Caramel Nut Tart Recipe

Mixed nut tart on a white platter with gingham napkin and rolling pin.

5 from 8 votes

This caramel nut tart recipe features a rich shortbread crust topped with a sweet and salty mixed nut caramel. An indulgent treat for your next special occasion!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Chilling Time1

Total Time1 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 423kcal

Author: MaryAnne

Equipment

11" fluted tart pan

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 ½ large egg yolks blended with 1 ½ Tablespoons ice water

For the Filling:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup firm-packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup pecans
⅔ cup hazelnuts
½ cup whole walnuts
⅓ cup shelled, salted pistachios
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Pastry:

To make the pastry, put all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Run a few seconds to blend. Add the cold butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle dough with yolk and water mixture and pulse until dough begins to gather into dough. Gently gather into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes.
Grease an 11-inch fluted, false-bottomed tart pan. Using your fingers, pat the dough into the pan until it is about ⅛-inch thickness. Trim away excess at pan's rim. Chill tart shell at least 30 minutes.
To bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Line tart shell with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place on baking sheet (to avoid butter dripping in oven) and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Make the Filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Cook over low heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and whisk until mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, or until large bubbles form.
Remove pan from the heat and quickly stir in nuts and cream. Immediately pour the mixture into tart shell. Spread out evenly to cover the entire surface of the pastry.
Bake on baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature

Notes

Make ahead. If you are short on time, this tart can be made in several steps. The shortbread dough is chilled twice, so you can make it and chill it overnight.
When you press the dough into your tart pan, be sure to press dough all the way up to the top of the fluted edge.
Storage: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Work fast. When making the caramel filling, add the nuts and cream quickly and pour into tart shell immediately. After the nuts and cream are added, the caramel cools down fast, making it thicker and easier to set.
Recipe adapted from The Splendid Table.

Nutrition