Pâte Sucrée Au Chocolat (Chocolate Tart Dough)

Pâte Sucrée Au Chocolat (Chocolate Tart Dough)

A simple, no-fuss chocolate tart dough that's buttery and tender like a shortbread cookie, yet stable enough for all your favorite tart fillings! Includes instructions for 3 different size tart pans and times for both par-baking and blind baking.

Course brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 25

Chill time 1

Total Time 2 10

Servings 9.5" round tarts, 8 mini tarts (4"), or 20 tartlets (2.6")

Author Kathleen Culver

Equipment

Ingredients

180 grams all purpose flour
40 grams cocoa powder sifted. Either Dutch or Natural are fine. I use Dutch for darker color and flavor.
½ teaspoon kosher salt
170 grams unsalted butter room temperature
100 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white room temperature, for egg wash
1 Tablespoon water for egg wash

Metric - US

Instructions

To a medium bowl, add flour, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
180 grams all purpose flour, 40 grams cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Cream on medium speed 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl.
170 grams unsalted butter, 100 grams granulated sugar
Add flour mixture. Mix on low speed until coarse and grainy, about 1 minute. Scrape sides to incorporate all butter.
Butter pieces should break down into a combination of sandy mixture and very small lumps.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix on low for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
The dough should start to pull together into a ball.
1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gather the dough into a disc shape and place between two sheets of parchment.
Roll the dough into an 11 inch diameter circle (28 cm) with a thickness of slightly less than ⅛ inch thick (3 mm).
If dough is still cool enough to be workable, proceed. If dough is sticky and warm, place in fridge for 5-10 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
Peel the top layer of parchment off the dough. Loosely replace the parchment, flip the dough over, and discard the top layer of parchment.
Use your hand under the parchment to carefully flip the rolled out dough onto the tart pan.
With one hand, carefully lift the sides of the dough away from the sharp tart edge. Using your other hand, gently press the dough into the base and corners of the pan. Do not trim the extra dough yet.
Ensure that no empty air space remains between the dough and the pan. If any cracks or tears occur, patch with extra dough scraps. It's very forgiving!
Move untrimmed tart onto a baking sheet and and chill in the fridge, uncovered, for a minimum of 1 hour.
Remove chilled tart from refrigerator. Trim the excess dough with a knife held parallel to your work surface to ensure the tart shell has a clean edge.
Use a fork to dock the base of the dough (prick holes in it.) Hold the fork flat to dock the sides of the tart in two horizontal rows.
See process photos in recipe instructions for reference. If using a perforated tart pan, docking should not be necessary.
Place docked tart shell in freezer to chill while oven preheats.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177° Celsius, Gas mark 4) with rack in center of oven.
Place tart shell onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15* minutes if par-baking. For a fully blind baked crust, bake for 25* minutes. The aroma of buttery chocolate is a helpful indicator. Remove from oven and turn off oven. Let tart cool for 10 minutes.
*Reduce bake times by 5 minutes for 2.6" tartlet and 4" mini tart pans to start.
Whisk together the egg white and water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, thinly brush the egg white mixture onto the base and interior sides of the tart.
1 large egg white, 1 Tablespoon water
Put tart back into cooling oven for 5 minutes to set the egg wash.
You may need to add a pie shield here to protect the edges of the tart from browning too much. Strips of aluminum foil are fine, too.
Remove from oven. Cool completely in tart pan on a cooling rack.

Notes

Yield

When rolled to ⅛-inch (3mm) thickness, this recipe makes:

2 round tarts (9.5 in / 24 cm)
8 mini tarts (4 in / 10 cm)
20 tartlets* (2.6 in / 6.6 cm)

* If using 3-inch (7.6 cm) tartlet pans, expect about 14 tartlets.

Rectangular pans

While I haven’t tested this dough in rectangular tart pans, it yields more than enough for one 5 x 14-inch or 7 x 11-inch tart. Baking time should be similar to the large round tart.

Halving or freezing the dough

This recipe makes enough dough for two large tarts. If you only need one, you can halve the recipe—just lightly beat the egg yolk and use half (roughly 1½ teaspoons) if you don’t have a digital scale.

Or, make the full batch and freeze half for later. Flatten the extra dough into a disc, wrap it well in plastic, and place in a freezer-safe bag. It will keep for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.

Dough thickness

This recipe is written for dough rolled to ⅛ inch (3mm). If you prefer a thicker crust, increase the baking time accordingly.

Leftover dough

Extra dough scraps? Cut out small shapes with cookie cutters and bake them on a parchment-lined sheet for about 10 minutes. Use them to decorate your filled tart—or snack on them plain or sandwiched with something sweet.

Egg wash tip

No egg white on hand? No problem. You can skip the egg wash, or brush a thin layer of melted chocolate onto the cooled tart base to help seal it before filling. Choose a chocolate—white, milk, or dark—that complements the flavor of your filling.