Chocolate Mint Tart Recipe • 4★

Updated July 27, 2025

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

This chocolate mint tart is wonderfully reminiscent of a giant, elegant peppermint patty, tucked into a chocolate pastry shell. The mint flavor is subtle thanks to fresh-mint infused cream that is used both in the white chocolate ganache filling and billowy topping. But don’t worry, dark-chocolate lovers: There is plenty here for you, too. The crisp crust is spiked with Dutch-processed cocoa and the middle layer is deep, dark bittersweet chocolate ganache. It’s also very rich; a thin slice alongside a cup of coffee is the perfect after-dinner mint. This recipe has multiple chilling steps, so plan ahead if you're going to make it. It's more of an afternoon project, than a simple weeknight endeavor.

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1 ¼ cups/160 grams all-purpose flour

½ cup/62 grams confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup/24 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cold and cut into cubes

FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 ¾ cups heavy cream

1 cup/15 grams fresh mint leaves, packed

10 ⅜ ounces/297 grams white chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Pinch of kosher salt

½ teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

FOR THE BITTERSWEET GANACHE

½ cup heavy cream

3 ½ ounces/99 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Pinch of kosher salt

FOR THE MINT CREAM TOPPING

1 cup reserved mint-infused cream

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

¼ to ½ teaspoon peppermint extract, to taste

Step 1Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Step 2In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the yolk mixture to the food processor and pulse until it is evenly distributed. The mixture will appear crumbly, but should hold together very easily when pressed. Add a bit more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the yolk mixture to the food processor and pulse until it is evenly distributed. The mixture will appear crumbly, but should hold together very easily when pressed. Add a bit more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 3On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle ¼- to ⅛-inch thick. Gently fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the top evenly. Repair any cracks or tears in the dough with the trimmings and reserve the trimmings, wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature, to use later if necessary. Freeze for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle ¼- to ⅛-inch thick. Gently fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the top evenly. Repair any cracks or tears in the dough with the trimmings and reserve the trimmings, wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature, to use later if necessary. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Step 4While the shell is chilling, heat oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking, dock the shell all over with a fork, and line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Bake the shell until it is cooked through and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and, using the leftover dough, repair any cracks that may have formed. Cool the shell on a rack while you prepare the rest of the tart.

While the shell is chilling, heat oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking, dock the shell all over with a fork, and line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Bake the shell until it is cooked through and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and, using the leftover dough, repair any cracks that may have formed. Cool the shell on a rack while you prepare the rest of the tart.

Step 5Make the white chocolate ganache: Heat the 1 ¾ cups heavy cream and mint leaves in a saucepan over medium-high until simmering. Turn off heat and let cream steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Make the white chocolate ganache: Heat the 1 ¾ cups heavy cream and mint leaves in a saucepan over medium-high until simmering. Turn off heat and let cream steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Step 6Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the leaves to extract as much cream as possible. Reserve 1 cup of the cream, covered, in the refrigerator.

Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the leaves to extract as much cream as possible. Reserve 1 cup of the cream, covered, in the refrigerator.

Step 7Heat the remaining ¾ cup of cream until simmering and pour it over the white chocolate in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.

Heat the remaining ¾ cup of cream until simmering and pour it over the white chocolate in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.

Step 8Add the butter and a pinch of salt and whip the ganache on high speed for 10 minutes. It will go from slightly translucent to opaque and aerated. Taste and add the peppermint extract if desired. Pour the whipped ganache into the cooled tart shell, smooth the top and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Add the butter and a pinch of salt and whip the ganache on high speed for 10 minutes. It will go from slightly translucent to opaque and aerated. Taste and add the peppermint extract if desired. Pour the whipped ganache into the cooled tart shell, smooth the top and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Step 9Make the bittersweet ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate, butter and salt to a heat-safe bowl and whisk in the hot cream until smooth. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.

Make the bittersweet ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate, butter and salt to a heat-safe bowl and whisk in the hot cream until smooth. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.

Step 10Use a spatula to spread the bittersweet ganache over the cooled white chocolate ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Use a spatula to spread the bittersweet ganache over the cooled white chocolate ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Step 11Just before serving, make the mint cream topping: Whip the reserved 1 cup of infused cream with the confectioners’ sugar to soft peaks. Add peppermint extract, if desired. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the ganache and serve the tart cold. Wipe off your knife in between slices for the cleanest cuts.

Just before serving, make the mint cream topping: Whip the reserved 1 cup of infused cream with the confectioners’ sugar to soft peaks. Add peppermint extract, if desired. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the ganache and serve the tart cold. Wipe off your knife in between slices for the cleanest cuts.

This was delicious! Several people said they had dreams about it afterward. It was, however, very time consuming and I agree that 1 1/4 is not at all accurate. I made the fresh mint/cream mixture early in the morning and let it steep for several hours in a ziploc in the fridge which is what I do for mint ice cream. That made for a strong enough mint flavor that I didn't have to add the extract.

Part 2:) My difficulty was with the crust which ended up tasting great but wouldn't hold together enough to roll out. Next time I'll try a simple chocolate cookie and melted butter crust in the food processor to cut down on time and frustration. Also, leftovers kept well in the fridge for a few days and I forgot to mention in my previous post to rip up the mint leaves to release the oils. Overall, highly recommend for a special occasion when you have some time on your hands

Excellent. Impressive both in appearance and taste. I think the timing is more because there’s so much down time in this recipe — it really doesn’t take a lot of time except for the waiting. Also, my crust came out great — I added water, a little bit at a time, until it came together as much as I wanted and then it was sturdy, beautiful, and delicious! And I thought added a lot to this tart. All in all, a total winner.

on the second try I used chocolate graham crackers for the crust; easy and makes this a winner!!

Very tasty, great texture/mouthfeel, and nice presentation! After reading other comments I used a store-bought chocolate cookie crust (Keebler chocolate mint - a Wicked movie tie-in). I don’t like white chocolate so I substituted milk chocolate for the filling (Trader Joes pound plus). I steeped herbal mint tea bags in the cream instead of whole mint leaves and was nervous about the distinct green, herby flavor but it really added depth of flavor to the filling! This was time consuming to make but made for a nice Easter dessert.

So disappointed! As others have stated, this is all day affair - and then it was only just ok. The crust stuck badly to the bottom of the pan so that only the last 2 pieces could be served intact and, over all, the flavour was bland. I’ve made many, many pies that were a fraction of the work and infinitely better tasting.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019103-chocolate-mint-tart