rosa
woohoo! no cream…. that means i can indulge in this entire tart without guilt…right? ;)
This makes me long of Italy too!
Beautiful Laura!
Wow! I’m taken in by your delicious tart and the gorgeous photos!! (Love the colour scheme.) And I love the fact that it’s okay to enjoy more than one slice! :D
One word: LOVELY!!!
This looks delicious. Would it fit in a round tart pan 9″?
Hi Marissa, thank you! The crust should fit perfectly fine in a 9-inch round tart pan. You’ll probably have a little extra filling, so you could just pour it into ramekins, place a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and chill until thickened. The filling is essentially a pudding.
Oh, I am so going to miss this with my Paleo diet. Only for a short time, though. I’m sure this won’t be goodbye to sweet treats forever. How could I? I can’t resist such a beautiful treat!
This spells deliciousness Laura! So beautiful and the flavors are just too good to resist!
This looks so good! Love that it’s relatively guilt-free :), because I’m pretty sure I could eat the whole thing in one sitting. Yummy!
I only spent a few months in Italy, but I dream of it often! I think I’ll be adding this forgoes tart into our dessert menu mix very soon!
I would LOVE to come to your house for dessert Laura, wouldn’t we have fun sitting and chatting and getting to know each other and enjoying a piece of this fabulous tart. Once I got to know you (probably after about 5 minutes) I’d be sure to ask for a second piece, “with whip”, please!
good lord, this looks sinful! i am now also dreaming of Italy!
Okay, I’m going to pretend I didn’t see this, because then I’m going to want a slice of this too.
-Gina-
Wow, how gorgeous! Can I please have this for lunch?
Nutella and chocolate and more chocolate. I love the way you think!
Such a lovely tart, Laura! You have a talent for creating beautiful tarts that I wish I had!
Yum!!!!
I wish I can have this with my tea right now.
Ah, this is magnificent, Laura!!! Who could resist???
This sounds heavenly Laura! I love that there isn’t any cream in the recipe, and I love the combination of brown butter, chocolate, and hazelnut. This is one I need to try out sometime. :)
This is so pretty, Laura! I love this flavor combination…it’s classic Italy to me!
Oh yes, a dollop of cream, I think, to finish it off. I am so glad very dark chocolate is not banned from my no-eat list.
Beautiful tart-love all your flavors and colors-looks like a slice of Italy;-)
Gorgeous tart! Hazelnut and chocolate is the perfect combo, so delicious.
Ohhhh yeah… this is heavenly! They better have this in heaven, or I’m not interested in going there. :-)
Gorgeous tart, my friend!!
My goodness this looks wonderful. I can almost smell it!
Your recipes are always so delicious! Hazelnuts are all too rarely used!
My goodness, girl. Is there anything you make that isn’t totally gorgeous?! This tart looks fab!
That is just stunning!
So beautiful and so tempting at 8 am. I love this, Laura. No need to travel to Italy to enjoy a chocolate hazelnut treat–this is perfect!
What a gorgeous tart! It sounds incredible!
My love for hazelnut came very late – like mid 20s?! I know, I always love chocolate, but almond and chocolate had been my thing. I don’t know what made my preference changed, but I now REALLY enjoy chocolate hazelnut combination. This tart is like a dream chocolate dessert. I’m more of tart person than spongy cake. This looks so appealing…. I love how you put the chopped chocolate-covered hazelnuts in the middle. Pretty!
Truly delicious-sounding! What a beautiful treat! Excellent tip about the plasic wrap in the fridge!
This looks delicious, I love the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate. I’ve been looking for a good chocolate tart recipe, so I’m really excited to try this :)
Wow, looks terrific! I love hazelnut crusts for desserts (they’re much more tasty than a simple flour dough) Beautiful topping and mold, by the way ;-)
What a gorgeous tart to enjoy while reminiscing of Italy. You should move there so I can be a short plane hop away and stop by for dessert. ;) Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous tart, Laura! Chocolate hazelnut combo is a winning combo in my book. Beautiful styling!!
I can never get enough of chocolate and hazelnuts together either, it’s just a heavenly combination!
Just lovely, Laura!
Chocolate and hazelnut is such a great combination – wonderful filling and crust!
Thats a deadly combination….superb one:) I am so tempted to try some *right away:)
Stunning! It sounds heavenly too, I love chocolate and hazelnuts together!
This is one HEAVENLY tart! Glad that you dreamed it up. The only problem is that I don’t have a slice in front of me right now. Lovely!!!!!
So gorgeous Laura! I think I could just eat the crust alone, but that filling sounds so delicious!
This is lovely! I love this tart pan too. I just have a round tart pan, but I want a rectangle one because this presentation is beautiful!
this sounds SO good – I love the sound of the crust… several years back when I was opening a resort spa, I got to develop a product line, and since Oregon produces something like 99% of the nations hazelnuts, that was one of the ingredients I used… I met hazelnut farmers, learned way more than I ever thought I wanted to about the hazelnut (also called filbert!), and our restaurant made things like this…
wow, that was a very long way of saying this recipe brings back memories… I will be trying it soon!
What a divine looking tart-love the colours in the photo too! I was just given some hazelnut flour-I wonder if I could use it in a tart crust? :)
Gorgeous! This is a very beautiful tart and I bet it tastes divine! I’m tempted to bake it up to enjoy a nice sweet treat and pretend like I’m in Italy too!!
A great combo, chocolate and hazelnut! I love the long pan..really need to get one of those!
This really does brings me back to my honeymoon in Italy, when a delicious hazelnut chocolate was placed on my pillow every night before bed. Lovely post :)
Awww, truly gorgeous! A perfect treat to make any heart feel better for sure:-) Love love the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts together too:-) Hugs, Terra
Wow, this tart looks so delicious. I have an affection for chocolate and hazel nuts and it has come to me late in my life but none the less I’m glad I found the two.
Chocolate and hazelnuts together, I’m sure this divine union was made in the heights of heaven. Such a lovely tart and perfect for the upcoming love day :)
OMG Laura, this chocolate hazelnut tart is perfect. I am not huge on sweets but this is super decadent treat. I would definitely couldn’t resist. Absolutely mouthwatering!
Such a great dessert . It really made me crave for some. :)
Okay, this is a combination after my own heart – love!
this sounds fantastic! I love chocolate and hazelnut together. Wonderful combination!