Made of a thin chocolate crust, a hazelnut praline past, a chocolate hazelnut pastry cream, and topped with a vanilla meringue, this Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Tart is silky smooth and full of flavor!

Side view of a hazelnut hot chocolate tart with torched meringue on top.

Can I make this without hazelnuts?

Yes! If you just want to make this as a chocolate pie, leave out the praline layer and increase the amount of chocolate filling by 1.5 so instead of 2 egg yolks you’ll use 3!

What pan is used for a chocolate tart?

I recommend using a removable base tart pan. This is the one I’ve used in this recipe and it is 9″ wide at the base and 9.5″ wide at the top. You could also use a deeper tart pan just note, the crust won’t reach all the way to the top.

How do you remove a cookie crust from a pie or tart pan?

My number one trick for easily getting the cookie crust out of the pan is to put the pan with the crust into the freezer. This helps release any butter that has sort of melted and attached to the pan. If using a removable base pan the freezer should do the trick but if using a pie pan I recommend using two skinny (approximately 2″ wide) strips of parchment paper to make a cross/ x shape between the crust and the pan.

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Tips for making Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Tart

The crust is thin and at first it won’t seem like enough dough but trust and it will be – take your time with this because it’s really the foundation of the whole tart.
If hazelnuts aren’t your vibe you could either swap them for another nut or make it a nut free tart by leaving out all of the hazelnuts and multiplying the chocolate filling by 1.5.
It will take a bit of patience to turn the candied hazelnuts into a paste but don’t fret, it will happen. The smaller the blender or food processor the better for this!
Be sure to use high quality chocolate for the chocolate filling. Chocolate chips include additives to hold their shape which means they won’t melt properly.
When the pastry cream starts to thicken it will first look a little lumpy but if you whisk vigorously it will smooth out – don’t stress you didn’t split it.
If you don’t feel like topping it with meringue, serving it with a pile of lightly sweetened whipped cream on top would also be delicious!

Ingredients

Butter: I prefer to use salted butter for the crust but unsalted works too, simply add another pinch of salt.
Sugar: White granulated sugar is used for candying the hazelnuts, the crust, and the meringue.
Brown Sugar: A bit of brown sugar is also used to candy the hazelnuts.
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon gives the hazelnuts that yummy holiday candied nut flavor!
Salt: Fine sea salt is used in all elements of this tart to balance out the sweetness and bring out the flavors.
Vanilla: A touch of vanilla is in the crust and the chocolate filling, vanilla extract is great for this! I like to add vanilla bean paste to the meringue but it’s not necessary if you don’t have it.
Cocoa Powder: Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder is used to give the crust that rich chocolate flavor.
Hazelnuts: Ideally you want to use unsalted but peeled hazelnuts. If yours aren’t yet peeled, follow the instructions to toast and peel them before candying.
Corn Starch: Corn starch is used to thicken the chocolate hazelnut cream filling but arrowroot or tapioca starch will work too!
Milk: Whole milk is best for this chocolate hazelnut cream filling but any milk should work.
Eggs: Large eggs from the store are used for this tart. There are egg yolks in the filling and egg whites in the meringue.
Chocolate: 60% chocolate is best here to not overpower the hazelnut flavor but 70% can work too.

Side view of a slice of Hazelnut Hot Chocolate tart on a white and blue plate.

How to make a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Tart

Candied hazelnuts

If not yet peeled, preheat your oven to 350 F. Pour the hazelnuts onto an unlined baking sheet and bake for five minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and give them a quick toss, then bake for 2-3 more minutes until the skins start to flake off.
Leave them to cool for a few minutes and then pour onto a kitchen towel. Use the towel and the friction of the hazelnuts against each other to rub the skins off- it’s ok if about 10% is still on.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a medium stainless steel pan, add in the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and water. Set over medium low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally until bubbling all over and the sugar has dissolved.
Pour 200 grams of the hazelnuts into the pan and stir to coat the hazelnuts.
Continue to cook and stir, allowing the water to evaporate until it starts to dry out and looks like sand coating the hazelnuts.
Turn the heat down to low and allow the sandy sugar to begin to melt again.
Stir occasionally until about 50%-60% of the sugar has turned back into a liquid.
Turn off the heat and pour the hazelnuts onto the lined baking sheet.
Leave them to cool while you make the crust.

Chocolate Crust

In a medium mixing bowl, melt down the salted butter in the microwave. Add in the sugar, salt, vanilla and cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
Lastly add in the flour and mix until just combined.
Press the chocolate crust into the tart shell. Press it first into the sides of the pan and then into the base. Use the bottom and sides of a metal measuring cup to smooth out and really press the crust into the pan. It should reach all the way to the top of the pan. If using the same pan.
Place the pan on a baking sheet. Put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to set while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake the tart for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes.
Take the pan out of the oven and leave to cool completely.

Hazelnut Praline Paste

In a small blender add in 200 grams of the candied hazelnuts plus 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Blend until a smooth liquid paste forms.
Pour 150 grams of the paste into the cooled chocolate crust, spread into an even layer and place in the fridge.
Don’t clean out the blender.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling

Roughly chop the chocolate and then add it into a medium heat safe bowl.
Pour 350 grams of the milk into the blender along with the remaining hazelnuts, another teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and blend until smooth.
In a medium sauce pot add in the corn starch along with 50 grams of milk and whisk into a smooth paste.
Pour the hazelnut milk through a fine mesh sieve into the pot with the corn starch slurry.
Whisk to combine and then add in both egg yolks.
Place the pot over medium low heat whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. It will first look a little lumpy but just keep whisking and it’ll smooth out.
Once thick and it has started to bubble, turn off the heat.
Pour the hazelnut cream over the chocolate in the bowl and let sit for a minute.
Whisk the chocolate into the cream until smooth.
Carefully spoon the cream over the hazelnut praline base of the tart and smooth into an even layer.
Cover the surface with a sheet of parchment to prevent it from forming a skin. Place it in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Meringue

In the bowl of a stand mixer (a hand mixer will work too, it will just take ages), add in the egg whites, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Place a medium sauce pot with 2″ of water onto the stove. Bring the water to a simmer.
Set the mixing bowl with the egg whites and sugar over the bowl of simmering water and turn the heat to low. The water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the mixing bowl.
Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly until the sugar has fully dissolved into the egg whites. To check and see if the sugar has dissolved, pinch and rub some of the mixture in between your fingers and feel if you still feel any of the sugar granules, if not you’re good to go. If you do just keep cooking a bit longer.
Once the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the water. Leave it to cool off for about 10 minutes.
Using your mixer, whip the egg white mixture first on medium and then on high speed until fluffy, shiny and stiff.
Add in the vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract will work too!) and whip again until combined.
Once set, remove the plastic wrap from the surface of the tart and carefully press the tart base up and out of the shell.
Loosen along the edges where the base and edges of the tart shell connect, if you press just from the center you have a higher chance of the crust breaking.
If you’re nervous about removing it from the base you can always leave the tart on the pan base.
Either with a piping bag and tip or a big spoon, top the tart with the meringue. If you have a kitchen torch you can lightly toast the surface of the meringue.
Slice with a big sharp knife straight down through the tart. Clean the knife between each cut to get beautiful clean slices.

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