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Chocolate Tart Dough

You can double or triple this recipe, cut the dough into portions, and freeze. Thaw for several hours in the fridge before using.

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ cups (190 g/6.7 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons (20 g/0.7 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup (55 g/2 oz) powdered sugar (or ¼ cup granulated sugar)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 ⅓ sticks (150 g/5.3 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract , optional

Instructions

  1. Process flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand using a pastry cutter. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. Add egg and vanilla extract, and keep pulsing until the dough is no longer dry and starts to clump together, about 10-15 seconds. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed; rather the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps. Another way to check if it’s done is to take a piece of dough and press it between your fingers—the dough should stick without feeling dry or crumbly (some photos to make this clearer can be found here).
  2. Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. It should come together quite easily without being too sticky. Flatten ball slightly with your hands to form a thick disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to a month and then thaw overnight in the fridge.

  4. To roll out the dough: Take dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch (30cm) circle, then place gently into a 9-inch or 10-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom). You can do this by flouring a rolling pan and rolling the dough loosely around it, then unrolling it into the pan. Brush away any excess flour on the surface. With a sharp knife, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.

  5. To bake the crust: Preheat oven to 350F/180C and place rack in the center.

  6. Press parchment paper or aluminum foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent burning. Fill with pie weights/dried beans/uncooked rice, making sure they’re fully distributed over the entire surface. Bake crust for 20 minutes, until foil no longer sticks to the dough. Transfer crust to a wire rack and remove weights and foil.
  7. To partially bake the crust: Bake for 5 minutes longer. After that, it will be time to proceed with your tart recipe by adding the filling and finishing baking. According to your recipe, the crust should be used either while warm or after it’s been left to cool on a wire rack.
  8. To fully bake the crust: Bake for about 10 minutes longer, until it appears dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe Notes

- If you prefer a sweeter dough, you can use more sugar. I suggest an additional 2-4 tablespoons.
- For a stronger chocolate flavor and deeper brown color, add an additional tablespoon of cocoa powder.
- Once you’ve perfected this recipe, try replacing the whole egg with 1 egg yolk plus ½ -2 tablespoons heavy cream to make it richer and even more delicious.