turtle

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Greetings to you all from baby land! We’re two weeks in with our new little guy, and I’m thrilled (read: shocked! amazed! perplexed!) to tell you that we’re actually doing so well. I’m not sure what I anticipated this time to be like, but we’ve had such an outpouring of love and support that this transition has been mind-blowingly sweet.

Here in the South, people go all out when you have a baby. There’s gifts and baby snuggling and offers to babysit the bigger kids, of course, but hands down my very favorite perk (outside of the baby itself, duh) is all of the food people bring you. Casseroles, baked goods, snacky treats, and booze show up at your door more frequently than the UPS guy on Amazon Prime delivery day. People bring you lasagnas and pot pies and tossed salads like your milk production depends on it, and this kind of generosity is one of those Southern hospitality things that I love so much. Since I’ve had fewer meals to make, I had time to create a new treat to share with you all today: chocolate caramel pecan tarts.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts

Sweet and salty is my all-time favorite, and the combination of chocolate, salted caramel, and a buttery pecan and graham cracker crust is just the ticket. Made with Diamond Nuts  pecans, these little tarts are a show-stopper and definitely qualify as one of those desserts that people will be talking about for a long time. Although they may appear to be complicated, there’s plenty of shortcuts and make-ahead options that will simplify the baking of these little treats.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Tarts

To prepare them, we start by crushing graham crackers and finely chopping pecans. Sugar, salt, and melted butter are added to the crumbs and the sand-like mixture is pressed into the bottom of mini tart pans with removable bottoms. The bottomless pans make for easily removal so that your tarts look tidy and seriously professional. Bake the crusts for a few minutes at 350 degrees and get started preparing the ganache.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Equal parts dark chocolate and warm heavy cream are stirred together. A thick pourable chocolate can be layered into the bottom of the baked shells. Once the ganache has had a chance to set, the chocolate caramel pecan tarts are ready for their second layer, salted caramel sauce. You can make your sauce homemade (I prefer this recipe!) or purchase it from the store. I love homemade caramel and almost always have a jar in my fridge; if this intimidates you, just opt for the store-bought. Spoon a couple of tablespoons on top of the set ganache and allow to caramel to cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Serving the Tarts

At this point, the chocolate caramel pecan tarts can rest in the fridge or even freeze. When you’re ready to serve them, bring them to a cool temp and top with a creamy dollop of whipped cream. A sprinkle of toasted pecans finishes out these chocolate caramel pecan tarts and they’re ready for serving. These little treats are a sweet and salty delight your guests will seriously enjoy.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

I’ve had the most fun working with Diamond Nuts this past year. It’s incredibly easy to support and brag on a brand you love and trust. Their partnership has been one I’ve loved sharing with you. I’ll leave some links below so that you can give their products a try in your own home. If you’re looking for a recipe to try right away, I hope you’ll give try these. The pecans are the stars of the show, and this crust is one to use in other recipes as well. If you make time to bake them for yourselves, let me know what you think in the comments below! As always, thank you for supporting brands that make Wood and Spoon possible.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts by Wood and Spoon blog. These are pecan graham cracker crusted mini tartlets filled with a dark chocolate ganache, a salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, and toasted pecans. THe recipe makes 4 mini desserts fun for parties and are a rich sweet and salty treat for all year round. Almost no bake and simple to make! Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

For more nutty recipes like these chocolate caramel pecan tarts you should try:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Sweet and Savory Rugelach

Pecan Apple Dutch Baby

Honey Cake with Figs and Whipped Cream Cheese

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Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tarts

These chocolate caramel pecan tarts are sweet and salty minis with a pecan graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache, salted caramel sauce, and whipped cream topping.

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 60
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 9 full (140 gm) graham cracker sheets, finely crushed
  • ¾ cup (90 gm) pecans, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup (50 gm) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons (100 gm) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup (240 gm) heavy whipping cream
  • ¾ cup salted caramel sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • Extra pecans for garnish

Instructions

To prepare the crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the graham cracker sheets, pecans, sugar, and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl, stirring to combine. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture comes together in a wet sand consistency. Pat the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of 4-4”” tart pans and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling. Note that if your crust goes into the oven warm, it could slouch while baking. You can carefully (don’t burn yourself!) press the crumbs back up the sides when done baking as needed, or just chill the crust prior to baking.

To prepare the filling:

  1. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Gently heat 1/2 cup of the cream on the stove or in the microwave until it’s about to start bubbling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and whisk to combine the two. Pour 1-1/2 heaping tablespoons into the bottom of each slightly cooled crust and place in the fridge to chill.
  2. When the ganache has firmed up, gently warm the caramel to a spreading consistency and spread 3 tablespoons into each tart, completely covering the ganache below it. Place in the fridge to set.
  3. When ready to serve, whip the remaining ½ cup cream with the sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form. Spoon large dollops on each tart and garnished with toasted chopped pecans. Enjoy!

