This is one of the recipes shared on this week’s Keto Woman podcast.
The base is actually twice as much as you need for the amount of topping but it freezes well or you could make some cookies at the same time or double the topping mix if you wanted to make eight at once. They are mega rich and so four is ample for two evenings for two people - gotta love leftovers! The reason I made twice the required shortbread mix is that half the mix isn’t really enough to get mixed up well in a food processor - plus I don’t need much of an excuse to make cookies too!
Shortbread Base (1)
- 100g (3 1/2 oz) almond flour
- 45g (3 Tbsp) unsalted butter cut into smallish pieces
- 1 Tbsp sweetener (2)
- a square of chocolate (about 10g) - grated or finely chopped
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of vanilla powder or splash of essence
Truffle Topping
- 50g (1 3/4 oz) chocolate (85% min)
- 50g (1 3/4 oz or just over 3 Tbsp) butter
- 200ml (just over 7 fl oz) cream
- 1 to 2 Tbsp sweetener (2)
- a pinch of salt
- whatever you fancy decorating with - whipped cream, mascarpone, toasted flaked almonds, grated chocolate, raspberries, whatever you like.
Preheat the oven to165ºC (330ºF)
You will need moulds of some kind. I used a silicon tray of heart moulds. You could make it in one block and then cut it up - maybe a single heart that you shared? Use anything you like but it will need to have high enough sides to support the mix as it sets.
A quick note about units of measure. As you can tell, I use metric. This recipe is not going to crash and burn if you are not spot on with the measurements. It actually works on a simple ratio so you can use any amount you like as long as you stick to the ratio. So the base is just under half the amount of butter to almond flour. If you use half it will still work, it will just be a little fattier but no biggie. The topping is equal parts chocolate and butter to twice that total weight in volume of cream. Again, lack of precision will not impact that much - you will just end up with a slightly different texture most likely.
Shortbread Base
Dump the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it starts clumping.
Divide evenly between 8 moulds and gently press down but not too much as the base will be too dense.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they start to turn golden.
Leave them to cool while you make the topping.
Truffle Topping
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain marie or a bowl over a saucepan of water or even gently in the microwave if you re feeling brave. Stir well to combine into a nice glossy liquid.
Mix the sweetener into the cream and add to the chocolate mix, stirring well. It will thicken quickly into a stiff mousse. You could stir some booze in at this stage if you are feeling racy!
Add the salt and taste to see if the mix is sweet enough for your taste. If not, sweeten to your liking.
Divide the mix evenly between 4 of the moulds, press gently in and smooth the tops over. Leave to set in the fridge - preferably overnight.
Serve the tarts with whatever you fancy. I used mascarpone, toasted flaked almonds and grated chocolate. They are best left out of the fridge for a while to get to room temperature before serving to soften them a little and let the flavours really sing.
I hope you enjoy them. Please let me know if you try them.
- If you want an all chocolate shortbread base, add some cocoa and up the amount of butter a little bit.
- Sweeteners vary so much in sweetness and everyone’s sweet tooth is different so I recommend starting lower than I suggest, tasting and adding until you get it to where you want it. I always find that cooking knocks some of the sweet out so maybe just go slightly over on the raw tasting. I tend to use less than most recipes so you may well need to add and, depending what % chocolate you use will impact the need for sweet too. I have been using straight erythritol which you need more of to get the same level of sweetness as something like a stevia blend - hence the wide range in the topping ingredient list. Tasting the topping mix in particular should be no hardship - just make sure you leave enough to actually make the tarts with!