Spiced Dark Chocolate Tart with Cookie Butter Swirl

Well, it’s officially November!

Which means that it’s officially holiday prep time. Most of the recipes you’ll see here in the coming weeks are centered around Thanksgiving and Christmas. There will be some regular, everyday recipes smattered in between as well, but look for lots of holiday comfort coming your way.

First up: an alternative to holiday pie.

I have talked at length about this before, but pie is just not my fave. Sue me. I know it’s like un-American or something for me to admit that, but the truth it, I’d rather eat cookies or brownies than pie any day. I do love a good apple pie or lemon meringue or key lime.

But other than that? I’m bored.

So, today, I’m offering you a pie alternative that is still sure to WOW your family and friends. Just in case any of you out there are kind of like me and think pie is just…OK.

This tart is filled with some of my favorite sweet things.

First up: chocolate ganache. But not just any old ganache!

A rich and deeply dark chocolate ganache spiced with the flavors of the season: cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. This recipe is pretty much goof proof, too, which I love when it comes to the holidays. Because who needs the stress of something possibly not working out on Thanksgiving Day? No one.

The ganache is really, really easy to make. I know I say that all the time and that my version of “easy” is not the same as everyone else’s, but I promise you: you can’t mess this one up.

All it takes is this: heat some heavy cream and spices in a small saucepan until the cream is bubbling around the edges (but not boiling). Pour the hot cream over some chopped dark chocolate in a large (heat safe!) bowl. Let sit for a minute and then stir to combine until it is smooth and pourable.

You will be amazed at the transformation. And at how easy it is to make silky smooth, glossy chocolate ganache!

I like to keep the chocolate theme strong here, so I pour the ganache into a chocolate cookie crust.

And then, to make matters even more spectacular, I drizzle warm cookie butter over the chocolate and decoratively swirl it in. Not only is it beautiful, but it tastes amazing with the spices in the dark chocolate.

All that’s left to do is let the tart set in the fridge for a bit and then generously sprinkle on flaked sea salt for some crunch and balance. This is an easy, fully make-ahead dessert, which can be completely clutch come holiday dinners.

One of my guiltiest pleasures is eating cookie butter straight out of the jar with a spoon. Gah. It’s sooo delicious, and it works SO well with chocolate. If you haven’t tried the combo yet, I beg you to try out this tart. You’ll be oh so happy.

This dessert is just my kind of thing: dark chocolate, spiced, and rich.

And I’ll take it over pie ANY DAY.

Spiced Dark Chocolate Tart with Cookie Butter Swirl

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

This dark chocolate tart is a beautiful alternative to traditional pie this holiday season! It’s rich, spiced with the flavors of the season, and features a decadent cookie butter swirl! It is dark chocolate heaven.

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Ingredients

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For the Crust:

• 9 oz chocolate wafers
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 12 oz dark chocolate (I like 65-70% but you could also use semisweet here)
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup cookie butter (speculoos/biscoff)

Flaky sea salt, for serving

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Instructions

For the Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9-inch tart pan with nonstick spray.
2. Place the chocolate wafers and sea salt in your food processor and pulse a few times to break the wafers down to a coarse crumb.
3. With the machine running, stream in the melted butter. Pulse a few times until the crust starts to clump together. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared tart pan, pressing it evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

For the Filling:

1. Chop the chocolate and place it in a large heatproof measuring cup.
2. Heat the cream, spices, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the cream is hot and starting to bubble around the edges.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minutes. Gently stir the mixture together until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is creamy and smooth.
4. Meanwhile, microwave the cookie butter in another heatproof measuring cup in 20-second increments until it is melted and easily pourable.
5. Pour the chocolate ganache into the baked crust and smooth out the surface.
6. Drizzle the cookie butter on top of the ganache, distributing it evenly. Using a toothpick, gently swirl together the chocolate and cookie butter mixtures. Place the tart in the fridge to set for at least one hour.
7. Slice the tart after it has set (doing this while it is still chilled is best) and sprinkle with flaky salt just before serving. 

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes (plus additional cooling time)
• Category: dessert