pretzels in a dessert? hell yes! this recipe was inspired by last seasons dark chocolate + pecan pie (a thanksgiving & christmas staple) & then became something entirely different! good different though, always. it features a tart shell base made with bob's red mill's all-purpose flour & shortening for extreme flakiness.
this recipe yields two 6-inch tarts (as pictured here) OR one standard 9-inch tart. instead of pecans i used toasted walnut halves which gives the tart a whole new flavour, mini salted pretzels & a big splash of coffee liqueur! you should know by now how much i favour a sweet & salty dessert. this tart is an amazing make ahead dessert too as it stays fresh longer than cookies or cake (a must during the busiest hosting season).
note: my biggest tip is to make sure you don't overbake it! remove it from the oven when the edges are firm but the center has a little jiggle. you don't want to overbake this filling as the texture will be off.
happy start to the holiday season! get out those flour covered aprons & make this salted pretzel walnut tart :)
ingredients
for the dough
- 1 1/2 cups bob’s red mill all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup shortening, cold
- 2 tablespoons ice water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
for the filling
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup light or golden corn syrup
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves, lightly toasted
- 3/4 cup mini pretzels
- smoked flaked salt, garnish
- vanilla ice cream, for serving
directions
for the dough
- in a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar & salt. add the shortening & work into the flour until a crumbly mixed is formed. add the water & shape into a disc. cover in plastic wrap & let chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. if using two 6-inch tart shells, divide dough into two before rolling out. if using one 9-inch tart shell, roll dough out as one. transfer to a tart shell with a removeable bottom & shape to form crust. chill until ready to use.
for the filling
- preheat oven to 350(f) degrees. chill prepared tart shells.
- in a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, coffee liqueur, vanilla & salt until well blended. gently fold in the walnuts & pecans.
- transfer mixture to prepared tart shell(s) & bake for 30ish minutes (6-inch) to 45 minutes (9-inch), until the edges have set & the center has a slight jiggle.
- let cool to room temperature & refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. slice & serve with vanilla ice cream!
