This White Chocolate Chai Tart is a vanilla chai tart crust filled with rich white chocolate ganache and topped with a starry motif for New Year’s Eve. This white chocolate tart is among my favorites of New Year’s Eve desserts.
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The inspiration for this New Year’s Eve tart design came from Harmony Lynn’s blueberry star pies. I used the same star cutouts in a crescent shape on my tart and it worked beautifully with my tart dough, versus the pie dough they used. The flavor request of white chocolate and chai came from a follower on TikTok.
When I am unsure of what to make, I usually land on a tart. They are reliably pretty and easily customizable. Last year my standout holiday tart was my Cranberry Jelly Tart. If you are looking for a simpler one, I would recommend my Gluten-Free Easy Almond Tart.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- The white chocolate ganache filling is creamy and rich.
- The tart crust is packed with chai flavor.
- The festive design is a perfect New Year’s Eve party dessert!
Ingredients
- Almond flour and all-purpose flour give structure and crumb to the tart crust.
- Powdered sugar sweetens the crust.
- Chai and spices (not pictured) give a robust flavor to the crust.
- Egg binds the crust.
- Vanilla and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Heavy cream and unsalted butter add richness to the filling.
- White chocolate serves as the base of the ganache filling.
- Cornstarch gives the tart crust a crumbly texture.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this tart to your liking:
- Chai spice blend — use 1 ½ teaspoons of a chai spice blend instead of the tea sachet and other spices.
- No chai — omit the chai altogether in the crust for a plain vanilla tart crust.
- Different chocolate — use milk or dark chocolate instead.
- Different decorations — use chocolate shavings, different sprinkles or other cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
- Vegan butter — use vegan butter in the tart crust. Omit the butter in the ganache.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make white chocolate chai tart
Step 1: Make the tart dough according to recipe instructions. Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate overnight or at least two hours. Roll out and place in the tart tin and slice off excess. Freeze for 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes with parchment and pie weights. Let cool completely.
Step 2: Combine the white chocolate, heavy cream and butter over a bain-marie. Heat and stir until melted and smooth. Use an immersion blender to emulsify and lighten in color.
Step 3: Reserve 2 tablespoon of ganache and pour the rest into the baked and cooled tart crust. Let cool completely to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely to set, about 2 hours.
Step 4: Garnish with reserved colored white chocolate, star sprinkles, white chocolate crisp pearls and baked star cutouts from the excess tart dough.
Hot tips
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor. Work quickly as the ganache will thicken as it cools.
- Keep your tart dough chilled for easier handling. Take the extra few minutes to pop it into the freezer in between rolling and cutting.
- Scrunch your parchment paper before flattening back out and shaping to line the unbaked tart shell and hold the pie weights.
Recipe FAQs
Store tart in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Wrap the chilled tart in plastic and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The unbaked tart shell can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
Yes. Use a pastry blender or two knives to thoroughly work the butter into fine crumbs.
This is not recommended as the recipe has not been tested without it.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this White Chocolate Chai Tart recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Chai Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla chai tart dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ½ cup almond flour (60g)
- 1 sachet chai
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar (85g)
- 5 tablespoon cornstarch (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoon butter (130g) room temperature, cut in ¼ inch cubes
- 1 large egg beaten
White chocolate ganache filling
- 12 ounces white chocolate chips or chopped bars (340g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (120g)
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter (56g)
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- Few drops white food coloring optional
Garnish
- ¼ cup white chocolate crisp pearls
- 1 teaspoon star sprinkles
Instructions
Do ahead
- Spray a 9-inch round tart mold with oil.
- The tart dough can be made a day or two ahead of time as it needs to chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
Make the tart dough
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add butter and mix on low until a sandy texture forms. Dough should remain in a clump when grabbed.
- With the mixer running on low, add vanilla. Add half of the egg. If the dough comes together and looks like cookie dough it is ready. If it is still too dry, add the rest of the egg.
- Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate overnight or at least two hours.
Bake the tart shell
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll out tart dough on a floured surface or between two sheets of plastic (I cut up plastic from random stuff like packing material or cereal bags and wash them) into a 12-inch circle, ¼-inch thick. Transfer to the 9-inch tart pan and trim edges using a paring knife. Save the scraps for later. If using plastic, you may find it easier to remove the plastic after popping it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Prick tart base with fork. Place a 12-inch circle of parchment (scrunched first for easier shaping) on top of tart and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. Chill dough in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes. This dough will not take on a lot of color. Carefully remove weights and parchment and return to the oven for a few minutes if the middle still looks “wet”.
Let cool completely.
- Make the white chocolate ganache filling
- In a heatproof bowl, combine the white chocolate, heavy cream, butter and pinch of salt.
- Set this bowl over a pot with an inch of water (the water should not touch the bottom of your bowl). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Blend with an immersion blender until lightened in color and emulsified. Optionally, add a bit of white food coloring. Reserve 2 tablespoon for decorating.
- Immediately pour the rest into the cooled tart crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Let cool completely to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely to set, about 2 hours.
Decorate
- Mix in food coloring or gold luster dust to the reserved ganache. You may need to reheat it for 10-20 seconds in the microwave. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe the ganache on the top of the chilled tart in a pattern of your choosing.
- Re-roll the tart dough scraps. Punch out shapes, like stars in varying sizes. Bake for 5-10 minutes, then cool. Place on top of the tart in a crescent shape, if desired.
- Garnish with white chocolate pearls and star sprinkles, if desired.
