Pumpkin Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

This recipe is from my second cookbook, The Vintage Baker, and it is a personal favorite. I love the (underappreciated) combo of pumpkin and chocolate.

—Jessie Sheehan, Brooklyn, NY

Prep: 40 min. + chilling Bake: 30 min. + cooling Makes: 12 servings

FOR THE CRUST

6 oz. chocolate wafers

1 Tbsp. sugar

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 large eggs, room temperature 11/2 tsp. vanilla extract

11/4 cups canned pumpkin

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 3 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

FOR THE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

2 oz. dark baking chocolate, melted

FOR THE CINNAMON WHIPPED CREAM

11/2 cups heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. For the crust, place wafers and sugar in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add the melted butter; process until combined. Press crumbs onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. tart pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake crust until dry, 8-10 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking. Cool on a wire rack.

3. Meanwhile, for the filling, in a large bowl, whisk cream, eggs and vanilla until combined. In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, sugars, salt and spices. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir 5 minutes longer.

4. Whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into egg mixture; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; pour into prepared crust. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight.

5. Drizzle melted chocolate over tart; let stand until set. For the whipped cream, in a large bowl, beat cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Serve with tart.

1 PIECE 370 cal., 27g fat (16g sat. fat), 101mg chol., 191mg sod., 30g carb. (22g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g pro.

A drizzle of dark chocolate gives a boost of sweetness to every bite.

Knibloe, Jessie’s pit bull pup, acts as chief cheerleader in the kitchen.