Soft, chewy filling and a delicious, crunchy crust – this chocolate brownie tart with brown butter crust is bursting with chocolate flavour and will make a great addition to your holiday table.
(Love brownies? Me too! Try these super fudgy walnut brownies with chocolate chips or these rich and chocolatey mascarpone swirl brownies.)
This chocolate brownie tart is the child of two amazing recipes.
The filling, I adapted from Lee Ann Flemming’s take on Minny’s Chocolate Pie (yes, the one from the movie with the secret ingredient!) but instead of a ready-made crust, I used David Lebovitz’s take on Paule Caillat’s French tart dough.
I’ve been experimenting with that dough for a while, mostly on lemony things, but haven’t had much success. I took a break, switched to chocolate, and I’m incredibly happy with the result!
The tart is chocolatey, soft and chewy. It’s not your typical ganache or fudge tart filling; it’s closer to a brownie.
The crust, on the other hand, is butter browned in the oven, moulded onto the pan and baked to crispy perfection.
Together, they come together as this amazing chocolate brownie tart that’s sure to please the chocolate lovers in your life this holiday season.
Minny’s chocolate pie
In the movie, the whole town loved Minny’s chocolate pie. We all know how it turned out in the end lol!
But ever since I saw the movie
(and subsequently read the book
), I’ve always wondered about that pie (minus the you-know-what of course).
I’m a geek like that. Have you seen my carbonara recipe inspired by Criminal Minds
? Or my treacle tart from Harry Potter?
Anyway.
There are many recipes out there but they all seem to originate from Lee Ann Flemming’s version, which I used here.
The only change I did was add espresso to make it even more chocolatey. And, well, I made a tart instead of a pie. Using a different dough.
David Lebovitz’s French tart dough
For that I turned to David Lebovitz. I have been working on his lemon tart recipe for what seems like ages but I just could not get it right.
I’m not giving up on that but in the meantime, I used the tart dough recipe here.
The dough is essentially butter that you brown in the oven. The fact that you do it in the oven really appealed to me because I haven’t been successful in browning butter on the stove either.
But enough of my kitchen fiascos. The crust is glorious.
It’s easier to manage than most tart and pie crusts and it tastes amazing. I had to double the ingredients to make enough for this 9-inch tart.
Chocolate brownie tart with brown butter crust
Together, they make this amazing chocolate brownie tart with browned butter crust that the whole town will absolutely talk about!
It’s rich, decadent, perfect for the holidays.
Top it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, dust with cocoa powder and you have a dessert fit for any celebration.
Chocolate Brownie Tart with Brown Butter Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Brown Butter Crust:
- ½ cup unsalted butter + 4 tbsp, cubed
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
For the Chocolate Brownie Filling:
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 2 pcs large eggs room temperature and beaten
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup espresso or any strong coffee room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
For the Brown Butter Crust:
- Preheat oven to 410F.
- In a large oven-proof bowl, combine all ingredients except the flour.
- Place the bowl in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the butter starts bubbling and starts turning brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and carefully add in the flour (watch out for butter fireworks!). Stir until it starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl and sticks together in a ball.
- Transfer your tart dough to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom and allow to cool slightly or until it is cool enough for you to handle (it's pretty hot!).
- Once it cools, start to evenly spread the dough on the bottom and up the sides of your pan (see notes).
- Prick the bottom and sides of your dough with a fork.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until it turns a light golden brown (see notes).
- Remove from oven and allow the crust to cool while you work on your filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350F.
For the Chocolate Brownie Filling:
- In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients until smooth and thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into your prepared crust and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the filling starts to set around edges but still a little wobbly in the centre (see notes).
- Transfer to a rack to cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
Notes
- The original recipe suggests reserving a small amount of dough for patching up any cracks after the tart shell is cooked. I’ve found that I never need to do this. If making the crust for the first time, you can do it for good measure.
- If you think the sides of your crust are getting too brown too fast, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil halfway as you wait for the middle portion to catch up.
- Do not over bake the tart; otherwise it will get very tough. Start checking for doneness at 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy baking!
Did you make chocolate brownie tart with brown butter crust? What’s your favourite kind of tart? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Arlene
Do you have a video of this recipe? From: Arlene
Jolina
Hi Arlene! I don’t have a video of this recipe yet. Will add it to my to-do list 🙂
Joanna Bayford
This looks delicous love the idea of a chocolate brownie as the filling. Definitely want to make this over the weekend.
Eileen Cotter
Nothing sounds better to me than a tart mixed with a brownie! Looks absolutely divine.
Deborah Regen
Wow, reading this post is like watching an episode of that UK baking competition TV show – a guilty pleasure. I am sure this tart tastes out of this world, and I am not that big of a “chocoholic.” Lovely photos.
David Elliott
Those chocolate dishes look delicious. I know that my daughter would love all of them. But the tart with the chocolate looks awesome. I would love it and I will have to try making it with my daughter.
Marielle Altenor
You seriously can’t go wrong with a chocolate brownie tart! Just makes sure you’re the one making it! lol I remember gagging and laughing at the same time when she revealed her secret ingredient.
Jolina
Right?? Haha me too. Such a good movie. And a great book too!
Michelle
That crust looks incredible! What an indulgent dessert 🙂
Rose
I have never made a tart or chocolate type pie. Sadly I’m currently close to the end of my cocoa powder so this recipe is on hold for a minute!
Ali Rost
These look a lot like the brownies I grew up making, from my mom’s old, yellowed church cookbook, that doesn’t even have an image on Amazon. It’s my favorite cookbook of all time. Thanks for reminding me of them and I love the twist of baking them into a tart and the brown butter crust sounds divine. x