Cookies and Cream Tart

I cook based on how pictures look, so when I saw Half BakedHarvest’s No Fuss Lemon Tart, I knew I had to try it. I made it for my mom’s birthday and we couldn’t believe how delicious it really was. It has the consistency of cheesecake and the lemon makes it refreshing, but not too overpowering. Really, all the flavors of this work together so well.

I can’t understand the science behind WHY this tart works though, and I can’t Google effectively enough to figure it out either. HBH has you boil heavy cream, lemon zest/juice, and honey together for 5 minutes (then add vanilla and salt). You then store in the fridge for several hours and it solidifies? I really wish I understood the chemistry behind why that works, so if anyone can explain it to me, I would be extremely grateful!

It did get me thinking if it was possible to remove the lemon to create some other kinds of tarts. Certainly, you could swap out lemon for lime as a sort of key lime pie. For some reason, I was thinking a cookies and cream tart would be interesting. I searched on Pinterest and couldn’t really find anything I was looking for, so I thought I could change a few things about this recipe to make it work for this application.

This version works, but it takes patience for the fridge part (again, if someone can explain that chemistry to me, it would probably help out a ton!) There’s something about the cream/lemon combination that makes the fridge set up part go much faster. I recommend making this tart more than 24 hours in advance if you’re bringing it to an event because it just takes that long to solidify. It’s so worth it though.

This tart is like an adult dirt dessert. It has that kid nostalgia in a grown-up presentation. Definitely a keeper.

Notes: I used an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and greased it with Baker’s Choice. I also used thin Oreos because they seemed flakier, which I wanted but regular Oreos or chocolate wafers would work as well. If you want to speed the setting process a little, you can add the tart to the freezer for about 30 minutes after you’ve allowed it to set in fridge first. This does make it a little harder to cut, however.

HBH also recommended in her No Fuss Lemon Tart recipe to use a pot much larger than you think you'd need and she is correct. When I attempted this with just a saucepan, the cream mixture boils over. I used a stockpot because it's the biggest pot I had. 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of ground Oreos. Save ¼ cup of the grounds for later

3 cups of heavy cream

1/3 cup honey

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Break up the Oreos to measure into 2 ½ cups. Place the broken up Oreos into the food processor and pulse into near-grounds. Save ¼ cup of the grounds for later (this will go in the tart for decoration before placing in the fridge).

3) Add 6 tablespoons of melted butter into your food processor and pulse. The consistency should be slightly moist, but not wet.

4) Grease your tart pan. Add spoonfuls of the Oreo grounds to the tart pan and press to form into the pan.

5) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. It will seem unfinished when removed from the oven, but will harden as it cools. 

6) Once the crust is cooling, add the cream and honey to a large pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Add vanilla and dash of salt and let cool.

7) Pour the cream mixture into the crust. Using your fingers, add some of the Oreo grounds to the top to make the spotted cookies and cream look.

8) Place the tart in the fridge to allow it to set. May take up to 24 hours.