Miso Caramel Tarts with Chocolate Ganache for Two

Perfect if you’re looking for tea party dessert recipes, this recipe makes two mini, or 1 small, miso caramel and chocolate tarts. They taste like mini salted caramel chocolate tarts, but with an extra umami flavor from the miso! The miso caramel is super easy to make and the tarts are so cute!

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I cannot begin to explain how much I adore the mini tarts. I’m flipping obsessed with miso caramel, and the combination of miso caramel and chocolate ganache is honestly too amazing for words.

If you have a bit of time and a smallish tart tin lying around, I highly recommend trying these out!

Why make these Miso Caramel Tarts?

Miso Caramel – The caramel for these tarts is incredible. Honestly, you could just make the caramel and have it on vanilla ice cream. It’s that good. It really is the element in these tarts that takes them to the next level.

Perfect Tea Party Dessert Recipe – if you’re looking to host the cutest high tea party ever to have graced your home, then look no further. These elegant mini tarts are perfect for a tea time spread. If you’re looking for a couple other things to go with it, you should try my mini Victoria sponge cake, which is an English classic!

Perfect for Two – This little recipe perfectly (and generously) serves two!

Chocolate Ganache – the chocolate layer for these tarts is made from a decadent chocolate ganache which is so easy to make and tastes lovely.

What Do I Need to Make these Mini Tarts?

In terms of equipment you’ll need:

• Mini Tart Pans: I use miniature square ones, but any tart tins that are about 3-4 inches in diameter will work. Alternatively, you can make 1 5-inch tart. (Here are some examples of mini ones and 5-inch ones)
• Small Pan – to make the caramel you’ll want the smallest pan you have available!
• Kitchen scales – as with all my recipes, especially my small batch ones you’ll need a kitchen scales. Scales are incredibly accurate and aren’t too expensive (this one would work well or this one if you want something a little more high end)

For the ingredients you’ll need the basics like flour, sugar, butter and salt. Additionally, you’ll need:

• Miso: I used a medium miso (or red miso) but light miso (or white miso) would work well too.
• Heavy cream: In some countries, you’ll find whipping cream or double cream instead.
• Chocolate: I used a mix of dark and semisweet chocolate for this recipe. If you know you like a sweeter tart, feel free to sub milk chocolate in for the semisweet chocolate.

How to Make this Recipe

Step 1: Make the Pastry

The pastry is the most time consuming step of the whole process because you have to let it rest a couple times. That being said it’s actually pretty easy to make!

Start by rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until you don’t have any large pieces of butter left. From there you stir in ice cold water and gently knead the dough together by hand.

Wrap the dough in your reusable kitchen wrap of choice (beeswax wraps work well) and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Step 2: Make the miso caramel

While the pastry is resting, get started on the caramel. You’ll want to use your smallest pan (I used this one) and start by melting your sugar. Check out the expert tips below for caramel tips!

Once the sugar is melted stir in the butter followed by the cream. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the miso.

Step 3: Bake your pastry

Set your oven to 350 F and then it’s time to go back to the pastry! 

Roll out your pastry and line your tart tins. You’ll want to roll the pastry quite thin on a well floured counter using a floured rolling pin. 

Line your tart cases with the pastry and then return them to the fridge for 10 minutes while your oven finishes heating.

Then bake your tart cases for 17-20 minutes until the pastry is fully baked and lightly browned.

Step 4: Make the chocolate ganache

While the pastry bakes, you can start on the ganache. Simply chop your chocolate and place it in one bowl. Microwave the cream in a separate bowl in 10 second increments until very hot but not boiling.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes before stirring it together. For ganache tips you can look at this chocolate ganache post I wrote that has tons of troubleshooting info!

Step 5: Assemble

Now that all your components are ready you can assemble! Start by spreading the miso caramel in the bottom of the tart cases. Then pour over the chocolate ganache. 

Let the tarts set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and then you can eat them as is or decorate with melted white chocolate !

Expert Tips 

How to Make Caramel without it Crystallizing

Caramel can be a little tricky in that sometimes it can crystallize. I have two tips to help you avoid crystallized caramel! 

