Bourbon & Butterscotch Nut Tart

5 from 7 votes

Assorted nuts are coated in a smooth, creamy butterscotch sauce with just a hint of bourbon then baked in a pecan shortbread crust.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: nuts, tart

Servings: servings

Calories: 559kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup ground toasted pecans
8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

For the tart:

4 cups assorted unsalted nuts pistachios, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons water
⅓ cup light corn syrup
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon bourbon or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the crust:

Add the flour, salt, sugars and pecans to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to blend. Add the butter and process until a soft dough starts to form. Do not over mix.
Spray the bottom and sides of a 14” x 5” tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly into the sides and bottom of the pan. Freeze the tart crust for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork. Line the tart with a piece of parchment paper and lightly fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust starts to set. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the tart:

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the sugars, salt, water and corn syrup. Heat over medium-high stirring constantly until the sugars dissolve. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Once the mixture thickens and creates slow thick bubbles, remove from the heat. Whisk in the cream, (bourbon if using) and vanilla, taking care as the mixture may sputter.
Gently stir in the nuts and pour the mixture into the prepared tart pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filling bubbles. Cool completely on a rack. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Double the sauce recipe and refrigerate half for other uses. Great drizzled on ice cream, apple pie or brownies.
Top with a sprinkle of fine sea salt if desired.
Serve with a dollop of lightly sweet whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream
Butterscotch sauce recipe inspired by a recipe on Fine Cooking

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition