Almond Joy Tartlets

I made these a while ago for Club: BAKED and fell in love with these little tartlets! I was too busy to post about them when the group baked them, but I couldn't just leave the pictures in my "Cooking Photos" folder any longer so here they are...honestly the are one of the best things I've ever tasted. But, I am a huge coconut fan and love Almond Joy candies (I never buy them though, but, when Halloween rolls around, you can bet these are the first things I request from my kids :) )

Almond Joy Tart

Baked: Explorations
For the Almond Tart Dough
1 large egg1/4 cup whole toasted almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ( 1 stick ) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

For the Coconut Filling
8 ounces good quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut ( if you are coconut obsessed, go ahead and use 2 1/4 cups) -- I did
1 tablespoon light rum (I used Whaler's Killer Coconut Rum, love this stuff, very mellow with lots of coconut flavor)

For the Chocolate Glaze and Garnish

2 ounces good quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 ounces good quality dark chocolate ( 60-72% ), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 whole toasted almonds (I just added sliced almonds to the top)

Make the Almond Tart Dough


In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and set it aside.


Put the almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Add flour and salt and pulse again just until mixed. Add the butter and pulse until sandy ( about 6 to 10 quick pulses). Pour in the egg and pulse just until the dough begins to cohere into a ball. Form the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the Coconut Cream Filling


Place the white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.


In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the cream just to a boil. Pour it over the white chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds. Slowly, starting in the center of the bowl, whisk the cream and white chocolate until smooth. Cover and refrigerate the ganache for 4 hours or overnight before proceeding.


Assemble the Tart


Dust a work surface with flour. Place the disk of chilled dough on the work surface and divide it into 6 equal portions. Shape each into a smooth disk. (Note: The dough will be sticky. Make sure to turn it with a bench knife or offset spatula as needed and keep the working surface floured.) Use a rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a 5 1/2 inch circle just over 1/8 inch thick. Very gently press each dough round into a 4 inch tart pan with removable bottom.


Place the tart pans in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Line the tart crusts with aluminum foil, and fill each one three-quarters full with pie weights or dried beans. Bake them for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer the tart pans to a wire rack to cool. (I had some shrinkage problems because I didn't use pie weights, I would say for this recipe they are worth the extra effort, but if you don't care if you have a shrunken crust, don't worry about it :) )

Make the Coconut Cream Filling

Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the white chocolate ganache at medium speed until soft peaks form. Do not over whip. Gently fold in the coconut and the rum. Divide the filling evenly among the cooled tart shells and place them in the refrigerator while you make the chocolate glaze.

Make the Chocolate Glaze


Place the milk and dark chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl.


In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it is just about to boil. Pour it over the chocolates and whisk to combine. Let the mixture set for about 10 minutes. Remove the tarts from the refrigerator and spoon the glaze evenly over each one. Top each tart with one almond and refrigerate again until the glaze sets up, about 10 minutes.


The tarts can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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Like I said earlier, these were one of the most delicious things I've ever had or made. They are that good if you are a coconut fan.  Thanks to Linda at Sassy Is Baking for hosting this back in December 2011.  I am wishing I had these all over again, such delicious and decadent treat for any coconut fan!