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If you have a sweet tooth, this Harry Potter Treacle Tart is for you! It’s delicious and fun to make but most of all, it’s Harry Potter’s favorite dessert!
I may just be a little obsessed with this amazing recipe book I was gifted recently. The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook For Kids has all the wizarding world’s best desserts we learned about in the Harry Potter Series, like these sweet little Pumpkin Pasties, colorful Acid Pops and the second most popular drink at Hogwarts, Pumpkin Juice.
There are so many Harry Potter recipes to choose from, but if you’re looking for great way to impress even the most avid Harry Potter fans, this tart recipe is it!
What is a Treacle Tart
A traditional British dessert, a treacle tart starts with a tender and flakey pie crust. You blind bake it in a tart tin until golden brown, then fill it with a scrumptious, sticky toffee pudding-like filling and bake to perfection.
The classic treacle tart recipe uses a thick syrup, like Lyle’s Golden Syrup (light treacle), eggs and fresh bread crumbs. The egg yolks help give the tart filling a thick custard like consistency.
In other treacle tart recipes and for this recipe, molasses, sometimes referred to as black treacle, is used instead. The molasses gives it a much richer, toffee like flavor.
Ingredients in this Homemade Treacle Tart
For the Shortcrust Pastry
This short crust pastry recipe only takes few ingredients and and is super easy to make. You can omit the sugar and use it for savory tarts as well:
- 1/2 cup (one stick) cold butter-unsalted
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup flour
For the Treacle Filling
- 1 tablespoon melted butter-unsalted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (you can also use heavy cream)
- 2 eggs
- 1 zested lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup molasses (some recipes use corn syrup or maple syrup, but I really recommend molasses)
- 1 1/4 cup fresh fine breadcrumbs
- Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream for topping (optional)
Instructions on How to Make the Best Easy Treacle Tart
- Preheat the oven temperature to 350 °F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. On low speed, add the flour until just combined.
4. Press the uncooked pastry dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
5. Using a fork, gently prick the crust all over, then chill the crust for 15 minutes in the freezer.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes until light brown.
7. Cool to room temperature.
8. To make the filling, whisk together the melted butter, milk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and molasses in a large bowl until combined.
9. Fold in bread crumbs until thoroughly coated with the syrup mixture.
10. Pour this liquid filling into the cooled crust. Return it to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
11. Cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or a generous dollop whipped cream.
Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and store for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze Harry Potter Treacle Tart?
You absolutely can! In fact this is a great make ahead dessert if you’re trying to prepare some of your holiday desserts in advance.
For best freezing results, let the baked tart cool completely. Wrap it in plastic wrap, then in a layer of foil wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
Before you’re ready to serve, bake the frozen tart at 350 degrees until warmed through.
Tips and Variations for Making the Best Treacle Tart
- If for some reason the dough sticks to your hands while pressing it into the tart pan, dip your fingers in a little cold water, shaking off the access water. The coldness should help the dough release.
- While baking, if the pastry edges begin to brown too much, loosely tint the tart with foil or use a pie crust edge guard.
- If your pie crust seems little crumbly, adding really cold water, one teaspoon at a time, to the dough may help make it more solid.
- If you’re feeling a little extra fancy, you can make extra pastry dough to create a lattice top.
- Give your treacle tart a little bit of a pecan pie flare. Add about 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans to the liquid filling before baking.
- Orange zest adds even more flavor. If you happened to have oranges on hand, add in about a tablespoon zest for a nice little hint of citrus flavor.
- You can take things in a whole different directions by adding a little flaked coconut to the filling.
This easy Harry Potter Treacle Tart is such a sweet and decadent treat. Like most British desserts, it goes perfectly with a cup of afternoon tea or hot coffee.
Of course my favorite way to serve it is with a little Harry Potter Butterbeer! I hope you love this delicious tart as much as we do. If you’re looking for more easy to make pie and tart recipes, you may want to check out some of these:
More Delicious Pies and Tarts
Harry Potter Treacle Tart
Want to try one of Harry Potter's favorite treats? This treacle tart is the perfect dessert for wizards and muggles alike!
Ingredients
For the shortbread crust
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup flour
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 zested lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 1/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to cream butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy (you can use a hand mixer for this as well).
- Using low speed, add flour slowly until just combined.
- Push the crust mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
- Gently use a fork to prick the surface of the crust from side to side.
- Place crust in freezer and chill for 15 minutes.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until crust turns a light brown
- Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- For the filling, take a large bowl and whisk the melted butter, milk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and molasses until well combined.
- Fold in the bread crumbs until completely coated.
- Pour the filling into the crust and return to the oven for 20 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
Get the fine texture you need for the bread by pulsing it in a food processor.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 243Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 158mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g