Pumpkin-Beer Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Tarts
Pumpkin-Beer Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Tarts, what a long title for a mini sized dessert! Let’s put size aside, these mini tarts pack loads of flavor. The pumpkin beer caramel is unique-but in a good way, the chocolate-pretzel tart shell adds a balanced salty element, and the rich chocolate ganache ties everything together.
Don’t be intimidated by the long title of this dessert. The caramel filling is the easiest thing to make. You’re basically melting down soft caramel candies with heavy cream and beer. Reserve one bottle of beer for drinking and the other for the caramel filling and you’ll be good to go.
So how on earth did I even come up with this combination? Of course, I was inspired by Halloween, fall, and pumpkins. But, I also wanted to make something Oktoberfest inspired, hence the beer and pretzels. I know, I know pumpkin beer is not German! But German beers won’t work as well as a rich dark stout or brown ale like the one I used.
I made two versions of the caramel filling, one using a bourbon stout and the other using a pumpkin ale. My husband liked the bourbon stout better but I preferred the pumpkin ale. So…Pumpkin ale it is 😉 
This is definitely an adult dessert, I mean kids get candy for days on Halloween; so why not reward the parents with a sweet treat as well. If you’re feeling generous, you could omit the beer and just use cream and share the tarts with your kids…but do you really want to??
Things You Should Know:
- The chocolate pretzel tart shell requires some rice flour and all-purpose flour. It makes dough a little crispier. You can find rice flour at any grocery store and it’s fairly cheap. I’ve seen it at Target and Vons. However, you can just use all-purpose flour if that’s what you have on hand.
- When pressing the dough into muffin pan, make sure you press down enough so the tart shell doesn’t come out too thick when you bake it.
- If you’re not into beer you can solely use heavy cream and maybe add a pinch of pumpkin spice for a little kick.
- The salted caramel candies from Trader Joe’s did not work to well with this recipe when I made it the first time. I suggest using Lancaster Caramels or Werther’s Chewy Caramels.
- Allow the tarts to sit in the fridge covered for about an hour so the filling sets and doesn’t ooze out when you take a bite. It looks cool in a picture though!
Recipe adapted from davidlebovitz.com
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white rice flour OR 1 cup AP flour total if not using rice flour
- 1/3 cup pretzels, chopped into small pieces
- 6 Tbs natural cocoa powder
- 8 oz soft candy caramels
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin beer or any type of stout
- 2 Tbs heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch pumpkin spice optional
- 4 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 6 tbs heavy cream
- flaky sea salt, for garnish optional
- Place chocolate chips in a small heat proof bowl. In a small sauce pan, heat the cream until it begins to bubble on the sides. Turn off heat and pour cream over chocolate. Let it sit for a minute then whisk together until smooth. Allow the ganache to slightly cool then cover and place in fridge to set.
- Butter the indentations of mini muffin tin and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, rice flour(if using), chopped pretzels, and cocoa powder.
- Using a handheld mixer or by hand, beat together butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg, salt and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mix and using a spatula mix until just incorporated.
- With a spoon or using your hands, take some dough and roll into 3/4-inch balls and place in muffin tin. Using your thumb, press the down in the center of each indentation and again with your thumb press the dough up the sides. **If the dough is too sticky, dampen your fingers VERY lightly with water. Place pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small sauce pan, heat pumpkin beer to a medium boil and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Keep watching until the liquid has reduced in half. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl. Using that same pan, melt the caramels, 4 tablespoons of reduced pumpkin beer (if using), and cream and whisk until smooth. Add the salt and set aside. *** If you're not using beer, then use all heavy cream for sauce.
- Bake tart shell for about 8-10 minutes until dough appears dry and cooked. Remove from oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to widen and smooth the inside of the little tart shells, pressing the dough that’s puffed up somewhat firmly against the sides. Don't skip this step. Work quick while dough is still warm. Set aside until completely cooled. Then remove from muffin pan and set on wire rack.
- Fill mini tarts with caramel 2/3 of the way and set aside ( you might have extra caramel sauce, you use it for garnish or use for ice cream later). Scoop the chocolate ganache with a butter knife or small metal spatula and scrape off excess. Top with flaky sea salt- optional or extra caramel sauce.
