CINNAMON CARAMEL TARTS

By foodiva

Ingredients

• 200 g/ 7oz '00' Flour
• 85 g/ 3oz icing (confectionary) sugar
• 150 g/ 5 1/4oz unsalted butter - cubed
• large pinch salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp water
• 280 g/ 10oz white caster sugar
• 125 ml/ 1/2 cup double (heavy) cream
• 100 g/ 4oz unsalted butter - cubed
• 1 tsp cinnamon (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
• 170 g/ 6 oz milk chocolate - finely chopped
• 15 g/ 1/2 oz unsalted butter
• 60 ml/ 1/4 cup double (heavy) cream

Details

Servings 20
Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 90mins
Adapted from littlesugarsnaps.com

Preparation

Step 1

To kick off my …er… caramel season I have these superbly indulgent Cinnamon Caramel Tarts. Inside of each sweet, crunchy pastry shell is a tempting layer of buttery caramel which has been jazzed up with the addition of cinnamon. Well, it is autumn and I do like my spice. This dreamy caramel is hidden under a milk chocolate glaze that balances the deep, decadent caramel perfectly.

The caramel is, as you would expect – deeply rich, creamy and buttery. However, the salt, vanilla and cinnamon combine with it to produce an altogether more wickedly sophisticated affair.

All of that does indeed add up to 3 equally perfect layers.

I won’t lie, these Cinnamon Caramel Tarts do take a little time to prepare but since they are the perfect

I also know that the thought of making caramel can be a bit daunting if you’ve not attempted it before (should I stir – yes/ no/ does anybody know?) I do recall my bitter disappointment when my first attempt at caramel making went horribly wrong. Looking back, I was simply naive and ill prepared. Once I’d actually taken the time to read some proper instructions and followed them carefully, then I started to produce some respectable caramel.

Use the best (heavy based) pan that you have and avoid using any pan that is non-stick as the high heat of the caramel can damage it.

refined sugar. Golden or brown sugars make grainy caramel a more likely outcome – trust me, I have tried several times to use golden caster sugar (thinking I was being smart) and ended up with a pan of substandard grainy gloop.

Add the water first, followed by the sugar and try to spread the sugar evenly across the pan since this allows the caramel to cook more evenly.

Do not stir. As the sugar melts you can gently swirl the pan a couple of times to redistribute the mixture and aid the even cooking.

Don’t rush it. Allow the sugar to melt over a medium heat. Allow around 15-20 minutes to make a batch of caramel.

When you add the cream be very carefully as the liquid may bubble up and splatter a little bit.

Remember that caramel is extremely hot – take care and do not be tempted to taste as you cook (oo-oo-ouch

Yields

Put the flour, salt and butter into a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand/ breadcrumbs and no lumps of butter remain

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and drop in the egg yolk. Use a blunt knife to stir in the yolk then, using your hands, bring the dough together

Roll out the pastry to around 2mm thick. Using a plain round pastry cutter, cut out 20 circles, re-rolling once. My cutter was approx 7cm, but you may need to vary this depending on the size of the holes in your tart tins

Gently press the pastry rounds into the cavities in your baking tins and prick the bases with a fork. Cover with clingfilm and put back in the fridge to chill for an hour

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C/ 325°F/ GM3

Make the Caramel*

Put the water into a heavy based saucepan. Spread the sugar on top in an even layer

Set the pan over a medium heat and allow the sugar to gradually melt. As it melts you can gently swirl the pan a couple of times to ensure the caramel cooks evenly, but do not stir it

Once the sugar has melted, the caramel will begin to darken. Continue to let it cook until it reaches a lovely amber colour (but keep a close eye on the caramel as it can burn easily)

Add the butter and pour in the cream, taking care as it can bubble up and is extremely hot. Mix with a small handheld whisk until everything is fully incorporated

Put the pan back on the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 2 minutes (if you have a sugar thermometre aim for 108°C-110°C. Any clumpy bits of caramel should melt back in nicely whilst you are stirring

Take off the heat and stir in the cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully pour the caramel into the pastry cases

Make the Chocolate Glaze

Using a bain marie** melt 2/3 of the chocolate with the butter. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until completely melted

Stir in the double cream and mix or whisk for 1-2 minutes until shiny and glossy. Don't worry if your glaze looks grainy initially, just keep on whisking and it will turn glossy

Top each tart with a generous teaspoon of the chocolate glaze and spread out to completely cover the caramel

Add sprinkles if desired and leave to set for around 45 minutes

1. Making the caramel requires a little patience as it is best to let the sugar gradually melt over a moderate heat. Expect the process to take around 15 minutes

**A bain marie is the fancy name for a water bath: a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. The chocolate goes into the heatproof bowl to melt. The bowl must not touch the hot water

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