Dark Chocolate Brownie Tart (Print Version)

A luscious tart featuring fudgy dark chocolate brownie nestled in a crisp shell with optional fresh garnishes.

# What You Need:

→ Tart Shell

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 1–2 tablespoons cold water

→ Brownie Filling

07 - 7 ounces dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1/4 cup brown sugar
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

→ Optional Garnish

15 - Cocoa powder or powdered sugar for dusting
16 - Fresh berries or whipped cream

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
02 - Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl. Rub in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cold water, mixing until dough just forms; add extra water if necessary. Shape into a disk, wrap, and chill for 15 minutes.
03 - Roll dough on floured surface and press into tart pan. Trim edges and prick base with fork. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake 15 minutes, remove weights and paper, then bake an additional 5 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool slightly.
04 - Melt chocolate and butter together over simmering water or in bursts in microwave, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.
05 - Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt into melted chocolate mixture until combined. Fold in flour gently without overmixing.
06 - Pour brownie batter into cooled tart shell and smooth the surface evenly.
07 - Bake for 18–20 minutes until edges are set but center remains slightly soft. Avoid overbaking as tart continues to set while cooling.
08 - Cool tart completely on wire rack. Dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar and garnish with fresh berries or whipped cream before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crisp tart shell adds a buttery crunch that makes every bite feel fancy without any extra work.
  • It slices cleanly and looks bakery perfect, so you can pretend you planned it all along.
  • The dark chocolate filling stays fudgy in the middle, giving you that melty brownie texture people crave.
  • You can make the shell ahead and fill it the day you need it, which saves you from last minute panic.
02 -
  • Do not skip chilling the tart dough, or it will shrink dramatically in the oven and leave you with a sad, tiny shell.
  • Pull the tart out when the center still looks a little underdone, because carryover heat will finish the job and keep it fudgy instead of cakey.
  • Use a removable-bottom tart pan so you can lift the whole thing out cleanly and avoid a messy serving disaster.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you can, because too much will make the shell tough and the filling dense instead of fudgy.
  • Let the tart cool completely before slicing, or the filling will ooze everywhere and you'll lose those clean, bakery-style edges.
  • Use the best chocolate you can afford, because it's the star of the show and cheap chocolate tastes waxy and flat no matter what you do.
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