A delicious Twix-inspired chocolate tart that features a gluten-free, grain-free, vegan shortbread crust with a layer of vegan caramel topped with a layer of creamy, vegan chocolate mousse garnished with chocolate chips, shortbread crumbles, sea salt, and chocolate covered chia seeds!
This tart made all my dessert dreams come true! Tarts are HUGE. Like everyone loves them. They are insanely popular on Instagram, and I can say I fall under the their spell, especially when they taste like one of my childhood favorite candy, Twix!
I’m going to be completely transparent here… Tarts are not easy for me to make. Perhaps because I have to make them gluten-free and vegan… you have to have just the right ingredients paired with a very specified amount of each ingredient for the tart to set up correctly. I made this once for the blog and it didn’t not turn out perfect. Perfect looking that is. Instead of being completely smooth, the tart set up with ripples… and the crust was uneven. The second time I made this for my book, The Beginner’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Baking and it turned out much better, but there were still some bubbles in the chocolate layer. And you know what? That’s ok. We’re not after complete perfection here. I promise you’ll eat it so fast it won’t matter much that it has “blemishes” haha.
See, I’m a perfectionist by nature and put so much pressure on myself to create perfect ____________ (whatever it is, everything!). And sometimes that’s good, because God desires excellence, except when we put so much pressure on ourselves that it breaks us. As much as I love Instagram, it has a way of making us second guess our work (if your a small business owner like me), it has that way of breaking us- hi comparison trap! (or maybe that’s just me?). But you know what? I’m FAR from perfect, so I decided to post it anyway. Because, as I said, this “Twix” Tart is perfectly delicious and that’s what really matters. We all know it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?! 😉
Maybe I should call 2020 the year of imperfect vulnerability… Anyway, let’s get on with the ingredients, because I assure you, if I can make it- you can too! With the famous Twix candy bar in mind, I tried to get as close to that flavor combination as possible. I started with:
☆ A gluten-free, grain-free, vegan shortbread crust made with cassava flour, plant-butter, vanilla, maple syrup and a pinch of salt
Next comes:
☆ A layer of vegan caramel made with almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and a pinch of salt
Topped with:
☆ A layer of chocolate “mousse” made with coconut milk, dark chocolate, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt
Garnished with:
☆ Leftover mousse, leftover shortbread, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, coarse sea salt, and chocolate covered chia seeds! (all optional, but recommended!)
That’s it! I told you I’m all about easy tarts here. And even better news, you only need to bake the tart shell for about 20-25 minutes and the rest is just allowing it to set up in the fridge. And the piping design is totally optional by the way, but is super easy and it’ll sure impress your friends 🙂
I hope you make this tart with love, and not too much perfection. And I hope you enjoy it just as much as my family and I do! Also check out my GREEN APPLE TART and BLACKBERRY CURD TARTS for more tart inspiration. And if you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (I love seeing all your perfect re-creations!).
Tart piping design inspired by Julia over at DELIGHT FUEL! Julia is insanely talented and creates the most delicious naturally sweetened, gluten-free, vegan dessert recipes.
"Twix" Tart
A delicious Twix-inspired chocolate tart that features a gluten-free, grain-free, vegan shortbread crust with a layer of vegan caramel topped with a layer of creamy, vegan chocolate mousse garnished with chocolate chips, shortbread crumbles, sea salt, and chocolate covered chia seeds!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 3 cups cassava flour
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) plant-butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Caramel
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 5 tablespoons almond butter
- pinch of salt
Chocolate Mousse
- 1 can (13.5 oz) full fat coconut milk
- 8 oz dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnishes (optional, but recommended)
- Piped leftover chocolate mousse
- Shortbread crumbles
- chocolate chips
- cacao nibs
- coarse sea salt
- chocolate covered chia seeds
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk all the dry crust ingredients together, then add in the vanilla and maple syrup. Then "knead" in the plant-butter with your hands until your dough forms.
3. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with coconut oil and then press the crust into the tart pan.
*NOTE: You will have leftover crust, which you can make cookies out of (it's delicious!) and can use leftover baked crust to crumble on top of the tart
4. Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom of the tart, then bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges start to turn slightly golden.
5. While the crust is baking, make the vegan caramel. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Next add the maple syrup and bring to a simmer (not quite boiling). Then add in the almond butter and pinch of salt and whisk continuiously until the caramel thickens. Remove from heat and continue to whisk for a minute or so.
6. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to slightly cool, then pour the caramel into the crust and place the tart into the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
7. While the caramel layer is setting up, make the chcolate mousse layer. Heat all the ingredients in a saucepan until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is simmering, but not boiling, whisking frequently.
8. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat and allow it to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then pour it overtop of the caramel layer in the tart, and place it carefully back into the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, preferrably overnight.
**NOTE: you will have leftover chocolate mousse, simply pour it into a container and also chill in the fridge overnight and then you can pipe it onto your tart the next day
9. Once the tart is set, pipe any leftover chocolate mousse in any design you wish, then garnish the tart with shortbread cookie crumbles, choclate chips, coarse sea salt, and chocolate covered chia seeds (optional).
10. Keep the tart stored in your refrigerator. The tart will last for a 3-5 days.
Notes
* vegan caramel adapted from Pinch of Yum
