This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are my own.
This salted turtle tart is the knock-your-socks-off dessert you need on your table this holiday season. It's a salty pretzel crust with velvety chocolate ganache and caramel coated assorted nuts for the ultimate vegan dessert.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Can you believe that the holiday season is almost here? For a year full of twists and turns, it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is near.
While this year feels different in so many ways, it is important that we find unique and special ways to make this holiday season memorable. For me, that means keeping with the traditions we can and giving thought to how to make it extra special.
That’s what this Salted Turtle Tart is all about - going the extra mile to give your family some extra sweet memories and experiences this holiday season. Of course, I want to do that in a way that stays true to our lifestyle - with desserts that are vegan and made with wholesome ingredients.
Safeway and Albertsons are the partners you need to make your holiday season special. Whether you’re cooking a special Thanksgiving breakfast, curating a festive grazing board, or making the most fabulous vegan Thanksgiving meal, Open Nature® and O Organics® products take the guesswork out of creating something delicious, memorable and wholesomely good for your family.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This decadent chocolate tart is made with only 6 easy-to-find ingredients. In fact, I found all the ingredients for this dessert at my local Safeway store.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- Granulated Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and healthy sugar alternatives.
- Vegan Butter - Look for a high-quality, non-hydrogenated vegan butter or margarine.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk- Choose canned coconut milk rather than coconut milk beverage found in the refrigerated section.
- Pretzel O Rings – These Signature SELECT™ pretzel rings are the perfect taste and texture for making the crust
- Deluxe Mixed Nuts– I like the combo of Signature SELECT Deluxe Mixed Nuts. This blend is roasted and salted to give your tart a sweet and salty flavor that you are going to love.
My Go-To Ingredients
Signature SELECT™ is sold exclusively at Safeway and Albertsons. You can also find them at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, and United Supermarkets.
In addition to Signature SELECT, Safeway offers two other exclusive brands that I absolutely love: O Organics and Open Nature.
O Organics provides high quality, Non-GMO and 100% USDA Certified Organic products that are affordable for all. They offer a huge selection of quality plant-based and gluten-free options from fresh fruits and vegetables, to plant-based proteins, cereals, snacks, and more.
Open Nature is committed to natural foods that are minimally processed and with no artificial ingredients. Like O Organics, they are committed to providing wholesome, on-trend products which means they too have a wide selection of plant-based and gluten-free items.
Visit Safeway.com to find a store near you to pick up these amazing products and discover meal prep tips and recipe ideas. Safeway also offers Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ for convenient ways to shop!
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe you will also need a 10″ tart pan, a small saucepot, a food processor, and basic kitchen tools. You will also need parchment paper to prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of the tart pan. I recommend Signature SELECT Parchment Paper.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Prepare the pan
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pro Tip: Always make sure your oven is preheated before baking to ensure even cooking.
As the oven heats, line a 10” tart pan with parchment paper. To get an even circle, place the bottom of the tart pan on top of a large piece of parchment paper. Trace around the bottom of the tart pan and carefully cut out the circle so that it neatly fits inside the tart pan.
Spray the pan and set aside.
Step Two – Make the Crust
In a food processor, blend together the pretzels, vegan butter, and sugar. Blend until the pretzels are broken down and stick together when pressed with your fingers.
Transfer the pretzel crust to the prepared tart pan and spread evenly over the bottom and sides. Press the crust into the pan evenly on the bottoms and up the side, making sure it is tightly packed. If the crust is not packed tightly, it might fall apart in the oven.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Step Three – Make the Ganache
Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the coconut milk over medium heat to a scald, which means just before it boils. Pour hot milk over the chocolate chips and cover for 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir the chocolate and coconut milk together until thick, dark, and fully melted. Pour the ganache into the prepared tart shell and smooth the top.
Place the tart pan in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to harden.
Step Four – Make the Caramel Nuts
Heat sugar and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Do not stir. Bring the water and sugar to a boil and boil until sugar has completely melted and turned a rich golden brown.
