A few months (yes, months…I know I’m late with this post) ago we celebrated my mom’s birthday. She just happened to be in town so my crew, along with my brother and sister-in-law decided to get together to celebrate her birthday. We had steaks, salads, baked potatoes, bread and, of course, some veno!
But, no birthday celebration is complete without dessert. My mom is a chocolate lover, so I thought long and hard about all the options before finally settling on a tart. But, not just any tart. A brownie tart with a Nutella swirl and chunks of chewy sugar cookie. But what really put it over the top was the flecks of salt and bits of toffee.
This tart is the best of both worlds combining delicious flaky pie crust, chewy and dense brownie and buttery sugar cookies. As if that isn’t enough enough, dollops of delicious chocolaty-hazelnut plopped over the brownie batter before being baked. This not only add another level of flavor, but amps up that chocolate flavor too. The addition of salt makes for the sweet salty combo, as well as cutting some of the sweetness.
I love this version, but Lindsay also suggests subbing peanut butter for the Nutella which I think is a great idea. Biscoff would be a yummy substitution too, along with any of the other varieties of flavored peanut butter that are now available.
Now, if you’re wondering what the birthday girl thought. Well, she loved it. And she tasted it throughout the entire process; the pastry crust, brownie batter, cookie batter and even a scoop of Nutella. I honestly think she would have been happy with a bowl of raw dough…but she allowed me to have enough dough and batter to assemble the tart!
So, if you’re in the mood for pie, brownies and cookies all that the same time then this is definitely the dessert for you. If you need a delicious and crowd pleasing dessert for an event, or just something sweet to have around the house then you must try this tart!
Nutella Swirl Brownie and Sugar Cookie Tart
Ingredients:
For the sugar cookie dough-
1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Large egg
1 Tsp vanilla
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp salt
For the brownie layer-
1/3 Cup flour
1/4 Cup dark or dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 Tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 Tsp salt
1/8 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Large egg
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
For tart assembly-
1 (9inch) Pie crust, homemade or store bought
1/4 Cup chocolate hazelnut spread
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Toffee bits, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Roll out pie crust, making it slightly thinner than you would for a normal pie, and gently please the crust into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to trim the excess dough. Place in the refrigerator and chill until ready to use.
For the sugar cookie dough-
Place butter in a large bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated and the mixture is fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until the dough just comes together.
For the brownie layer-
Combine flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
In a separate bowl combine melted butter, white and brown sugar and whisk until a thick paste forms. Add egg and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and fold into the butter mixture until just incorporated and no dry bits of flour remain. Pour the batter into the chilled pie crust.
Place Nutella in a microwave safe dish and heat for 10-15 seconds, until just softened. Drizzle the Nutella over the top of the brownie batter. Crumble the sugar cookie dough over the brownie and Nutella. (You may only need 1/2-2/3 of the dough, the brownie still needs to be peeking through) Sprinkle with salt and toffee bits, if using.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the brownie is puffed and set and the sugar cookie is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until room temperature before slicing.
Store remaining tart in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Recipe source: Love and Olive Oil
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