Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart with a Graham Cracker Crust

A tart that isn’t intimidating and tastes like heaven? Yes, please! This dark chocolate salted caramel tart with graham cracker crust has a few steps but is totally approachable for all to make — and it’s absolutely delicious.

Whether you’re a baking novice or pro, you can master this chocolate and salted caramel tart with ease, and you’ll love to share it with your favorite sweet tooth.

Salted Caramel Tart Recipe

There are some recipes that the mere thought makes me excited to bite into them, and this is one of those. I’m not sure it gets better than a buttery graham cracker crust covered with thick, gooey caramel and a rich chocolate layer, sprinkled with flaky sea salt over top. I mean, who else is salivating?! I know I’m not alone. This recipe is unreal… I’ll just leave it at that.

And the best part is that it’s a tart that won’t drive you crazy when making it (as I’ve been told many tarts are known to do). There are quite a few steps in the directions, but it’s all totally doable and simple, whether your a baking expert or complete novice. If you can follow easy directions (which I know you can), you’ll be golden! This is such a fun dessert for holiday parties or big family gatherings because it seems fancy and intricate, but really it’s just simple and delish!

Can I make a tart without a tart pan?

Yes! In fact, I didn’t use a tart pan here. You can use a 9×13-inch baking pan or even a pie tin, and pinch the edges for a pretty scalloped edge.

How do you keep tart crust from getting soggy?

Baking your crust before adding the caramel and chocolate sauces will prevent it from getting soggy. You could also brush it with egg to add an extra barrier, but the caramel is so thick that it shouldn’t make your crust soggy, anyway!

Do I grease a tart pan?

If your tart didn’t have a crust, you would want to grease it well. But the buttery graham cracker crust is a great texture that shouldn’t stick to the pan on its own.

Can I make a tart ahead of time?

Yes, you can! You can store the tart covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, so it’s a great dessert to make ahead of a party or other big event. Just set it out at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart with a Graham Cracker Crust

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• Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Total Time: 1.5 hours
• Yield: Serves 10 1x

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Description

A tart that isn’t intimidating and tastes like heaven? Yes, please! This dark chocolate salted caramel tart with graham cracker crust has a few steps but is totally approachable for all to make — and it’s absolutely delicious.

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Ingredients

• 14 graham crackers, crushed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter, melted, divided
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• Sea salt

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, granulated sugar, half of the melted butter (1/2 cup), and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir together until well combined.
2. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. When the crust is done baking, let it cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
3. While the crust is cooling, make the caramel. In a medium pot, add the rest of the butter (1/2 cup) to the pan.
4. Add the brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and then stir to combine.
5. Over medium heat, allow the caramel to come to a boil. Let the caramel gently boil, while stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F. on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.
7. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust, and then spread it out evenly. Let it cool for 30 minutes.
8. While the caramel is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and then add all of the chopped chocolate.
9. Let the chocolate sit in the hot cream for about 30 seconds, and then stir until melted.
10. Pour the ganache over the caramel, and spread smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle the hot chocolate with a little more sea salt, about 1/4 teaspoon.
11. Refrigerate the tart until set, about one hour.
12. Beat the rest of the whipping cream to make whipped cream to serve on top. When you are ready to serve, remove the tart from the fridge, and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
13. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

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Notes

• Adapted from Country Living Magazine September 2012 issue.
• The original recipes has you make the tart in a tart pan, which would be beautiful. It calls for an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. The original recipe also used chocolate graham crackers and added 1 1/2 cups of toasted pecan halves to the caramel when the vanilla is added. All of these things would be tasty.

• Category: dessert
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chocolate tart, chocolate dessert, tart, salted caramel recipe

This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated and rephotographed in October 2019.

The dessert you’ve been missing in your life, this chocolate and salted caramel tart is everything you could want and more in a sweet treat — including simple, step-by-step instructions to make it with ease!