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Turtle Ice Cream & MONTH OF CHOCOLATE

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Y’ALL. It’s already here, and I’m so excited that I could almost pee my pants. We’re celebrating something way better than Christmas morning, the first day of school, or even a second date with a major hottie, because today marks the beginning of MONTH OF CHOCOLATE.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Month of Chocolate

Do you guys remember all the chocolate shenanigans we partook in last year? There were homemade chocolates and a white chocolate layer cake. There was a hazelnut mocha cream pie and two minty desserts: sandwich cookies and a mint brownie ice cream cake. We played with cocoa powder and dark chocolate bars, mini chocolate chips and fudgy ganache. Basically it was a sticky-sweet month of decadent chocolate desserts, and those few short days were so glorious that it had to be a tradition in the making. So people, today we start the second annual #monthofchocolate, and yes, it’s okay to cry real tears of joy. I know I am. Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Turtle Ice Cream

Before you get too hot and heavy on all this chocolate business, let’s chill out with one of the best homemade ice creams I have ever had the pleasure of shoveling down my gullet. It’s turtle ice cream, a rich and creamy chocolate ice cream swirled with toasted pecans, hot fudge sauce, and salty-sweet caramel. Perfectly sweet with just a teensy bit of crunch, and every bit as decadent as a chocolate ice cream should be. Let’s chat about how to make it.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

For the best turtle ice cream, we need the best sauces to mix into it. To make my favorite homemade caramel, we cook sugar and water in a saucepan until it has bronzed to an amber hue. Next, warm cream is added to transform that caramelized sugar into a gooey sauce. Once combined, the caramel is finished with a bit of butter and a helping of salt.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

My favorite hot fudge sauce is even easier to make. Cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and chocolate are melted together in a saucepan until boiling. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and then add the butter, vanilla, and even more chocolate. Allow both sauces to cool before adding to your ice cream, or, better yet, make them a day or two in advance. They will keep well in the fridge.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Ice Cream

The base for this turtle ice cream is adapted from Jeni Britton Bauer’s genius recipe. Cream, milk, and evaporated milk are cooked with sugar and corn syrup until boiling. Cocoa powder is added next, followed by a cornstarch slurry that will thicken up the turtle ice cream. Continue to cook the mixture until thick and bubbly, and then add the remaining ingredients: chopped bittersweet chocolate and salt.

The mixture needs to chill completely before we attempt to process it in the ice cream machine, so to speed up the process, I like to use Jeni’s ice bath method. Pour the hot cream mixture into a gallon-sized plastic bag and fill the sink or a giant bowl with ice water. Submerge the plastic bag in the icy water to cool the mixture in about 30 minutes. Once completely chilled, the mixture is ready to be processed in an ice cream machine.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

Churning the Ice Cream

You can follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice cream base into a chocolatey oasis. For reference, my machine usually requires 20 minutes. Just whiz it in your machine until it is the consistency of fro-yo and then layer in your ingredients. I add a quarter of the ice cream to the pan and then sprinkle on the pecans. Drizzle spoonfuls of each sauce in next, and then repeat the process until all of the ice cream has been sauced up. Swirl it all together with a knife and then freeze the container in a cold part of your freezer for about 6 hours, or overnight.

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

This turtle ice cream is a sweet and salty tribute to chocolate, the perfect way to start the #monthofchocolate festivities. Be sure to pop by here every week for the rolls, bars, and other delightful confections that you won’t want to miss out on. Give this turtle ice cream a try and let me know what you think! HAPPY CHOCOLATE DREAMING, Y’ALL!

Turtle Ice Cream by The Wood and Spoon Blog by Kate Wood. This is a creamy chocolate ice cream adapted from jenny Britton Bauer, swirled with salted caramel sauce, hot fudge, and toasted pecans. This ice cream is super creamy, rich, sweet and salty. The toasted nuts add crunch that makes this ice cream a simple delicious homemade treat. Find the recipe on thewoodandspoon.com

If you like this turtle ice cream you should check out:

Honey Salted Almond Ice Cream

No-Churn Mocha Brownie Fudge Ice Cream

Samoa Ice Cream

Chocolate Caramel Crumble Cake

Espresso Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

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Turtle Ice Cream

This turtle ice cream has a creamy chocolate base, toasted pecans, and swirls of hot fudge and salted caramel sauce. Sweet, salty, nutty, and delicious. 

  • Author: Kate
  • Prep Time: 35
  • Total Time: 400

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (240 mL) whole milk
  • 5 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 3 ounces (85 gm) bittersweet chocolate
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 cups (360 mL) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 (12 ounce) can regular evaporated milk, not nonfat
  • ¾ cup (150 gm) sugar
  • ¼ cup (80 gm) light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup (25 gm) cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup (30 gm) toasted pecans, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup hot fudge sauce, melted but not too hot
  • ¼ cup salted caramel sauce, melted but not too hot

Instructions

  1. Combine two tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ice cream, but re-stir this mixture occasionally. Chop the bittersweet chocolate and place in a medium sized mixing bowl with the salt. Make an ice bath in a large bowl or your kitchen sink big enough for a gallon-sized plastic bag.
  2. Combine the remaining milk, whipping cream, evaporated milk, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium sized (at least 4 quart) saucepan. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine, continuing to cook for an additional 4 minutes. To mixture will foam and bubble up, so be sure to keep stirring to keep smaller pans from overflowing! Pull the pan from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Place back over heat and continue to cook, stirring with a spoon or a spatula, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  3. Slowly drizzle the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and salt, stirring regularly. Once all is combined and smooth, pour the contents of the bowl into a gallon-sized plastic bag. Place the sealed bag in the prepared ice bath and allow to chill until cold.
  4. Once the mixture is chilled, pour the contents of the bag into a prepared ice cream processing machine. Make sure that your ice cream bowl is adequately chilled. Process the ice cream according to manufacturer’s instructions until thick and fluffy, like the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Spoon ¼ of the ice cream into a loaf pan or a container large enough to freeze the ice cream in. Drizzle with ¼ of the hot fudge and caramel and sprinkle with pecans. Repeat this process 3 more times until all the ice cream, sauces, and nuts have been used. Use a knife to swirl in the mix-ins and cover your loaf pan with a sheet of foil. Place the pan in the freezer to firm up, about 6 hours or overnight. Allow the ice cream to sit out for 5 minutes prior to scooping and ENJOY!

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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