Description
A festive holiday tart featuring an espresso brown butter crust, silky peppermint bark ganache filling, and a vanilla bean whipped cream topping. It captures all the cozy flavors of a peppermint mocha in an elegant, make-ahead dessert.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp finely ground espresso or instant espresso
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- For the peppermint bark ganache:
- 6 oz Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark squares, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- For the whipped cream topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- For the chocolate drizzle:
- 2 oz dark chocolate, melted
- 2 tbsp hot heavy cream
- Additional peppermint bark squares, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brown the butter in a saucepan with espresso until fragrant and nutty. Remove from heat.
- Stir in sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour until a dough forms. Press into a tart pan and chill for 15–20 minutes.
- Bake crust for 18–22 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely.
- Heat cream for the ganache until just simmering, then pour over chopped peppermint bark. Let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Add butter and stir until glossy.
- Pour ganache into cooled crust and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Make chocolate drizzle by stirring hot cream into melted dark chocolate until smooth.
- Decorate chilled tart with whipped cream, drizzle chocolate over the top, and garnish with peppermint bark squares. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Substitute peppermint bark with dark chocolate and a few drops of peppermint extract for a stronger flavor.
- Swap espresso with orange zest in the crust for a chocolate-orange variation.
- Whole wheat flour can be used for a heartier crust.
- Make the tart the day before to allow flavors and textures to develop.
- Let slices sit at room temperature briefly before serving for best texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking, Chilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
