This post is sponsored by Lizi’s Granola
A well made chocolate tart is a thing of beauty, elegant and perfect for a valentines day treat. Made with a silky smooth chocolate filling and a thin crisp pastry base, it’s a delicious classic dessert. But what if you don’t have the time to make pastry or a baked chocolate filling? You make these no bake chocolate tarts, of course. In the place of the pastry a no-bake tart crust is made, with Lizi’s Granola, which adds both ease and speed but also a whole load of texture which is just fabulous to eat. For this particular recipe I chose the Lizi’s Original Nuts and Seeds Granola as the texture it provides made for a great tart base and most importantly a delicious flavour. The filling is a simple ganache made with almond milk and brown sugar for a warm toasty note that goes great with the chocolate and granola.
As you’ll see from the ingredients the recipe is vegan and whilst you could make swaps and switch in dairy if you’re not vegan I would encourage you to try it as written anyway. For the crust I like to use virgin coconut oil which has the flavour of coconut and adds a great layer of flavour to the whole dish. For the ganache I use an almond milk that has a hint of bitter almonds that adds to the nutty complexion of the dish. Dairy has stronger flavours so using a something more subtle like almond milk allows the full flavour of the chocolate shine through in the ganache.
When making the ganache it is important that the chocolate mixture ends up incredibly smooth and silky and to that end there a couple of guidelines to follow to ensure the perfect end result. Chop your chocolate nice and fine, this way the milk doesn’t need to be as hot to melt big chunks of chocolate. Bring the milk to a steam or just to a simmer but do not let it boil. Firstly some plant based milks do not like being boiled and they can split if they become too hot but most importantly the chocolate wont appreciate the milk being too hot. Ganache is an emulsion and the heat from the milk can cause the cocoa butter to separate leading to a split ganache. Once you have properly heated the milk you want to pour to over the chocolate and set aside for a few minutes before stirring together. This pause allows the chocolate to melt and the milk to cool down slightly so that when stirred together it forms a silky emulsified texture and you get the best possible texture for your tarts filling.
Whilst these tarts are incredibly easy to make they do need a little refrigeration time to get everything set so they are perfect made for a dinner party, or half the recipe to make a date night dessert perfect for you valentine.
Note: to get 15% off your next order of Lizi’s Granola use the code theboywhobakes15 on lizs.co.uk
No Bake Granola Chocolate Tarts
Makes 4
Tart Crust
175g Lizi’s Original Nuts and Seeds Granola
80g coconut oil, room temperature
Pinch of fine sea salt
Vegan Ganache
265g dark chocolate, finely chopped
50g light brown sugar
115ml almond milk*
To make the crust place the about 2/3 of the granola into a food processor, with the blade attached, and process until fine and crumbly. Add in the remaining granola, the oil and salt and process until everything is evenly combined and the mixture is clumped together. Divide this mixture equally between four loose bottomed 10cm tart tins and press firmly into the base and up the sides of the tin.
Place the tart cases in the fridge whilst you work on the ganache.
Ganache is most commonly made with chocolate and cream but for a vegan ganache I typically turn to a water ganache, a simple mixture of water and chocolate. Because the water has no flavour of its own the flavour of the chocolate is pure and unadulterated so with this style ganache its best to use a chocolate you absolutely love. For this particular recipe I am using a kind of hallway house between cream and water, almond milk which (depending on the brand you use) can add a subtle almond flavour to the ganache.
Place the chocolate into a bowl and set aside. Add the almond milk and sugar to the pan and gently heat until just steaming then pour over the chocolate and set aside for a couple minutes before stirring with a whisk until a silky smooth ganache is formed.
Pour the ganache into the chilled tart cases and place into the fridge until the ganache has set, a couple hours.
Serve with a little vegan whipped cream or sour cream if you're not vegan.
Kept refrigerated these will keep for 3-4 days.
*you can you use any plant based milk for this recipe but I like using an almond or coconut version as both have flavours that can compliment chocolate.