Have I told you about the amazing book Lily Vanilli’s Sweet Tooth? Subtitled ‘recipes and tips from a modern artisan bakery’ it is an incredible collection of fantastical baked goods with gorgeous photos to match. I was sent a review copy in my day job as a journalist and I couldn’t wait to get this book into my kitchen to try out the recipes. If you have a loved one who is into baking, buy them this book.
I chose the ‘hot toddy tarts’ as my first foray, as I love the idea of alcohol in baked goods. Maybe it is the lush in me, or maybe it is the extra dimension of taste that booze brings, but I just love adding the hard stuff to cakes and tarts.
These lovely wintery tarts use a super simple pastry that requires no fussiness – you don’t need to rest it and knead and spend yonks getting it right. It is a bit rustic but it tastes fab.
The book serves these with home-made caramelised lemon slices but I skipped this [coz I’m lazy].
GATHER:
Pastry
130g butter, diced, at room temperature
130g caster sugar
150g plain flour
50g cocoa powder, sifted
pinch of sea salt
drop of vanilla
Filling
125ml double cream
200g dark chocolate broken into small pieces
50g burnt butter
75mL whisky
Pinch sea salt
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Cream butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer until combined, about one minute. Add flour, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla and beat until it just comes together in a crumbly mess.
Press into base and sides of muffin tray [line holes with crosses of baking paper, allowing some overhang, for easy removal] and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes.
Remove beans and paper and smooth surface of shells using back of spoon, then bake for another 10 minutes, then place on wire rack to cool completely.
To make filling heat cream in pan until it starts to simmer then remove from heat and add chocolate. Leave to melt for a minute then stir until melted.
Whisk in burnt butter, whisky and salt and combined.
Allow to cool then pour into tart shells.
Serve with double cream, or as is.
the hungry mum 
Cor – sounds like a great adult treat!
Yes – def one for the grown-ups 🙂
I love hot toddy, it is my go-to-comfort when I am feeling under the weather. I’ll HAVE to give these a go, when it gets a bit cooler, I can see me snuggled up in a blanket watching a movie on a Sunday afternoon and eating the whole batch 😉
I reckon one of these little tarts would have you feeling much better if you were unwell 🙂
This sounds marvelous. I don’t care to drink at all, but I also love any kind of recipe that includes alcohol in some form. I have a pretty substantial stash of bottles to use in great dishes like this.
Lillian
Thanks 🙂 It is a very comforting dessert x
I want these chocolate treats in my face, right now!
They are pretty delish x
Mmmm, chocolate and whisky sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Will give this a go soon.
It is indeed quite bewitching x
These look very incredible! Yum!
Cheers! They are such a decadent treat.
You can’t be too lazy if you made these 🙂 Love ’em and I feel exactly the same way about enjoying booze in baked goods. These for sure go on my to-make list. Thanks for a great post!
Ooh, thanks! Fairly sure I’m the laziest person on the planet 🙂 Hope you get to make these son.
Wow – these are brilliant!
Thanks! Try them – bet you’ll be hooked 🙂
Chocolate and whisky are the best of friends. Sounds gorgeous. 😀
They are, aren’t they? Would be sad to split them up 🙂 Thanks for the kind words x
Love their rustic look.
R
I’m all about the rustic / rough & ready when it comes to baking 🙂
I’m accustomed to recipes requiring just a touch of liquor. These need a bit more than a touch or whiskey. I bet they’re fantastic!
Liquor in baking makes a good thing better 🙂
If this is an example of the recipes in this book I am definitely going to check it out – these look absolutely delicious and I don’t mind a touch of alcohol in my baked goods either 🙂
It is such wonderful book, full of things I’ve never seen anywhere else. If you like alcohol in your tarts you’ll love these x
alcohol and chocolate … sold baby!
Yeah, putting those two things together is pure genius!
I love the oozey bits!
Oozey bits are the *best* bits!
I usually have a hot toddy when I have a cold. I may need to add these to the mix as well! 🙂
I reckon eating a hot toddy tart when you feel unwell would be just what the doctor ordered!
I mean chocolate is it’s own food group, right?
But of course 😉
Mmm, I can eat this legally now so yay! 😀
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
hahaha! Imagine trying to buy whisky to use for baking and getting done for underage drinking 🙂
ahhhh now I was just wondering where I could get recipes that use whisky from. I have a great big bottle in the cupboard that we never ever drink or use…
ta da! Make these – you won’t regret it 🙂
Oh, these look amazing! Wish I could bite into one now…or better yet, pop the whole thing into my mouth! I could you know…
Yes, one bite is never enough 🙂
Yum!
cheers!
You had me at the title!! I will definitely be trying this recipe! 😀
grog & choc = 🙂
My son would like us to make a treat to bring to his class for his birthday–I wonder if I can pull this one off? Maybe just the teachers.
Course you can pull it off! Piece of cake! Def one for the teachers only, though!
I love Lily Vanilli’s baking, and have read my copy of Sweet Tooth from cover to cover! I’ve featured a few of her recipe’s on my blog too – my favourite being the beetroot and raspberry cake with mascarpone icing. At least that’s my favourite today…!!
Yum huh!
ta 🙂
loove hot toddies. this is a great idea
Alcohol in baking is always good 🙂
Oh wow they look so good.
So much choccy goodness x
The name hot toddy always makes me laugh 😛 These look incredibly mourish!
I hear ya – my brother’s name is Todd and when he was younger people called him Toddy 🙂
Yumm, I wonder if you could substitute Tequila for the Whiskey (but then again, why would you want to?)
oooh, I just don’t know! Try it [guinea pig!] & let me know – will be interested in seeing if it works.
These look sinful!
Hehehe! Great way of putting it! 🙂
What a decadent treat – yum!!!! Celeste 🙂
They are pretty yummy!
I heard someone say salt, whiskey and dark chocolate…. and was on my way. Looks very delectable, indeed! 🙂
Is a pretty fab combo 🙂 They taste *amazing*.
Hi there – these sound great – though I am not a huge whisky fan, I do like the idea of something boozy in the ganache!
I never used to e a huge whisky fan either… The Hungry Dad corrupted me 🙂 I still prefer it in baked goods, though 🙂
I hope someone gives me that book. 😀
FF crowd loves mini version of everything, so I know they would love this – these look great. Thank you for sharing and have a wonderful weekend to you. ❤
ooh, good to know – will bear that in mind for future FFs! Thanks, hope your weekend is ace 🙂
Wow, these look like the very best sort of comfort cooking –
may have to look and see what bottles I can find at the back of the cupboard!
Emma 🙂
Sooo comforting! Grog & choc – what more could you need in life 🙂
In case it’s not obvious from my baking, but I LOVE adding booze to my baking, makes it so much better haha! These look right up my ally! xx
You & me both, girlfriend 🙂 Booze & baking is the coming together of two wonderful things x
These would be delicious! The whiskey would be a great surprise!
They are & it is! The smell while they are baking is heavenly 🙂
I think I love you and your blog. So many amazingly delicious recipes! Wish there were more days in the year so that I could try them all.
Awww, gold star for you! Thanks so much for the sweet words. Now, get baking 🙂
Gorgeous 🙂
thanks!
Reblogged this on the hungry mum.
All about the bite sized treats, less obvious when you chomp through them. 🙂 Especially when they are loaded with booze.
Booze should be mandatory in desserts, I’ve decided #MakesAGoodThingBetter