Every once in a while you’ll come across a dessert recipe that’s so delicious, so rich and so fancy looking but is so easy it will make you look like a genius. That’s this recipe. I swear you’re gonna be a hero when you lay this Chocolate Glazed Tart out on the table.

Chocolate Glazed Tart

I’m always looking for recipes that are low effort with a big pay off and this Chocolate Glazed Tart is one of them. As a matter of fact, many tarts are. Tarts are like a cheat – most look fancy but are actually easy. That’s probably why that phrase “tart” came about to refer to certain ladies. Or not ladies? O.K., let’s not go there…Some tarts have a pastry crust which is always more effort but so many tarts are made with a press in cookie or shortbread type crust or a crumb crust, either graham cracker or cookie crumb like this one. That makes them super simple, and they always seem special just because they’re tarts.

About Chocolate Glazed Tart:

So get yourself a 9″ tart pan with a removable bottom and you know I’ll keep posting recipes for them! And then make this glorious deep dark chocolate on chocolate on chocolate tart and make everyone at the table go nuts!

I adapted my Chocolate Glazed Tart recipe from a recipe at Epicurious. I’ve actually made it a few times over the years and changed it up since it was first published in Gourmet in 2006. That must have been shortly before the magazine went under…I always enjoyed reading Gourmet and dreaming of the recipes I might make for the imaginary dinner parties I’ll probably never have! Another one of my fave super easy desserts came from Gourmet, too. It’s the flourless chocolate cake I call Inner Sanctum Chocolate Cake.

But back to this tart! It really is deep, deep chocolate flavor. From the bottom of the perfect cookie crumb crust, the lush deep dark chocolate pudding-like layer all the way up to the gorgeous glaze – it has such a smooth finish it’s almost mirror like. You can see in the photos that the glaze actually reflects the bit of whipped cream I’ve piped around the edge. It’s so rich you do need that whipped cream or maybe just a big glass of milk. If you’re not a fan of deep, deep chocolate flavor, sub in some lighter milk chocolate for some of the semi-sweet in the filling but don’t touch that glaze, it’s perfection!

Chocolate Glazed Tart – just look at that whipped cream reflected in the glaze.

Making the Crust for Chocolate Glazed Tart:

So let’s talk about the crust for my Chocolate Glazed Tart. The original recipe called for a problematic chocolate graham cracker crust, but chocolate grahams can be hard to find and different brands of graham crackers seem to react a bit differently in the crust. Plus graham crackers seem to be always changing in size over time and with different brands.

I use my Oreo crust (which snobby me found was even better than my chocolate wafer crust.) So go Oreo coz they’re easy to find! If you want to read more about making an Oreo crust, see Mastering Oreo Crust like a Boss. If you use a different cookie, press the crumbs together in your palm after it’s mixed. If it holds together you’re golden. If it doesn’t you might need to add a bit more butter, about 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) at a time.

Chocolate Glazed Tart

Making the Chocolate Glazed Tart:

This tart really only takes minutes to make; the majority of the time is spent waiting for it to cool, first the crust, then the filling, then the glaze. For the filling, I just heat up my cream in pyrex measuring cup in the microwave. It takes me a minute and a half, but microwaves vary, so keep an eye on it. Then it’s just a matter of pouring the hot cream over the chocolate and stirring everything together. Watch the Chocolate Glazed Tart carefully in the oven towards the end of the cooking time. It will seem very liquidy in the last few minutes and then in a blink, it’s done. So it goes from pretty raw to done quickly. For best results, make sure it’s still jiggly in the middle. Why do I want to sing “get jiggly with it?” I’m so weird sometimes.

I use chocolate chips a lot when I make this tart, but the better chocolate you use, the better the tart will be. For me, even semi-sweet is a bit dark, and I’m a chocoholic. I think maybe because the tart itself has no sugar the chocolate flavor is intensified. If you aren’t cray cray about dark bitter chocolate, go half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet and see what you think.

When the tart comes out of the oven, it might be puffy – and you might wonder how you’ll glaze it. Don’t worry, it comes down to a nice, even layer as it cools. When you glaze, do make sure the cream is good and hot so the glaze stays liquidy, make sure your tart is at room temp, and know you’ll only get one shot at it. It’s easy to glaze, though – just drizzle your chocolate mixture and turn and tilt the tart. Don’t touch it or try to smooth it or the glaze will be marred. And while the tart, I think, needs that whipped cream, the whipped cream can also cover any imperfections in the glaze around the edge of the crust. I actually double the glaze from the original recipe…it’s just gorge!

Chocolate Glazed Tart

Serving the Chocolate Glazed Tart:

There’s one more thing about this tart – when you cut it, go straight down, then pull your knife straight back towards you, horizontally, so to speak. Wipe the blade and make the next cut and your slices should come out beautifully without the layers smearing together. To lift the slices out, feel with the tip of your knife for the edge of your tart pan; it will be about 1/4″ in, and make sure to slip the knife between the crust and the tart pan bottom. Be careful so the crust doesn’t crumble.

So would you serve this tart at Thanksgiving, as long as you had at least one pumpkin dessert? I would, at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s or any dinner party! If you’d like to see a few of my other pics for Our Favorite Thanksgiving Desserts, watch my little video, below.

Saving Money on Chocolate Glazed Tart:

I already mentioned I often use chocolate chips for the chocolate and Oreos for the crust, and I don’t really do it so much for cost savings, although both probably are a savings over some of the other options. The chips I use because I usually have them and the Oreos because they really do make a fantastic crust.

If you’re looking for better chocolate, Aldi has a couple great bars; they’re oversized candy bars but I often use them for baking and of course, you’ll find great chocolate and other gourmet items at Trader Joe’s.

There is a little corn syrup in this tart, in the glaze. It makes the tart glaze gorgeously shiny with just the right fudgy texture. People freak about corn syrup but do keep in mind that there is a difference between corn syrup and the commercial high fructose corn syrup. Wipe the lip carefully before you seal it up and it will keep, literally for years in the cupboard, even after it’s open.

Chocolate Glazed Tart

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I’ll be sharing my Chocolate Glazed Tart at Fiesta Friday #250, cohosted this week by Jenny @ Apply To Face Blog., Jess @ Cooking Is My Sport, Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com. Thanks, guys for hosting for us for so many Fiesta Fridays! #250 is a landmark for sure!