There’s an old ad for Snickers Bars, where Mr T says “get some nuts!”. My Salted Caramel Nut Tarts are like that, only better. Five types of nuts and four different seeds get coated in salty caramel and tipped into tiny, mini muffin sized tart cases made from a crisp rice flour pastry that has a little bit of bite to it. They are the perfect little sweet cocktail nibble, and the rice flour pastry means that they are gluten free!
I’ve been dreaming of a caramel-nut-pastry combination for a while, and I was kind of convinced that I had such a recipe somewhere in my library… but I couldn’t find it. So I had to start from scratch. I have to say I was a bit worried, because while making caramel which tastes great is pretty easy, it had to have precisely the right texture to work for what I wanted. It had to be set, but not chewy or hard. Clearly this was a job for “too much butter” (plus too much sugar).
In fact, although the caramel is basically a one to one mixture of butter and brown sugar (with a little salt thrown in), the caramel component is relatively small. The salted caramel is just there to coat the nuts and keep everything together in the most delicious way possible, so these Salted Caramel Nut Tarts are “kind of” healthy, because nuts are good for you. Provided you only eat one or maybe two. Not the whole lot.
You can use any nuts you like, in a mixture or just one sort. I’m pretty sure that macadamias on their own would be a superb idea, for example. Go for your favourites or just whatever you have in the cupboard. If using brazil nuts, chop them up because they are too big for the little tart cases.
Gluten Free Salted Caramel Nut Tarts
Makes about 36 mini muffin sized tarts
Rice Flour Pastry
ingredients
1 1/2 cups rice flour (or use regular flour if desired)
125g cold unsalted butter, cubed
5-6 tbsp iced water
mixing
In a food processor, or with your hands, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over ice water and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix, because this makes the pastry tough.
Gather the mixture into a ball. Roll out between two layers of baking paper until about 2mm thick. Using a 5cm round cutter, cut rounds and gently press into mini muffin pans. Gently reform the dough and roll out again, repeating the process until all the dough is used.
Carefully prick the pastry across the base and sides, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool.
Salted Caramel Nut filling
if using only one type of nut, use 2 1/2 cups total
ingredients
1/2 cup roasted almonds
1/2 cup roasted cashews
1/2 cup roasted, skinned hazelnuts
1/2 cup walnut pieces,
1/4 cup pistachios
1/4 cup of a mixture of sunflower seed, pepitas and pine nuts (this is available pre-mixed in supermarkets)
120g salted butter
4 tbsp light corn syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
Sesame seeds and sea salt crystals to garnish
mixing
Combine the nuts and seed mix in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter, light corn syrup, and brown sugar in a small, heavy based saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, and boil until the mixture reaches 118 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and tip the mixture over the nut mixture. Stir to combine, and add salt to taste.
Working quickly (before the caramel mixture sets), drop tablespoons of the nut mixture into the baked tart cases, heaping the nut mixture up.
When all the tart cases are full, sprinkle sesame seeds and sea salt crystals over. Chill the tarts to set the caramel (this can also be done at room temperature).
Enjoy!xxx
