This Chocolate Pear Tart is what happens when juicy pears, melted chocolate, and buttery French pastry decide to stop flirting and finally move in together. It is simple, elegant, and just dramatic enough to feel French.
Pear and chocolate are one of those classic French dessert combinations that just make sense. Like butter and bread. Wine and cheese. Me and saying "just one small slice" before immediately cutting a second one.
This tart has everything I love in a French dessert: a crisp homemade pâte sablée, a rich layer of melted chocolate, tender pears, and a soft almond-vanilla filling that bakes around everything like a cozy little blanket. A very elegant blanket. A blanket that definitely belongs in a Parisian pastry shop and not in the laundry pile currently judging me from across the room.
The best part? It looks fancy, but it is very doable.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Chocolate Pear Tart
- The Homemade Pâte Sablée
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Canned Pears or Fresh Pears?
- How to Make This Chocolate Pear Tart
- Mix The dry ingredients
- Add the softened butter
- Add egg and chill the dough
- Roll out the dough
- How to Make the Chocolate Pear Tart Filling
- Add the chocolate layer
- Make the almond filling
- Assemble the tart
- Bake & Decorate
- Tips for Success
- Variations
- How to Serve Chocolate Pear Tart
- How to Store It
- Can You Make It Ahead?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Chocolate Pear Tart
Why You'll Love This Chocolate Pear Tart
This chocolate pear tart is rich, buttery, fruity, and deeply comforting. It is the kind of dessert that looks impressive enough for guests but is simple enough to make on a normal weekend when you just want something delicious and your children have eaten all the "emergency chocolate."
I have said it before, and I will say it again: the homemade pâte sablée makes a huge difference. It is tender, slightly sweet, buttery, and has a little almond flour added to it, which gives it that extra French bakery flavor. The chocolate layer melts right onto the crust, the pears stay juicy, and the almond filling brings everything together.
Also, and this is very important, this tart is forgiving. A pear moves slightly? Still delicious. Your chocolate drizzle is more "abstract art" than "Parisian pâtisserie"? Still delicious. You accidentally eat some chocolate while baking? That is not a mistake. That is quality control.
The Homemade Pâte Sablée
Let's talk about the crust, because she deserves her moment.
Pâte sablée is a classic French sweet tart dough. It is more delicate and cookie-like than a regular pie crust, and it works beautifully with fruit tarts, chocolate tarts, lemon tarts, and basically anything that would like to become more delicious.
For this pear chocolate tart, I add a little almond flour to the dough. It gives the crust a lovely flavor and makes it taste even more special. The dough is simple, but there is one rule that matters:
Use softened butter, not melted butter.
Not liquid. Just slightly soft, room-temperature butter.
The dough will be sticky after you mix it. That is normal. Do not panic. Wrap it, chill it, and let the refrigerator do its emotional support work.
Ingredients You'll Need
For the pâte sablée
You will need all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, salt, softened butter, and one egg.
Powdered sugar gives the tart crust a delicate texture, but granulated sugar works too. The almond flour adds flavor without turning the crust into an almond tart. It just gives it that little "hmm, why is this so good?" effect.
For the chocolate Pear filling
You will need sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla extract, almond flour, flour, baking chocolate, butter, and pears.
Use good baking chocolate here (I use the huge bars from Trader Joe's). Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, praline-style chocolate, or a mix all work. I love the contrast of chocolate with the pears, but I do not want the chocolate to completely take over. The pears should still have a voice. A soft, juicy, elegant voice.
Canned Pears or Fresh Pears?
You can use canned pear halves or fresh ripe pears. Canned pears are easy, reliable, and perfect when pears are not in season. They are already peeled, tender, and sweet, which means you can make this pear chocolate tart even when fresh pears are not at their best. Just drain them well before using.
Fresh pears are wonderful too, but make sure they are ripe and juicy. Peel them, core them, and slice them before arranging them over the tart.
How to Make This Chocolate Pear Tart
This chocolate pear tart has two simple parts: first, the homemade pâte sablée crust, and then the chocolate pear filling. The recipe card below has the full detailed instructions, but here is the quick step-by-step version so you can see how it comes together.
How to Make the Pâte Sablée Crust
Mix The dry ingredients
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Give everything a quick stir so the almond flour is evenly distributed.
Add the softened butter
Add the softened butter, cut into small pieces, and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks fine and sandy.
Add egg and chill the dough
Add the egg and mix quickly by hand until the dough comes together. Form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or 1 hour if you have time.
Roll out the dough
Roll out the chilled dough, place it into a buttered tart pan, and prick the bottom with a fork. Now the crust is ready for the chocolate layer.
How to Make the Chocolate Pear Tart Filling
Add the chocolate layer
Melt the chocolate, then stir in the butter until smooth and glossy. Pour the mixture into the unbaked tart shell and spread it evenly over the bottom.
Make the almond filling
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, cream, and vanilla. Add the almond flour and flour, then mix just until combined.
Assemble the tart
Pour the almond filling over the chocolate layer, stopping a little before the top of the crust. Arrange the sliced pears on top.
Bake & Decorate
Bake until the tart is set and lightly golden. Let it cool, then drizzle with melted chocolate if desired.
