Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust: a light and tender oil-based pastry dough filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with cut out heart shapes. The dough is easily pressed into the pan, no need to roll it and refrigerate it! Serve it as dessert for Valentine's day, Sunday lunch, or any occasion.
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Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust
By all means, crostata is the most classic Italian dessert. Every family has their own recipe, and every bakery/pastry shop has many beautiful ones in display cases.
You can make the crostata dough with butter or oil, flavor it with cocoa, and use different types of fillings: jam, ricotta and fruit, ricotta and chocolate, ricotta and jam, pastry cream and fresh fruit, just to mention a few.
Here I made a light and tender oil pastry dough filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with cut out heart shapes. The dough does not need to be refrigerated like the all-butter "pastafrolla", and it is easily pressed into the pan, no need to roll it!
The ingredients
All in all, very few and easily available. For the full recipe scroll down to the recipe box.
sugar - organic cane or granulated sugar
egg + 1 egg yolk - organic free range eggs are worth the extra penny
vegetable oil - I used peanut oil. A light olive oil could be used, too.
lemon zest - only from organic lemons free from pesticides
flour - type 0, 00, or all-purpose
baking powder - or the Italian lievito vanigliato (baking powder additioned with vanillin)
chocolate hazelnut spread - or Nutella, jam, pistachio spread
How to make Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust
As a matter of fact, I like to make it in a bowl with a fork, no need for a stand mixer or food processor.
- In a bowl add the sugar, the whole egg, and the yolk. Mix briefly with a fork or whisk.
- Add the lemon zest, and the oil. Stir with a fork until combined.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder, then add it to the egg mixture. Stir with the fork until a raggedy mass of dough begins to form.
- Move onto a pastry board and briefly knead the dough until smooth and it no longer sticks to your hands. Kitchen tip: the dough comes together easily even without kneading it on the board. Just keep working it with your hands in the bowl until it forms a ball.
- Take out ¼ of the dough and set aside (you will use it to make the lattice top or cut out shapes).
- Grease a tart pan and press the dough evenly at the bottom and up the sides.
- Prick the bottom with a fork, then spread the chocolate hazelnut spread.
Kitchen Tip
If the chocolate spread is too hard, soften it in a microwave oven or place the jar in a small pot with some water over the stove to melt it slightly.
You could replace the chocolate spread with jam to make the classic "crostata di marmellata".
Cut out shapes or lattice top?
You can decide if you want to finish your Easy chocolate crostata with a lattice top, as in these crostatine, or finish it with some cut out shapes. I decided to cut out heart shapes to decorate the top in celebration of the upcoming Valentine's Day. This is how you do it:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining dough and cut out heart shapes.
- Re-roll the scraps until you've used all the dough. You could also use a pastry wheel and cut strips to create a lattice pattern. Kitchen tip: Use different heart sizes, or add flowers and/or leaves to change the design.
- Arrange the hearts on the chocolate as you most like, trying to cover as much of the surface as you can to prevent the chocolate from drying out when baking.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven for about 30 minutes.
Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust, pretty and delicious
I just love the simple, rustic look of a crostata, either with jam or chocolate, a lattice top or cut out shapes. This chocolate crostata is delightfully light with a decadent, luxurious filling in between the crumbly oil based pastry. It looks pretty with the hearts on top and would make a lovely dessert at the end of a date night.
Hope you will make this Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust and let us know how you liked it. Don't forget to share your pictures on social media and tag #sugarlovespices.
Enjoy!
PrintEasy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust
Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust: a light and tender oil-based pastry dough filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with cut out heart shapes. The dough is easily pressed into the pan, no need to roll it and refrigerate it! Serve it as dessert for Valentine's day, Sunday lunch, or any occasion.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert, tarts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 80 g cane sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 80 g vegetable oil (I used peanut oil)
- the grated zest of 1 organic lemon
- 280-300 g flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- chocolate hazelnut spread of your choice
Instructions
- In a bowl add the sugar, the whole egg, and the yolk. Mix briefly with a fork or whisk.
- Add the lemon zest, and the oil. Stir with a fork until combined.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder, then add it to the egg mixture. Stir with the fork until the dough begins to form.
- Move onto a pastry board and briefly knead the dough until smooth and it no longer sticks to your hands.
- Take out ¼ of the dough and set aside (you will use it to make the lattice top or cut out shapes).
- Grease a tart pan and press the dough evenly at the bottom and up the sides.
- Prick the bottom with a fork, then spread the chocolate hazelnut spread. If the spread is too hard, soften it in a microwave oven or place the jar in a small pot with some water over the stove to melt it slightly.
- Roll the remaining dough and cut out heart shapes. Re-roll the scraps to use all the dough. You could also use a pastry wheel and cut strips to create a lattice pattern.
- Arrange the hearts on the chocolate as you most like, trying to cover as much of the surface as you can to prevent it from drying out when baking.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Notes
Instead of chocolate hazelnut spread you could use jam, marmalade, Nutella, or pistachio spread.
For the top, you can use any cookie cutter you like, or a pastry wheel to make a lattice.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Sean says
You can never go wrong with chocolate and this was so good. I loved the additional crust on top. I am a huge crust fan and the oil pastry was perfect.
Thank you! Yes, this crust is perfect. Happy to hear you loved it.
Colleen says
This dessert is so simple but still impressed everyone! The oil pastry recipe is super versatile, too. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you, Colleen. It's a favorite pastry that I make multiple times filled with jam or chocolate ;).
Marta says
I had never had a non-fruit crostata before making this chocolate version and I can't believe how much I've been missing out! We are huge fans of chocolate hazelnut spread so my family has requested this be a regular dessert staple in our home.
Thank you! In Italy we make crostata mostly with jam, sometimes with fruit and custard, often with chocolate. I have listed so many ways in the post ;). Happy you loved this version!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love this, it is so easy and delicious!
My kids love it so much!
Thank you! It's a kid favorite, also in small, individual tartlets 😉 .
Kathryn says
I love this dessert! The heart shaped pie crusts on top are too cute and so perfect for Valentin'e day! Thanks for sharing this easy and delicious recipe.
Thank you! I really love that it's easy to make and so delicious! 😉
Jessica says
So cute! I love easy pastries and desserts where I can impress folks but not do tons of work 😉 Especially when chocolate is involved. Thanks for making me look good with this one, lol!
Thank you somuch! We all love easy desserts that look good 😉 .
Jamie says
Wow! This chocolate pie looks incredibly delicious. Such an oil pastry crust makes this an enticing and tempting one! A perfect treat for this Valentine's day! Loved it!
Thank you for trying it!
Thanks! It's great for Valentine's day and every other day, too 😉 .
NATALIA says
I love a decadent recipe ready in a crunch! This Chocolate Crostata looks so easy to make. I cannot wait to try it! It seems it pairs perfectly with my afternoon tea!
It's easy, pretty, and very good ;). Thank you so much!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Such a great recipe with amazing depth of flavor! I love the olive oil pastry crust! So delicious!
Thank you! I love this oil pastry crust!!
Dani says
I was intrigued by the pastry crust made with oil. So clearly I had to give it a try and this recipe is a keeper! I added a few fresh raspberries after baking for some color and everyone loved the little hearts
Lovely addition! Thank you for the feedback!