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    Home - Tarts

    Published: Mar 4, 2016 · Modified: Oct 5, 2021 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Chocolate Pudding Tarts with Cracker Crust

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Lusciously silky smooth chocolate pudding sit on top of a delicious sweet and salty cracker crust and topped with a light vanilla coffee whipped cream. These chocolate pudding tarts  prove that chocolate + vanilla and sweet + salty are everything.

    This post is a sponsored conversation with Nielsen-Massey. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I love and keeping the oven on at A Cookie Named Desire “kitchen-quarters”

    Lusciously smooth chocolate pudding tarts with a sweet and salty cracker crust. This easy no-bake recipe proves sweet and salty is the best flavor combination.

    I love sweet and salty desserts. The way the salt brings out the other flavors in the dessert while balancing the sweetness to keep it from being too cloying is just… delectable. That’s why when the amazing people behind Nielsen-Massey asked me to create a delicious chocolate and vanilla treat, I knew I wanted it to be something that was both sweet and salty and this sumptuous chocolate tart with a sweet and salty cracker crust seemed perfect.

    Lusciously smooth chocolate pudding tarts with a sweet and salty cracker crust. This easy no-bake recipe proves sweet and salty is the best flavor combination.

    Chocolate is my favorite in desserts. Dessert almost doesn’t feel complete without it. But I don’t often like plain chocolate on its own. I mean, it’s good and all, but I usually want something a bit more. That’s why I love making chocolate desserts so I can enhance the flavors of the chocolate to create a more rounded treat. Everyone knows coffee really helps to amplify the flavors of chocolate – and why I adore the coffee extract from Nielsen-Massey, but vanilla is really where it is at with flavoring chocolate. If you look carefully, you will see nearly every chocolate dessert has some vanilla added. That’s because the vanilla brings out floral notes in the chocolate and helps balance all the other flavors playing together in your dessert. It adds complexity and depth in a way no other flavor can with chocolate. And this is especially true with these chocolate pudding tarts.

    Some people use the term peas and carrots. For dessertoholics like me, it’s chocolate and vanilla. You can look through my journals and see “chocolate + vanilla 4 ever” inside elaborately decorated hearts everywhere. I call them chocnilla power couple. Harold McGee, the noted author behind On Food and Cooking, notes, "Added with a light touch, vanilla can contribute a sense of depth, warmness, roundness, and persistence to almost any food." And who is going to argue with Mr. McGee?

    Lusciously smooth chocolate pudding tarts with a sweet and salty cracker crust. This easy no-bake recipe proves sweet and salty is the best flavor combination.

    My first taste of high quality vanilla actually came from a bottle of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste I found at a great price at a store near me. At the time I was really becoming interested in using finer ingredients in the kitchen and was immediately drawn to this bottle. The smell was intoxicating and the favor of the vanilla bean paste was unlike anything I’ve ever had in my life. So when I was deciding on which Nielsen-Massey vanilla products to use in this recipe, I knew it had to be this paste. I just had to. You can use any of their vanilla products to make the chocolate pudding tarts, but I can’t recommend this enough.

    Besides the amazing balanced flavors of these mini chocolate pudding tarts, the recipe is deceptively simple to make. The chocolate pudding filling takes moments to whip together. The hardest part is the waiting for the pudding to set in the refrigerator. But can I let you in on a little secret? I only let the tarts chill for about 20 minutes before I decided to dig in and they were still incredible!

    Lusciously smooth chocolate pudding tarts with a sweet and salty cracker crust. This easy no-bake recipe proves sweet and salty is the best flavor combination.

    Note: To keep the flavors balanced and allow the chocolate and vanilla to shine, I recommend brands such as Late July or Annies which are organic, free of artificial flavors and preservatives.

    Fore more vanilla inspiration, check out Nielsen-Massey on Insta!

    Chocolate pudding tart with a cracker crust and fresh whipped cream

    Chocolate Pudding Tarts with Cracker Crust

    Amanda Powell
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Servings 6 4-inch tarts

    Ingredients
      

    For the Crust

    • 2 ½ sleeves crackers finely crushed (about 2 ½ cups)
    • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

    For the Pudding

    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup cornstarch
    • 5 large egg yolks room temperature
    • 2 cups milk
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 5 oz dark chocolate
    • 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
    • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey coffee extract
    • 2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste

    For the Whipped Cream

    • ⅔ cups heavy cream
    • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste
    • ½ teaspoon Nielsen-Massey coffee extract
    • ¼ cup powdered sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the crackers and sugar together in a food processor and pulse to blend. While the food processor is running, drizzle in the melted butter until it is fully incorporated and the mixture looks like wet sand. It should stick together when pressed.
    • Evenly divide the crumbs among six 4-inch tart pans. Press the crumbs along the bottom and sides of the pans, being sure to press firmly. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool until it is at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
    • Make the filling. In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch together until well combined. Add the egg yolks and mix until well combined and light in color. Turn on the heat and slowly drizzle the milk and heavy cream to the pan, whisking the mixture constantly.
    • While continuing to whisk the mixture, bring the saucepan to a light boil and let it boil for about 30 seconds before immediately removing from the heat. Add in both types of chocolate and both extracts and whisk in until full incorporated.
    • Allow to cool to room temperature, whisking often to prevent skin from forming. If skin does form, simply whisk it back in.
    • Take out the tart shells. Strain the pudding into the tart shells using a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
    • Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably up to 4 hours.
    • When almost ready to serve, chill your mixing bowl and whisk until chilled through – at least 10 minutes if using a metal bowl, you may need to chill for longer if using a glass, ceramic, or plastic bowl. Add the heavy cream, extracts, and powdered sugar, Whisk until stiff peaks form.
    • Dollop whipped cream over the pudding and serve. Optionally top with cracker crumbs and chocolate shavings.
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire
    Chocolate pudding tart with a cracker crust and fresh whipped cream

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    About Amanda Powell

    Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rachel says

      April 27, 2016 at 12:13 am

      Hi! Just out of curiosity, do these make 6 full-sized tarts? Like, 9 inch tarts? Or would it be a smaller pan?

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        April 27, 2016 at 12:24 am

        Hi Rachel, excellent question! I mentioned in the body of the post that my tart pans were about 4 inches wide. I went ahead and moved it to the recipe so hopefully it is now more noticeable!

        Reply
    2. Sabrina says

      March 10, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      These look great! Love the salty cracker crust and that's the same vanilla bean paste I use 🙂

      Reply
    3. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

      March 07, 2016 at 1:40 am

      That chocolate pudding inside looks AMAZING so silky and smooth (and I can imagine delicious too) Xx

      Reply
    4. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

      March 04, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      Graham cracker crusts are my fave!These pudding tarts look to die for 🙂 Pinning!

      Reply
    5. Olivia @ livforcake says

      March 04, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      These pictures are stunning! So dreamy. And the tarts sound delicious. Yum!!

      Reply
    6. Liz @ Floating Kitchen says

      March 04, 2016 at 8:16 am

      These are a thing of beauty! I love the salty notes in the crust. And the touch of coffee extract is perfection! I agree - it's those little additions that make chocolate desserts oh so wonderful! Swoon!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        March 04, 2016 at 11:01 am

        I love chocolate on its own, but when you add a dash of coffee and vanilla it just takes it way over the edge <3

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Amanda! I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese. While I'm mostly self-taught, I recently received a degree in Food Science!

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