Chocolate Caramel Tartlets

Chocolate Caramel Tartlets

Ingredients: 
Chocolate Dough:

4 ounces unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 T Dutch process or natural cocoa powder

Caramel Filling:

4 ounces soft butter caramels

3 T heavy cream

Ganache:

4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (our extreme dark is also great here)

6 T heavy cream

Instructions:

To make the tartlet dough, beat the butter and sugar until just smooth, using a mixer or by hand. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder. Then combine with the creamed butter mixture. Butter the indentations of a mini muffin tin. Roll dough into 3/4 inch balls and work each ball into the indentations of the muffin tin using your thumb to press dough firmly against the bottom and sides. Freeze the pans of dough for 20 minutes. Quantity should make approx 24 tartlets.

While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough appears dry. Remove from the oven. While hot, use the handle of a wooden spoon to push down any puffiness and widen the inside of the tartlet. This helps create a nice clean edge to the outside of your tartlet and any imperfection caused on the inside will be happily hidden beneath the caramel and ganache! Then let cool completely.

For the caramel filling, heat the caramels and the cream over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spoon the caramel into each tartlet shell.

For the chocolate ganache, start by heating the cream in a small saucepan or double boiler. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit for a minute, then whisk the chocolate into the cream until the mixture is smooth. Top each tartlet with the ganache and then swipe the excess* with the back of a spoon. Finish each tartlet with a sprinkle of sea sal