I've never been one to leave well enough alone; in my world there's always a way to make it bigger, better, and tastier. I attribute a lot of this mentality to growing up in a whole family full of teachers and engineers - people who think that everyone and everything can always be improved. Now you might think that leftover candy needs no improvement; it is, after all, candy. But as much fun as it will be to eat the last of the slowly desiccating Peeps, half-melted Reese's bunnies, and second-tier jelly bean flavors over the next few months (it's an awfully long time until the next candy-centered holiday), I'm here to tell you that there is a better way. There is... candy tart.
What is candy tart? Why only the most delicious and devious dessert of all. By taking your rag-tag candy reserves and suspending them in decadent ganache encased in a crisp, buttery shell you can make a dessert worthy of a last minute dinner party or the fussiest visiting family members. And it will take less than than an hour to put together.
Candy tart starts with a delicious pastry crust, and my favorite quick recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen. It is a melted butter crust so it mixes up in about 5 minutes and requires no chilling or rolling. Win! I press mine into a 9" fluted tart pan for extra presentation points, but a pie dish would also work just fine.
The crust bakes in a 350 oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Don't be afraid of a little color - that means it will be perfectly crisp!
While the shell is baking, round up your candy and ganache materials. I had some Cadbury Mini Eggs just dying to be used up and some nice Callebaut chocolate I'd been saving for a treat. You can find Callebaut at The Chopping Block or melt down your kids' half-eaten Easter Bunnies while they're napping. Shhhh... don't tell.
Make ganache by bringing 2 cups of heavy cream to a boil and then pouring it over 20 oz of chocolate chips/chopped up chocolate rabbits. Whisk to combine and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Allow the baked tart shell to cool slightly (about 10 minutes) before pouring in your glorious ganache.
Now, it's candy time! Here, you can be as meticulous or as rustic as you like. Because my Cadbury eggs came in multiple colors, I felt compelled to make a Spring-y design.
Chill until set, and enjoy!
Looking for other fun things to do with your leftover candy? Try adding some into Luke's Bread Pudding Recipe.
