Bready or Not: Salted Mocha Tart
This Salted Mocha Tart is incredibly easy and yet is an absolute showstopper of a dessert. No baking is required.
The graham cracker crust here goes perfectly with the coffee-forward flavor of the ganache. Mind you, I don’t drink coffee, so to me it was very strong and required something like caramel or preserves on top, whereas my husband drinks his coffee black and he could happily eat this tart plain… though he thought the caramel made it even better.
I wish I could emphasize how extraordinary this tart is. I rank it up there with some of the most delicious AND simple desserts I have ever made. Do yourself a favor and make this for company this holiday season!
Bready or Not: Salted Mocha Tart
Equipment
- saucepan
- 9-inch tart pan with removable base
- cookie sheet
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Crust
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces graham cracker crumbs (14 whole crackers)
Filling
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 12 ounces semisweet baking chocolate equivalent to 3 chocolate baking bars
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Topping
- flaked sea salt such as Maldon
- jarred caramel other options include honey, fruit preserves, and/or ice cream
Instructions
Make crust
- Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat on medium until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is fully melted.
- In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter mixture to thoroughly moisten.
- Place tart pan on a cookie sheet. Press crumbs evenly across the base and sides of the tart pan. Use the cookie sheet to place pan in fridge for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 15 minutes.
Make filling
- In a medium saucepan, bring the heavy cream and espresso powder to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and butter; let them stand for 2 minutes, then stir until glossy and smooth. Pour the ganache into the crust and smooth out with an uneven spatula.
- Chill tart in fridge until it’s starting to set, about 20 minutes, then sprinkle flaked sea salt over top.
- Put back in fridge to chill until completely set, at least an hour. Carefully pop the tart pan's outer ring off. Place base onto a cake plate or other serving dish. Cut off slices to serve. Serve with a drizzle of caramel on top, or use honey or fruit preserves. Would also be great with ice cream.
- Cover tart with foil to store in fridge. Will keep well for at least 6 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Nut Cookies
These Chocolate Nut Cookies are unique. They feature bold chocolate flavor, plus the flavor and crunch of almonds infuse every bite.
Also, the dough is fast to come together. The ingredients are pretty straightforward for cookies. No dough chilling is required (not that it would hurt). Make, bake, and enjoy!
If you love almonds like I do, browse through my other recipes on Bready or Not. I have a good number that include frangipane, too!
Modified from Taste of Home Fall Baking 2016 Magazine.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Nut Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a big bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract.
- In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Fold in the white chocolate chips and almonds.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to create dough balls. Space them out on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies look set. Let them rest on the sheet a couple minutes, then transfer them to a rack to fully cool. Store in a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Now on Kickstarter: Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2026
I’m honored to be part of a new book that funding on Kickstarter: Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2026. This is an established series with veteran authors, and this is my first time joining in the fun. My story is a science fiction detective tale with Golden Age influences.
The Kickstarter just began this past weekend and is about half funded! Please contribute. $15 will get you an ebook of this book, and the tiers go up from there. There is one spot at the $100 level that’ll get a male name tuckerized in my story! (If you don’t know what that means, Wikipedia has a full write-up on this phenomena.)
The campaign wraps up December 14th, but some of the rewards (like my tuckerization) have only one spot available.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Are you in need of a cookie to wow people this holiday season? These Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars are truly something special. They are dense, filling, loaded with chocolate, and pecan-crunchy in every bite.
I used a mix of semisweet and milk, but really, you can make the chocolate aspect as sweet or as deep-dark as you prefer.
Also, I suggest keeping this recipe handy for Pi Day this next year (March 14th). This is a great recipe to bake up and share with a crowd, and unlike standard pie, it’s very portable.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 and a half sticks) cold
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups chocolate chips semisweet and/or milk (16 ounces)
- 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the pie crust
- Combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add in ice water, pausing to mix with hands every so often. Stop adding water when the dough comes together. Shape into a disk and encase in plastic wrap to chill for at least an hour or for a day.
Shape crust
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Roll out dough to roughly fit the pan (hold the pan over the dough to gauge the correct shape). Press dough into pan so that it goes evenly across bottom and up all four sides. Pinch off excess dough and use that to patch and extend elsewhere. It doesn’t need to be pretty, as it will largely be covered by filling.
- Place crust in fridge to chill.
Make filling
- Melt the two sticks of butter in microwave or on stovetop. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, and salt, scraping bottom to incorporate. Stir in flour, melted butter, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour filling into chilled crust. Sprinkle pecans all over top.
- Cover top loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake another 30 minutes. Check for doneness; the pie is done when the top is golden and a butter knife tip inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pie may need as much as 15 more minutes to finish baking, meaning the total baking time can range from 50 to 105 minutes.
- Cool in pan on wire rack, then place in fridge to fully set and chill. Use foil to lift pie onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Store bars in sealed container in fridge. Best eaten within a few days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin-Chocolate-Apple Butter Bundt Cake
There’s something especially cozy and right about a pumpkin and spice bundt cake in the autumn. This Pumpkin-Chocolate-Apple Butter Bundt Cake hits all those notes perfectly… and that took some effort on my part, as I actually had two fail-cakes in the process of developing this recipe.
This isn’t a heavily sweet cake. There is no dense glaze. This cake is really all about pumpkin and spice, with the chocolate and apple butter beautifully complementary.
This is the kind of cake that functions well for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Bready or Not Original: Pumpkin-Chocolate-Apple Butter Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 10-cup bundt pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
- confectioners’ sugar to dust top
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Generously apply nonstick spray to a 10-cup bundt pan.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, butter, apple butter, and eggs until no eggy streaks remain. Add pumpkin puree and half & half. Fold in the dry ingredients, scraping bottom of bowl to incorporate everything.
- Pour batter into pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; the middle of the cake should pass the toothpick test.
- Let cool for 15 minutes. Carefully invert cake onto cooling rack to cool completely.
- Add sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar over the top. Slice and serve. Cake can also be sliced, wrapped, and frozen for later enjoyment.