1. Don’t use a non-stick pan. A non-stick pan promote crystallization, so stick to enameled cast iron or stainless steel.
2. Water can help stop the caramel from crystallizing. You can achieve this result by either putting a lid on your pan (evaporating steam from the sugar will condense on the lid and add water back into the caramel) or grab a little pastry brush and a cup of water and carefully brush down the edges of the pan with water as you go.

Recipe FAQs

What exactly is miso?

Miso is a fermented soybean paste that’s originally from Japan. It’s often used in soups (Miso soup!) and sauces in Japanese cooking.

What does miso taste like?

Miso tastes quite salty with a lovely umami flavor that’s very savory.  The flavor actually works really well in desserts because it balances out the rich, sweet flavors from things like chocolate and caramel. 

Other recipes you might like:

• Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies – Small Batch Recipe
• Mini Heart Shaped Almond and Pear Tarts – another great mini tart recipe if you’re more interested in a fruity option
• 4-Inch Cake Recipe– Victoria Sponge in case you’re in the mood for an elegant tea party!

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Miso Caramel Tarts with Chocolate Ganache for Two

Perfect if you’re looking for tea party dessert recipes, this recipe makes two mini, or 1 small, miso caramel and chocolate tarts. They taste like mini salted caramel chocolate tarts, but with an extra umami flavor from the miso! The miso caramel is super easy to make and the tarts are so cute!

5 from 10 votes

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Equipment

• Kitchen scales
• Mini tart pans (either 2 pans about 3.5 inches in diameter or 1 5-inch pan)

Ingredients

  

Pastry

• 50 g flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 25 g butter
• 2.5 tsp ice water

Miso Caramel

• 10 g sugar
• 4 g butter
• 15 g cream
• 1 tsp miso

Chocolate Ganache:

• 75 g cream
• 40 g dark chocolate
• 30 g milk or semi sweet chocolate

Decoration (optional):

• 2 tbsp white chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and then rub it into the flour with your fingertips. Once the butter is in very small pieces, add the cold water and stir with a butter knife to combine. Knead the dough together gently until it just forms a ball, and then wrap in plastic wrap or a reusable wrap and refrigerate for half an hour while you make the caramel.
• In your smallest sauce pan cook the sugar over medium heat until it starts to caramelize. To avoid crystallization, cover the pan with a lid or use a pastry brush dipped in a glass of water to brush down the sides of the pan where crystals normally form.
• Once the sugar has caramelized, stir in the butter followed by the cream and then remove from the heat and stir in the miso. Set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 350 F.
• Roll out your pastry and line your tart tins. You can use two 3-4 inch tins or 1 larger 5 inch tin. Make sure to roll your dough as thin as possible without it breaking, in order to achieve the crispiest pastry!
• Refrigerate your lined pastry cases for at least 10 minutes. This helps reduce shrinking in the oven.
• Prick the base of your pastry a few times with a fork or sharp knife, and then bake for 17-20 minutes until lightly golden brown on the base.
• Let the cases cool for a few minutes before adding half the caramel to each tart (or all of it to the 5-inch tart if you used a larger tart ring). It’s okay if the caramel has set slightly, the warmth of the pastry will soften it. Spread it out with a spoon or small spatula.
• Let the tarts cool out of their tins for 5 – 10 minutes, and while it is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. To do so, finely chop the chocolate and set it aside. Heat the cream in a small bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments until very hot but not boiling. Add the chopped chocolate to the cream and let sit for 5 minutes before whisking to combine. If the chocolate hasn't fully melted, you can microwave it again for a few seconds. Pour the ganache into the tart shells.
• Let the tarts set in the fridge for about half an hour before decorating and eating.
• You can absolutely eat the tarts as is, but if you’d like to decorate them with a little white chocolate, you’re more than welcome to! To do so, just melt a couple tablespoons of white chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave and then transfer to a small homemade parchment piping bag or a small plastic piping bag. Cut a very small opening on the end and pipe straight lines across your tarts. Or whatever decoration you’d like! Alternatively, whip a little cream with some icing sugar and pipe or spoon the cream onto your tarts.

Notes

This recipe will work well in either two miniature tart pans that are around 3.5 inches in diameter, or in one larger 5-inch tart pan. Alternatively, you could also make this in muffin pans. Roll and cut the pastry, so it comes halfway up the muffin tins, and you should be able to make 3-4 tarts depending on the size of your muffin pan.