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Walnuts work well with caramel, chocolate and creamy fillings. To avoid incompatible pastry and filling combinations, each of the five versions below has its own formula. Choose one complete recipe: do not combine ingredient lists or replace eggs with flaxseed without reformulating the method.

Measurements, oven and walnuts

Weigh the ingredients. One egg here means approximately 50g without its shell. Oven temperatures are conventional, with fan temperatures in brackets. Use fresh walnuts and discard rancid or mouldy ones. Toasting enhances aroma but cannot rescue spoiled nuts. If desired, toast the recipe’s walnuts for 6–8 minutes at 160°C (140°C fan), watching carefully and allowing them to cool.

1. Classic walnut tart — 8–10 slices

• Pastry: 200g plain flour, 100g cold butter, 30g sugar, 1 egg and a pinch of salt.
• Filling: 120g chopped walnuts, 160g soft brown sugar, 3 eggs, 120ml single cream, 60g melted and cooled butter and 5ml vanilla extract.
• A 24cm loose-bottomed tart tin, approximately 3cm deep.

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter and add the egg to bring the dough together. If needed, add 5–10ml cold water. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll to 3–4mm, line the tin and chill for another 15 minutes. Line with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 20 minutes; remove parchment and beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
3. Mix sugar, eggs, cream, cooled butter and vanilla without excessive beating. Fold in all 120g walnuts once.
4. Pour into the shell without overfilling. Bake at 170°C (150°C fan) for about 35–45 minutes until set at the edges and only slightly wobbly at the centre, with no loose liquid. Check 75°C for 30 seconds at the centre.
5. Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Chill for at least 2 hours before removing from the tin.

2. Chocolate walnut tart — 8–10 slices

• Pastry: 180g plain flour, 20g unsweetened cocoa, 100g cold butter, 30g sugar, 1 egg and a pinch of salt.
• Filling: 150g dark chocolate, 120g chopped walnuts, 100g soft brown sugar, 3 eggs, 100ml single cream, 30g butter and 5ml vanilla extract.
• Use the same 24cm tin as in the previous recipe.

Make, chill and blind-bake the pastry using recipe 1’s method, sifting cocoa with the flour. Gently melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water without the bowl touching the water, then cool slightly. Mix eggs, sugar, cream and vanilla; fold in the chocolate and all 120g walnuts. Fill the shell and bake at 170°C (150°C fan) for approximately 30–40 minutes, reaching the doneness and temperature described in recipe 1. Cool and chill in the same way. Do not add the classic filling’s 60g butter or sugar to this list.

3. Vegan walnut and coconut tart — 8 slices

• Pastry: 200g plain flour, 80g chilled vegan block butter, 30g sugar, 50ml cold water and a pinch of salt.
• Filling: 200ml full-fat coconut milk, 150g maple syrup, 25g cornflour, 120g chopped walnuts and 5ml vanilla extract.
• A 22cm tin, 3cm deep. Check that every ingredient is suitable for vegans.

1. Rub the fat into the flour, sugar and salt. Add the water gradually, just until combined. Chill for 30 minutes and line the tin.
2. Blind-bake with parchment and baking beans for 20 minutes at 180°C (160°C fan). Remove the beans and bake for another 10–15 minutes until golden and fully cooked.
3. In a cold saucepan, dissolve the cornflour in coconut milk. Add the syrup and heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and all 120g walnuts. Spread into the baked shell. Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours; chill for at least 4 hours.
5. This version sets through cooked starch and chilling; it does not need further baking. It contains wheat and walnuts and is not gluten-free.

4. Caramel walnut tartlets — 6

Pastry: 180g plain flour, 90g cold butter, 25g sugar, 40ml cold water and a pinch of salt. Filling for all six: 120g chopped walnuts, 100g sugar, 30ml water, 80ml single cream and 40g butter. Use six tins approximately 8cm wide and 3cm deep.

Rub butter into the dry ingredients, bind with water, chill for 30 minutes and divide between the six tins. Blind-bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 15 minutes; remove the beans and bake for another 8–12 minutes until golden. For the filling, heat sugar and water without stirring until amber. Remove from the heat and gradually add pre-warmed cream with care: it bubbles and releases steam. Stir in butter and walnuts; if it hardens, heat gently until dissolved. Divide among the six shells. Cool promptly and chill for 2 hours. An adult should make the hot caramel, with children away from the pan.

5. No-bake walnut cheesecake — 8–10 slices

• Base: 200g crushed plain sweet biscuits and 80g melted butter.
• Filling: 400g full-fat cream cheese, 200ml whipping cream with at least 35% fat, 50g icing sugar, 60g maple syrup and 100g chopped walnuts.
• To set: 6g unflavoured powdered gelatine and 30ml cold water. Topping: 20g walnuts. A 20cm loose-bottomed tin at least 5cm deep.

1. Mix biscuits and butter, press into the lined tin base and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Bloom the gelatine in the 30ml water for 5 minutes, or as directed on its packet. Warm gently over a water bath just until dissolved, without boiling.
3. Mix cream cheese, icing sugar and syrup until smooth. Stir two spoonfuls of this mixture into the lukewarm gelatine, then pour it back into the bowl in a thin stream, stirring continuously.
4. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks and gently fold it into the filling with the 100g walnuts. Pour over the base.
5. Chill for at least 8 hours until set. Remove from the tin while cold and decorate with the remaining 20g walnuts. Ordinary gelatine is animal-derived: this version is neither vegan nor vegetarian.

Storage and substitutions

Keep the tarts covered in the fridge at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours of preparation. Do not leave egg, cream or cream cheese tarts on the table for long periods. Label each version’s allergens; every recipe contains walnuts.

A gluten-free blend does not automatically replace wheat flour, and sweeteners do not behave like sugar in caramel. Use a dedicated formula for specific dietary needs. Liquid filling or raw pastry cannot be corrected simply by chilling longer: baked preparations must be properly cooked before cooling.

AI-generated illustration; the decoration does not show the exact result of all five recipes.