Julie Goodwin's condensed milk caramel tart
For an indulgent dessert, look no further than this condensed milk caramel tart.
- 1 1/4 cup (185g) plain flour
- 1/4 cup (40g) icing sugar
- 100 gram cold butter, chopped
- 1 egg
- 375 gram good-quality unsalted mixed nuts
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 x 395g cans sweetened condensed milk
- 60 gram butter
- 1/3 cup (115g) golden syrup
- Place the flour, icing sugar and cold butter in a food processor and process until combined. Add egg and process until just combined. Turn out onto a floured bench and knead gently into a soft dough. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lightly grease a 23cm round loose-base flan tin. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of baking paper) until large enough to line the tin, about 3mm thick. Use a rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin; press into side.
- Trim the edge and prick the pastry with a fork over the base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line pastry with baking paper and cover with uncooked rice or beans (or pastry weights) to weigh the paper down; place tin on an oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool.
- Meanwhile, place the nuts and sesame seeds on an oven tray. Roast in oven for about 8 minutes or until fragrant and browned lightly. Reserve 1 /3 cup of nuts and seeds for decoration.
- Combine the condensed milk, butter and golden syrup in a medium saucepan; stir over a medium heat until boiling. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and a caramel colour.
- Working quickly, combine the hot caramel, remaining warm nuts and seeds in pan; spread mixture into the pastry shell. Decorate top of tart with reserved nuts and seeds.
- To serve, cut caramel tart with a sharp knife heated with hot water and cleaned after each cut.
“There was usually a tin of condensed milk in the fridge at home when I was growing up and my guilty pleasure was drinking it out of the can !”
A sweet pastry base filled with a creamy golden caramel filling studded with mixed roasted nuts that provide an impressive crunch. Make this dessert for Christmas, a birthday, special occasion or just because.
“There was usually a tin of condensed milk in the fridge at home when I was growing up and my guilty pleasure was drinking it out of the can!” Julie Goodwin. Looking for more sweetened condensed milk desserts or sweet pie and tart recipes?
Method
Place the flour, icing sugar and cold butter in a food processor and process until combined.
Add egg and process until just combined. Turn out onto a floured bench and knead gently into a soft dough.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Lightly grease a 23cm round loose-base flan tin.
Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of baking paper) until large enough to line the tin, about 3mm thick. Use a rolling pin to lift the pastry into the tin; press into side. Trim the edge and prick the pastry with a fork over the base.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Line pastry with baking paper and cover with uncooked rice or beans (or pastry weights) to weigh the paper down; place tin on an oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until browned lightly.
Cool. Meanwhile, place the nuts and sesame seeds on an oven tray.
Roast in oven for about 8 minutes or until fragrant and browned lightly. Reserve 1 /3 cup of nuts and seeds for decoration.
Combine the condensed milk, butter and golden syrup in a medium saucepan; stir over a medium heat until boiling. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and a caramel colour. Working quickly, combine the hot caramel, remaining warm nuts and seeds in pan; spread mixture into the pastry shell.
Decorate top of tart with reserved nuts and seeds. To serve, cut caramel tart with a sharp knife heated with hot water and cleaned after each cut.
Why blind bake the caramel tart base? ‘Blind baking’ means baking or partially baking a pastry crust without the filling. Putting a filling into a pastry case that hasn’t been blind baked could make the pastry soggy; so when a recipe tells you to blind bake, it’s best to follow that advice.
Can I freeze the condensed milk caramel tart? No, this condensed milk caramel tart is not suitable to freeze.
This recipe first ran in The Australian Women’s Weekly in December 2009, and was published online in 2026.
