The decadent chocolate cream cheese tart is made with cream cheese, rich melted chocolate, and a simple chocolate graham cracker crust. Make it for that extra special person in your life.
Chocolate Tart with Cream Cheese
Everyone needs a go-to sweet treat. This chocolate cream cheese tart will be your new chocolatey favorite. This cream cheese chocolate tart is decadent and great valentines day dessert for you and your favorite people.
Why We Love this Recipe
- It is an easy dessert to make that feeds a crowd.
- The chocolate graham cracker crust is crunchy and so chocolatey.
- You can choose fun toppings that will make this chocolate tart your own.
- Who doesn’t like desserts with cream cheese!
Featured Ingredients
The ingredient list for this cream cheese chocolate tart is short. There are a few feature ingredients to highlight. See the full ingredient list below for the rest of the ingredients you’ll need.
Cream cheese. Buy yourself full fat cream cheese and make sure it is room temperature before mixing it into the filling for this tart.
Chocolate graham crackers. This delicious chocolate crust is made with chocolate graham crackers. We used Annies Chocolate Bunnies but any chocolate graham cracker product will work!
Walnuts. Along with the graham cracker curst, walnuts are processed into the crust to make it hardy and add some healthy fats and protein.
Quality chocolate. The higher quality chocolate you use the better this chocolate tart will taste! We used ghirardelli chocolate chips.
quality ingredients make a difference
No matter what recipe you’re making, the quality of your ingredients really does matter. If you are on a budget, you can switch out some ingredients for less expensive options.
If you’re going to splurge on this recipe go big on the chocolate!
How to Make this Chocolate Tart
You will have a chocolate tart in only a few hours if you follow the steps for this chocolate tart. Let’s dig in.
Make the Crust
Add the graham crackers, brown sugar, and cocoa powder to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles graham cracker crumbs.
After the graham cracker crumbs are ready add the cold butter (it is important that it’s cold), vanilla, and salt to the food processor and blend until combined.
Pour the crust dough into a tart pan and use your hands and a spatula to mold your graham cracker crust. Be sure that you push the graham cracker crumbs up the sides of the tart pan!
Bake the tart crust for 8 minutes and then place the tart pan in the freezer to cool and set before adding the chocolate filling.
Mix up the filling
Add the heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a medium-sized saucepan. Heat the ingredients over low/medium heat, stirring periodically for 7-10 minutes. Make sure to stir the mixture enough that the heavy cream doesn’t scald on the bottom of the saucepan.
When the butter and cream cheese have completely melted and the mixture is thick and creamy, add the chocolate and sugar to the creamy mixture. Turn the heat to medium and stir constantly until the chocolate and sugar are melted and dissolved.
Remove the saucepan from the heat when the chocolate is melted. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until the eggs are completely incorporated.
Pour the chocolate filling into the chocolate graham cracker crust.
How to soften cream cheese
Looking for a quick method to soften cream cheese? Check out our post – How to Soften Cream Cheese – 4 Ways! Here you’ll learn 4 unique (and quick!) methods to soften cream cheese to the perfect amount for baking and cooking.
Bake the Tart
Place the tart into the oven and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes. You will know the tart is ready when the filling is set and has a slight jiggle.
Remove the tart the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before removing the outer part of the tart pan.
Place the tart in the fridge or freezer to cool completely before eating.
How to Decorate the Tart
The options are endless when it comes to decorating this chocolate tart! Below are some fun and different ways to make this tart your own.
- Add fresh whipped cream and berries!
- Make some fun chocolate curls if you’re getting fancy.
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate onto the top.
- Sprinkle the rainbow sprinkles over the tart if you’re celebrating a birthday.
Storage
Let this tart cool and then cover it in plastic wrap or place it in an air tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
You can freeze this tart for later! Wrap the tart in plastic wrap and then in tin foil and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw the tart simply remove the tart from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature until completely frozen.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Tart
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- 2.5 cups chocolate graham bunnies (175 grams) or chocolate graham crackers
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into 3 tabs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare the crust: Place the walnuts in a high powered food processor and process the walnuts until they turn into a flour-like consistency.
- Add the graham crackers, brown sugar, and cocoa powder to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles graham cracker crumbs.
- Next, add the cold butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture turns into a crumble and starts to stick together.
- Add the vanilla and kosher salt to the processor and pulse until combined.
- Pour the crust ingredients into the greased tart pan. Use your hands to press the crumble evenly on the bottom of the tart pan and then up the sides of the pan.
- Place the crust in the oven and bake at 350ºF for 8 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Place the tart crust in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate filling.
- Prepare the filling: Add the heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a medium-sized saucepan. Heat the ingredients over low/medium heat, stirring periodically for 7-10 minutes. Make sure to stir the mixture enough that the heavy cream doesn’t scald on the bottom of the saucepan.
- When the butter and cream cheese have completely melted and the mixture is thick and creamy, add the chocolate and sugar to the creamy mixture. Turn the heat to medium and stir constantly until the chocolate and sugar are melted and dissolved.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat when the chocolate is melted. Add the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until the eggs are completely incorporated.
- Pour the chocolate filling into the chocolate graham cracker crust.
- Place the tart in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tart is jiggly but set.
- Remove the tart from the pan and then let cool for 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the sides of the tart pan from the tart and place the tart in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, create chocolate ribbons.
- Remove the tart from the freezer and top with desired toppings.
- Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- We used Annie’s chocolate bunnies for the crust but you can use chocolate teddy grahams or chocolate graham crackers. If you use graham crackers be sure to measure them by weight.
- When you add the cream cheese to the saucepan, be sure you add it to the saucepan in clumps, it will melt faster.
- We prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate or a mixture of milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate.
There is no amount of the butter in the filling
Hi Iris, Thanks so much for catching this! It’s 2 tbsp. of butter and we’ve updated the recipe card to reflect this amount.