Tips for Success
- Chill the dough before rolling it out. Pâte sablée is much easier to work with when cold, and this helps the crust keep its shape.
- Do not melt the butter for the crust. Softened butter is perfect. Melted butter changes the texture of the dough.
- Drain canned pears well. Too much liquid can make the filling watery.
- Do not overfill the tart shell before adding the pears. The pears will push the filling up, and you do not want the tart to bubble over in the oven.
- Let the tart cool before slicing. The filling needs time to set, and the flavor is even better once the tart has had a little rest. I know waiting is painful. Be strong.
Variations
- You can use dark chocolate for a deeper, more intense flavor, milk chocolate for a sweeter tart, or praline chocolate for something extra indulgent.
- You can add toasted sliced almonds on top after baking for a little crunch.
- You can drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled tart if you want it to look more finished and bakery-style.
How to Serve Chocolate Pear Tart
This chocolate pear tart is delicious on its own, but you can serve it with a spoonful of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It is also very good with coffee or tea. Or standing in the kitchen, pretending you are just "straightening the edges" with a knife. I see you. I support you.
How to Store It
Store the pear chocolate tart in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Because of the cream and eggs in the filling, I recommend refrigerating it rather than leaving it at room temperature for a long time.
You can serve it cold or let it sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes. This is a great make-ahead dessert.
You can make the pâte sablée the day before and keep it wrapped in the refrigerator. You can also bake the whole tart a day ahead and refrigerate it until ready to serve.
In fact, this tart is excellent once chilled, which makes it perfect for dinner parties, holidays, or any moment when you want dessert ready before the kitchen turns into chaos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought tart crust?
Yes, you can use store-bought sweet tart crust or pâte sablée if you are short on time. Choose an all-butter crust if possible. But if you have the time, the homemade pâte sablée is absolutely worth it, and it is super quick to make!
Can I use canned pears?
Yes. Canned pear halves work very well in this recipe. Drain them well before slicing and arranging them on the tart.
Can I use fresh pears?
Yes. Use ripe, juicy pears. Peel, core, and slice them before adding them to the tart.
What kind of chocolate should I use?
You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, praline chocolate, or a mix. Dark chocolate gives a more intense flavor, while milk chocolate makes the tart sweeter and softer.
Do I need to blind bake the crust?
No. For this recipe, the crust bakes with the chocolate, filling, and pears all at once.
Is this tart better warm or cold?
This chocolate pear tart is best cold or barely warm. Let it cool before slicing so the filling has time to set.
That is it. A crisp homemade pâte sablée, a rich chocolate layer, tender pears, and a soft almond filling all baked into one very reasonable excuse to cut yourself a generous slice.
And if you are into pear desserts, you absolutely have to try my caramelized pear cake next. It is soft, buttery, full of tender pears, and honestly so, so good.
You will find the full recipe below. Please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - it means the world to me and helps more people find my recipes!
Chocolate Pear Tart
Ingredients
For the pâte sablée
- 250 g all-purpose flour, about 2 cups
- 100 g powdered sugar, about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (Or 100 g granulated sugar, about ½ cup)
- 3 level tbsp almond flour
- 1 generous pinch of salt
- 125 g unsalted butter, slightly softened at room temperature, about ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (Not melted, not liquid)
- 1 egg
For the tart filling
- 80 g granulated sugar, about ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon
- 3 eggs
- 200 ml heavy cream, about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 g almond flour, about ½ cup
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 150 g baking chocolate (Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, a mix, or praline-style chocolate), about 5.3 ounces (and a little more to decorate the tart after baking, if desired)
- 40 g unsalted butter, about 3 tablespoons
- 1 large can pear halves, drained, about 28 to 29 ounces Or 4 very ripe fresh pears
- Sliced almonds, optional
Instructions
The pâte sablée
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the flour, almond flour, powdered sugar or granulated sugar, and salt.
- Add the softened butter, not melted or liquid, cut into small pieces. Knead with your fingertips until the mixture has a fine, sandy texture.
- Add the egg and mix quickly by hand. Form a ball as soon as possible. The dough will be very sticky, and that is normal. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. One hour is better. You can also make the dough the day before.
The tart filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- Roll out the pâte sablée with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface to prevent it from sticking too much. You can also roll it out on a sheet of parchment paper. If the dough is too sticky, form it into a ball again, flour the work surface again, and roll it out once more. Line a buttered tart pan with the dough and prick the crust with a fork.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler, then add the butter cut into small pieces. Add 30 more seconds in the microwave if the butter does not melt. Mix well.
- Pour the chocolate and butter mixture over the crust and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, cream, and vanilla with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the almond flour and flour, then beat again just until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the tart pan over the chocolate. Stop pouring a little before reaching the top of the pan, because the pears will make the filling rise. This helps prevent overflow, depending on the size of your pan, and keeps the pears from sinking completely under the filling.
- Slice the pear halves. If your pears are small, you can combine several pieces together to create longer pear halves. Pick up the sliced pears with a spatula and place them neatly over the tart filling in one motion.
- Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes.
- When the tart comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with sliced almonds toasted in a pan, if desired. Once the tart has cooled, you can decorate it with melted chocolate using a piping bag. The tart is best served cold or barely warm.
When you're already in love with both pears and chocolate, this recipe is simply decadent!!