Cozy Baileys Hot Chocolate Tart

Looking for a decadent holiday treat to cozy up with in front of the fireplace? This Baileys Hot Chocolate Tart is the perfect way to ring in the Holidays.

Who else always drinks boozy Hot Chocolate on Christmas Eve? 🙋‍♀️ (If you’re looking for the perfect recipe, check out my Spiked Baileys Hot Chocolate for Two!).

Baileys Hot Chocolate has quickly become one of our favorite traditions in my house (so much so I thought up these Baileys Hot Chocolate Bombs to have a version to give as gifts!).

Warming, cozy, nostalgic hot chocolate spiked with creamy, sweet, slightly boozy Baileys immediately makes me feel… well, jolly!

But here’s the thing. We live in the south. And we are lucky if it gets cold enough to enjoy a hot chocolate without melting from just holding the hot mug. So sometimes that piping hot liquid Christmas in a cup is just not practical.

But a tart with all those flavors that can be enjoyed cold or at room temp? Now we’re talkin’.

I have something to get off my chest. I am NOT a pastry chef. And most tart recipes I’ve found require chilling several times, rolling and folding, and pastry blenders and ice baths, and, and, and… They all just left me thinking that there has GOT to be an easier way!

As a busy mom who loves to bake up a sweet treat, my goal is always to find the quickest, simplest, easiest way to get great results, that don’t compromise on quality but do skip the stress.

This tart recipe is accessible. If I can do it, so can you. But just in case, I’ve documented every step to make it foolproof. So, lets dive in!

Baileys Hot Chocolate Tart Ingredient Highlights

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I use unsalted butter for baking, but you can use salted butter and just omit the added salt. Regardless of which butter you use, make sure it is frozen. Place it in the freezer at least a couple of hours before you start baking, or preferably, the night before.

The crust for this tart calls for cold water. It should be cold enough so that it doesn’t melt the butter at all when you add it to the blender.

For the filling, you need heavy whipping cream (I have not tested this with regular cream). You can use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Baileys Hot Chocolate Tart Tips and Tricks

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How to Make a Baileys Chocolate Tart

I use my trusty quiche dish for this recipe, which gives me those beautiful, scalloped edges. It does not, however, have a removable bottom. This means, to save myself from a kitchen breakdown, I have to put some time and thought into prepping my pan.

Get yourself a big piece of parchment paper, turn your quiche pan upside down, and use a pencil to trace the shape of the bottom of your dish.

Use scissors to cut out on the lines, but leave two 5-inch flaps of paper to use as little handles to pull your tart out.

Spray your pan generously on the bottom and sides, and place your parchment paper flat on your pan, with your flaps pointed up as pictured above. The cooking spray should help it stay in place.

For the crust, our goal is to integrate the butter in such a way that it’s easily combined with the other ingredients while retaining its solid form. In other words, we don’t want the butter to be melted until it is in the oven.

Use a food processor or cheese grater to shred your frozen butter.

This will allow you to integrate it into your crust while still keeping some of it solid. When the butter melts in the oven, it leaves you with that flaky, buttery amazingness we are looking for in this tart crust.

Use a whisk to mix together the flour, brown sugar, and salt.

To separate the egg white from the yolk, crack your eggshell in half over a bowl and transfer the egg yolk back and forth between either half of the shell, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl.

Add the yolk to the flour mixture and save the white to brush on top of the crust once it’s formed. Add the cold water to the mixture.

The tart crust is made from a super crumbly dough. The easiest way to bring it together is with clean hands. Just dig right in and use two fists to squeeze the dough, over and over until there is no loose flour left.

Then, use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of your prepped pan. Use your thumbs to pinch the dough up the sides of your pan.

Keep pushing up against the inside of the pan edges until you have a thin layer of dough throughout, keeping it as even as possible.

Then, add a piece of parchment paper and pie weights on top and bake. The pie weights will avoid any expansion or bubbling of your crust, keeping that flat even surface for your Baileys Hot Chocolate Tart filling to sit on.

Take it out of the oven and remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Then, brush the egg whites over the baked crust.

The egg whites play two major roles here. It helps get that beautiful golden-brown color, and it seals off your crust, so the filling won’t soak in and make it soggy.

Don’t forget to brush the edges, too. That’s the only part you can see peeking through once your tart is filled, so we really want that beautiful color to shine through! Set it aside to cool.

Then, get going on your chocolate Baileys tart filling. Heat your cream in the microwave or over a double boiler until it just starts to simmer.

Remove it from the heat, and fold in chocolate chips. Keep stirring until the chocolate chips start to melt and integrate into your cream. You may have little bits of chocolate that remain solid, and that’s okay! It will all melt and bake together in the oven.

Place your chocolate and cream mixture in the freezer to cool for about 10 minutes.

Once your chocolate cream is cool, use a hand mixer to whip it until it starts to thicken. Add your sugar and cocoa powder with a hand mixer on medium speed. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

Lastly, add the Baileys Irish Cream and the egg. Use the hand mixer again, but this time only mix just enough to combine. We don’t want to overbeat in this step.

Pour your filling into the cooled crust until it is about ¾ of the way full to the top.

It’s important to remember that the crust is baked at 350°F but once your filling is in, you’ll need to bring your oven down to 325°F.

Once you pour your filling in, give it a little shake to release any air bubbles. You want your tart completely smooth. If you still see any little bubbles, you can use a toothpick to smooth them out!

Bake the tart. To check if it’s ready, give it a delicate shake.

You should see just the smallest amount of a wobble in the very center of your tart. If it’s super loose, turn your oven off and stick it back in for 2-5 more minutes.

How I Serve and Store this Baileys Dessert

I like to add a little bit of powdered sugar and chocolate shavings for decoration. This is also really delicious served with whipped cream. Try this Peppermint Whipped Cream to really take it to the next level!

This Baileys dessert should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for 5-7 days in the fridge.

Unfortunately, this tart, like most chocolate tarts, does not freeze well.