Remove from the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk in ¼ cup coconut milk until fully incorporated. Stir in the assorted nuts until they are completely coated in the caramel sauce.
Evenly spread the caramel nuts over the ganache. If you want to make your dessert a little fancier, drizzle with melted chocolate.
Refrigerate the tart until ready to serve.
Serving and Storing
Serving - You can serve the tart as soon as it has cooled. It is best to give it about 30 minutes in the fridge to allow all the ingredients to harden.This tart is great for serving at your next holiday get together. Pair it with a Vegan Apple Pie and Classic Pumpkin Pie.
Storing - Store the tart in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Before storing, cover the top with a tightly fit piece of plastic wrap to keep it tasting fresh. You can also freeze this tart for up to 3 months. To do this, let the tart cool completely before tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap. Let it thaw at room temperature for 60 minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to place parchment at the bottom of your tart pan. Otherwise the crust may stick to the pan.
- Keep a close eye on the crust when it is in the oven. It will burn quickly.
- Don’t directly heat the chocolate chips. You may be tempted to throw the chocolate chips in the microwave, but chocolate can easily burn with direct heat. Use the heat from the coconut milk to melt them instead.
- Make sure the chocolate is completely hardened before adding the nuts. Otherwise the heat of the nuts with melt your chocolate and you won't have layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coconut milk is thick and rich and is most similar to heavy cream, which is traditionally used in chocolate ganache and caramel. However, if you don't like the flavor of coconut, you could use a neutral flavored non-dairy milk such as cashew or soy. Do note, a different type of milk will result in slightly less rich textures.
Yes! If you can find vegan caramel, feel free to skip and step and use that instead.
I recommend Signature SELECT Deluxe Assorted Nuts from Safeway. These nuts are high quality, roasted, and salted for the perfect flavor combination.
Chocolate Turtle Tart w/ Pretzel Crust
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 2 ½ cup Signature SELECT Pretzel O Rings
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
Caramel Nuts
- 3 cups Signature SELECT Deluxe Assorted Nuts
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 10" tart pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a food processor, blend together the pretzels, butter, and sugar until pretzels are broken down and stick together when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the pretzel crust to the prepared tart pan and spread evenly over the bottom and sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown and fragrant. Keep a close eye on the crust. It will burn quickly. Set aside to cool.
- To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat coconut milk over medium heat to a scald (just before boiling point). Pour over chocolate chips and cover for 3-5 minutes. Remove lid and stir chocolate and coconut milk together until thick, dark, and fully melted. Pour the ganache into the prepared tart shell and smooth the top. Place in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to harden.
- Next, make the caramel sauce. In a medium-sized saucepan heat sugar and water. Do not stir. Bring to a boil and boil until sugar has completely melted and turned a rich golden brown. Remove from heat and slowly add ¼ cup coconut milk, whisking while adding, until fully incorporated. Be careful, the caramel sauce will bubble over as the coconut milk is added. Stir in the assorted nuts until they are completely coated in caramel sauce.
- Evenly spread the nuts over the chocolate ganache. Return to the refrigerator until the nuts have cooled and hardened.
Notes
- Make sure to place parchment at the bottom of your tart pan. Otherwise the crust may stick to the pan.
- Keep a close eye on the crust when it is in the oven. It will burn quickly.
- Make sure the chocolate is completely hardened before adding the nuts. Otherwise the heat of the nuts with melt your chocolate and you won’t have layers.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
suzi says
hmmmm I wonder if my gluten free pretzels would bake up ok with this? thoughts?
Rachel says
Greetings! I want to make this for Thanksgiving. Should the nuts be salted or unsalted? Please let me know and thank you.. big fan!
Sarah McMinn says
Salted
Marlene says
Can I make in separate little tinfoil muffin tins? Thinking of springform pan but concerned it will leak through sides?
Sarah McMinn says
No, it shouldn't leak through the sides with a springform. That would be fine. Also, this recipe calls for dark, semi sweet chocolate.
Kim says
Are the nuts salted?we don’t have safeway near us.
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, they are.