White Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 8 tbsp (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbsp cold water, plus more if needed
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, for the caramel
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, warm
• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, for the caramel, at room temperature
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 4 oz (113 g) good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream, for the ganache
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

How to make white chocolate salted caramel tarts

1. Step 1.

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease two 12-cup mini muffin tins, or one tin used twice.

2. Step 2.

   Pulse or whisk the flour, powdered sugar and kosher salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces. Stir in the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cold water, adding a few more drops only if the dough will not hold when squeezed.

3. Step 3.

   Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of dough per cup and press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides, making the walls slightly thicker than the base. Prick each base once with a fork. Freeze the pans for 10 minutes.

4. Step 4.

   Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until the shells are evenly golden at the edges. If the bases puff up, press them back down gently with the back of a small spoon right after they come out of the oven. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then lift the shells out onto a rack.

5. Step 5.

   For the caramel, stir the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium, light-colored saucepan over medium heat only until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise the heat to medium-high and boil for 6 to 9 minutes, swirling the pan, until the syrup turns a deep amber, the color of an old copper penny.

6. Step 6.

   Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully whisk in the warm cream; the mixture will bubble up. Whisk in the 4 tablespoons butter and the fine sea salt until smooth. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes, until thick but still spoonable.

7. Step 7.

   Spoon about 2 teaspoons of caramel into each shell. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set slightly.

8. Step 8.

   Microwave the white chocolate and 2 tablespoons cream in 20-second bursts, stirring each time, until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes, then spoon about 1 teaspoon over each caramel, spreading to the edges of the shell.

9. Step 9.

   Sprinkle each tart with a few flakes of sea salt. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set the chocolate, then serve.

Why the shell is pressed, not rolled

A mini tart usually means rolling dough, cutting circles and fitting each into a tiny cup. Pressing a sablé-style dough straight into the tin skips all of that. The dough is closer to shortbread than pie crust, so it does not need to be rolled thin or kept cold in the same way; it only needs to be cool enough that the butter has not melted into the flour. Keep the butter cold, stop mixing once the dough holds when squeezed, and freeze the pressed shells for 10 minutes before baking. That freeze keeps the sides from slumping as the butter melts.

Press the walls a little thicker than the base. The sides carry the filling, and they are the part that cracks if the shell is too thin.

Cooking the caramel to the right color

This is a wet caramel: sugar and water boiled until the water evaporates and the sugar itself begins to brown. The temperature rises quickly at the end, so stay at the stove. Use a light-colored saucepan so you can actually see the color, and swirl rather than stir once the syrup is boiling, because stirring can cause sugar crystals to form on the sides.

Take the pan off the heat as soon as the syrup reaches a deep amber. Caramel keeps cooking in the hot pan, and the difference between rich and bitter is only a few seconds.

Warm cream and a big enough pan

Adding cold cream to molten sugar makes it seize and spatter. Warm the cream first, 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave is enough, and pour it in slowly while whisking. The mixture will rise dramatically, so use a saucepan that looks too large for the amount of sugar. If a few hard bits form, put the pan back over low heat and whisk until they dissolve.

Getting a caramel that stays put

The caramel should be thick enough to hold a mound on a spoon before you fill the shells. Cooling it for 15 to 20 minutes does most of the work; pour it in while still hot and it will run over the edge and soften the crust. After filling, a short chill finishes the set, which also gives the white chocolate a stable surface to sit on.

A good thick jarred caramel, the type sold for filling or dipping, can replace the homemade caramel, about 1 cup in total. Thin ice cream topping will not work, since it stays runny.

The white chocolate layer

Use bar white chocolate with cocoa butter listed in the ingredients, chopped fine, rather than chips, which are formulated to hold their shape and can melt into a thick, grainy paste. Heat gently in short bursts. White chocolate scorches easily, and overheated chocolate turns grainy. The small amount of cream turns it into a ganache that sets to a soft, spreadable layer instead of a hard shell that cracks when you bite in.

Make ahead and storage

The shells can be baked 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container, or frozen for up to a month. The caramel keeps for a week in the refrigerator; warm it gently before spooning. Assembled tarts hold for 3 days covered in the refrigerator. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving so the caramel softens.

Variations

Dark chocolate: replace the white chocolate with semisweet, and use the same quantity and cream.

Crunch: sprinkle a few finely chopped toasted pecans or crushed pretzel pieces over the ganache before it sets.