The second dessert in my series celebrating Nutella is my Crostata di Nutella. This simple and delicious tart could not be any easier to make. It’s perfect for any sort of gathering. I love to make this and then gift it to friends or family.
Crostata is kind of Italian baked pie or tart that can be filled with fruit, marmalade or jams of nearly any variety, or pastry cream with fresh fruit, but this crostata di Nutella is my hands down favorite.
The dough for crostata is called pasta frolla. It is much easier to make than you would think.
Pasta Frolla is what I call a mother recipe. Once you get the hang of it, you can flavor it nearly any way you like, and you can make croststate with any filling you like.
You can even use pasta frolla as a cookie dough, just use your favorite cookie cutter to cut your favorite shapes. Pasta Frolla is simple and versatile and, in my opinion, easier, lighter and more delicious than any pie crust.
I use my food processor and it comes together in just a few minutes. The dough itself is way more forgiving than pie crust, and frankly, much easier to roll out and put in your pan.
One of my baking tricks with pasta frolla is that for the cold liquid, instead of water I’ll use a complimenting flavored liquor. For this crostata, I like to use Fra Angelico, but if I am working on something complimented by lemon, I’ll use limoncello. You get the idea. Use your creativity!
I can’t find imported Nutella, I love to use the Rigoni di Asiago brand of Nocciolata, which I can usually find at Whole Foods. Feel free to use your favorite.
Crostata is usually decorated by a criss cross pattern of pasta frolla on top, but, I prefer not to do that and just decorate with a few chopped hazelnuts. This pasta frolla recipe makes excess dough, so if you’d like to do dough on top, you can, or you can use that excess dough to make cookies.
I prefer to decorate simply with chopped hazelnuts.
This crostata makes an incredibly versatile dessert that will please kids and adults alike. Not that you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, it is the best breakfast ever.
Crostata di Nutella
8
servings10
minutes1
hourIngredients
4 oz. 4 (213g) unsalted butter
1-1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. 1-1/3 (215g) 00 flour
1 pinch 1 salt
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. 1/2 (75g) confectioner’s sugar
3 medium 3 egg yolks, whisked with a fork
2 tbsp. 2 cold Fra Angelico or cold water
17-20 ounces 17-20 (500-600g) Nutella or Nocciolata
Directions
- For the Pasta Frolla with Fra Angelico
- Cut butter into small-ish pieces.
- Place flour in food processor.
- Add butter and pulse until it looks like coarse sand.
- Add sugar and mix to combine thoroughly.
- Add whisked egg yolks, mixture will start to come together.
- Add Fra Angelico or water and mix just UNTIL a ball of dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead slightly, about a minute, until supple.
- Form dough into a flattened circle or rectangle, depending on the shape of your tart pan.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, if not overnight.
- To Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Take pasta frolla from refrigerator.
- Grease and flour a tart pan.
- On a floured surface or between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out about 3/4 of the dough to fit the pan.**
- If you have any excess dough, you can use it for cookies or set aside if you’d like to do stripes of dough across the top (optional).
- Prick the dough in the pan all over with a fork.
- Fill the crostata with Nutella or Nocciolata
- If putting ribbons of dough on top, do so (optional).
- Place on a cookie sheet and bake 30-40 minutes till done.
- Decorate with chopped hazelnuts (optional).
Notes
- *This is about a jar and a half of Nutella if using 13oz. jars.
- **This dough is extremely forgiving. Don’t worry about perfection. Use your hands and, if needed, the excess dough to fill the bottom and sides of your pan.
- *
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