Chocolate Short Dough is a great dough to have in your pastry recipe repertoire. It is a versatile dough that can be rolled out with a rolling pin, or, for those of you who claim to have a ‘fear of crust’, it can easily be pressed into tart shells. I like to use this dough in Chocolate Pecan Pie, warm chocolate tart or one of my favourites: Chocolate Truffle Tart.
Chocolate Short Dough
Chocolate Short Dough
Yield: Crust for 1 – 9″ pie shell
CHEF TALK: This is a crust that can be rolled out with a rolling pin or pressed into the tart shell. It can easily be adapted to gluten-free crust by substituting a gluten-free flour blend. For a dairy-free tart, substitute the butter for coconut butter.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
- 8 oz. (1/2 lb) unsalted Butter (softened, but cool)
- 1/2 cup Icing (confectioners) Sugar
METHOD:
- Sift together the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the butter in the mixer. With a paddle, beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly creamed. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Add the icing sugar and mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together – approximately 30 seconds. Gather the dough into a disk or log as shown above.
- Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Roll or press out and dock bottom of the dough. CHEF TIP: For tarts or small pies, I like to shape the dough into a log (or cylinder). Slice off 1/2 inch slices to make it easier to roll out (or press in) the tart shells individually.
- To pre-bake, the dough: blind bake the large tart shell for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights and bake 6 minutes more. Cool before using.
Here is a visual step-by-step in photographs How to prepare a Chocolate Shortcrust:
Chocolate Short Dough is chilled and then cut into small rounds as shown for tarts or larger pieces to press into a tart pan
Prepare the tart pan by brushing with butter and dusting edges well with cocoa powder
Add a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of the prepared tart pan
The Chocolate Shortdough Crust is pressed into the bottom of the prepared tart pan
Pre-bake the chocolate shortdough crust and cool slightly
The Shortdough crust is filled, baked and chilled before cutting
Chocolate Short Dough
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 9" crust
Chocolate Short Dough is a great dough to have in your pastry recipe repertoire. It is a versatile dough that can be rolled out with a rolling pin, or, for those of you who claim to have a ‘fear of crust’, it can easily be pressed into tart shells. I like to use this dough in Chocolate Pecan Pie, warm chocolate tart or one of my favourites: Chocolate Truffle Tart.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
- 8 oz. (1/2 lb) unsalted Butter (softened, but cool)
- 1/2 cup Icing (confectioners) Sugar
Instructions
- Sift together the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the butter in the mixer. With a paddle, beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly creamed. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- Add the icing sugar and mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together – approximately 30 seconds. Gather the dough into a disk or log as shown above.
- Wrap the dough in plastic film and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Roll or press out and dock bottom of the dough. CHEF TIP: For tarts or small pies, I like to shape the dough into a log (or cylinder). Slice off 1/2 inch slices to make it easier to roll out (or press in) the tart shells individually.
- To pre-bake, the dough: blind bake the large tart shell for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights and bake 6 minutes more. Cool before using.
Notes
For further details, including step-by-step photographs, please refer to my original post.
Did you Make my Recipe?
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Courses Dessert
- Blind Baking
- Creaming
- Docking
Chocolate Short Dough is used to line a warm chocolate tart
More Like This from Urb’n’Spice:
Learn How to Make a Chocolate Short Dough Tart
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crunchy Topping
Milk Chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust
If you try my recipe for Chocolate Short Dough, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.
You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!
Denise Paré-Watson
The Urbnspice Chef
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Hi Denise, Pastry is not my thing. I’m more of a savory cook or a bread baker. But you make it sound so easy, and this recipe seems like a perfectly simple way to get in there and make some pastry! Pinning to try. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind words, Colleen! I am so pleased that you thought my post sounds easy – that was my goal. When your wee one gets a little bit older, she can help you press it into the tart pan. I can tell you from experience that they just love that! 🙂
I love how versatile this crust is and that you can make it dairy-free and gluten-free too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Corinna: I think it will be a handy recipe in many kitchens. Thanks for stopping by!
Ah, Denise! Perfect timing on this post. I posted earlier about my fear/cursed hands when it comes to working with dough! This looks like a delicious and easy substitute to work with! Thank you!
I am so pleased, Riz! I read your post and wanted so much to reach out and teach you how easy it is to work with dough. You will be a master at it in no time. The tart filling recipe below the crust recipe is just as easy and perfect for father’s day embellished with a plop of fresh whipped cream in the centre of the baked tarte and a tumble of berries – Delicious! Thanks for your kind comments – I appreciate it very much.
Working with dough, both sweet and savory, is my “happy place” and I love making chocolate short dough. I appreciate your tips and suggestions, always. Your chocolate tart looks scrumptious and the chocolate pastry so light and melt in your mouth good!
Thank you so much, Nicoletta! I am with you with regards to also being in my happy place when I am baking. It is so true! Even though I adore cooking, baking is my true passion. I hope you have a chance to try this chocolate short dough. It is quite lovely.
This is so cool – I have never even heard of short dough! Great idea!
Thanks, Terri! It is a delicious dough – and chocolate! 🙂
What an amazing idea! This crust looks amazing – definitely going to incorporate this into my chocolate tart next time.
Thanks, Kristen! It definitely is a delicious crust to try – I know you will enjoy it! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!