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A slice of a pine nut tart on a white plate next to a fork.
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4.86 from 28 votes

Honey Pine Nut Tart

This pine nut tart has a buttery nut crust and a rich, honey-sweetened filling loaded with toasted pine nuts. A touch of fresh rosemary balances the sweetness, and rosemary whipped cream makes the perfect topping.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pine nut tart, rosemary pine nut tart
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Almond Pine Nut Crust

  • ½ cup pine nuts 70 grams
  • ½ cup almonds 7 grams
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 13 grams
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
  • ½ cup butter cold; cut into cubes 113 grams
  • 1 large egg

Filling

  • 2 cups pine nuts 280 grams
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 1 cup clover honey 340 grams
  • 2 tablespoon unsulphured molasses 40 grams
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs

Rosemary Cream

  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons powdered sugar

Rosemary Garnish

  • 1 egg white
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons extra-fine sugar

Instructions

Almond Pine Nut Crust

  • Add the pine nuts, almonds, sugar, rosemary, and salt to a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add the flour and pulse to combine.
    Add the cold butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the egg and pulse just until the dough comes together when you pinch it between your fingers. It may still look dry and loose, and that's okay.
    Food processor with finely ground nuts, viewed from above on marble.
  • Lightly grease an 11-inch tart pan and set it on a baking sheet. Transfer the crust mixture to the pan and spread it evenly over the bottom. It may look like too much at first, but it will fit once you press it down.
    Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust firmly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
    Pressing a nut crust mixture into a tart pan.
  • Prick the bottom with a fork, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes.
    Hand poking holes in unbaked pie crust with fork on countertop.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the parchment and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Let the crust cool completely before adding the filling.
    Pie weights being poured into a parchment-lined crust on a baking tray.

Filling

  • Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 4 to 6 minutes, until lightly golden. Watch them closely since pine nuts can burn quickly. Remove from the oven and set aside.
    Pine nuts on a sheet pan ready to be toasted.
  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the butter foams, turns golden brown, and smells nutty, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the rosemary. The butter may foam up again when you add the rosemary, so be careful. Set aside.
    Adding chopped rosemary to a saucepan with browned butter.
  • Add the sugar, honey, molasses, salt, vanilla, and eggs to a mixing bowl. Whisk on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until well combined. Stir in the browned butter, then fold in the toasted pine nuts.
    Stirring pine nuts into a tart filling batter.
  • Pour the filling into the cooled crust and cover the edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is lightly golden and the center still has a slight jiggle. The center should reach 185°F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let it cool completely.
    Round pan of uncooked pine nut filling in tart pan.

Rosemary Cream

  • Add ½ cup of the cream and the rosemary sprigs to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat. Cover and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
    Infusing cream with a sprig of rosemary.
  • Remove the rosemary sprigs and combine the infused cream with the remaining 1 cup of cream in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate until completely chilled. For faster chilling, place the cream in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, but don’t let it freeze.
  • Add the vanilla extract and confectioners sugar to the cream and whip on medium high speed until soft peaks form.
    Electric hand mixer whipping cream in a white bowl, soft peaks forming.

Rosemary Garnish

  • Whisk the egg white until foamy. Dip the rosemary sprigs in the egg white, then sprinkle them with sugar. Place on a paper towel and let dry completely before using them to garnish the tart.

Notes

Tart pan: Keep the tart pan on a baking sheet while you work with it. The removable bottom can easily push up when you lift the pan from underneath, and the baking sheet will also catch any drips.
Rosemary garnish: You can reuse the rosemary sprigs from the infused cream for the sugared garnish. Rinse and dry them well before using.
Baker’s sugar: Baker’s sugar is superfine granulated sugar. Regular granulated sugar will also work for the rosemary garnish.
Rosemary cream: Make sure the infused cream is completely chilled before whipping. Warm cream will not whip properly.
 
This recipe was adapted from Epicurious

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 424mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 52g
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