Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts

Chocolate Chip Cookie Tarts - made March 23, 2012 recipes adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming with Melissa Clark (book #206) and Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim (book #207)

I still had my mini tart pans out from the Banana Coconut Tart so I wanted to make more tarts - cuz, you know, it would be so much effort to put those pans away in the cupboard instead of letting them sit on the counter.  Added bonus that I thought to combine 2 recipes from 2 more books in my baking challenge.  Plus I wanted to use up the last of the jar of dulce de leche from Williams Sonoma.....so that I could buy more.  So all the stars aligned to make this creation - a chocolate chip cookie tart with a layer of dulce de leche between crust and filling.  YUM.

Make the chocolate tart dough and chill for 20 minutes

Spread a layer of dulce de leche on the bottom

Cover with chocolate chip cookie dough

In 3 of the stages

Tart dough recipe makes 4 individual-sized tarts but there's enough cookie dough for 6 tarts (bake the extra in ramekins)

Bake until cookie filling is golden brown

This was pretty good.  Be warned, the tart shell is pretty dark chocolate so a sweet filling makes a nice complement for it.  If you went with a dark chocolate filling, it might be a bit much.  But I liked the combination with the dulce de leche and the chocolate chip cookie.  I underbaked it slightly and that made for a nice chewy texture with the filling.  In fact, I might prefer this chocolate chip cookie recipe as more of a filling rather than a standalone cookie.

Chocolate Tart Dough

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1 large egg yolk

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1.      In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until combined, about 1 minute.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and beat on low speed until just combined.  Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk.  Wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour, or up to 3 days.

2.      Preheat oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the tart dough to an 18 x 12-inch rectangle 3/16 inch thick.  Using a 2 ½-inch round cutter, cut out 24 rounds of dough and press them into mini muffin tins or 2-inch tart pans, trimming away any excess dough; prick the dough all over with a fork.  Chill the tart shells for 20 minutes.

3.      Spoon a thin layer of dulce de leche at the bottom of each tart shell.  Fill with chocolate chip cookie dough.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookie filling is golden brown.  Do not overbake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Filling

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

1.      Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.      Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.

3.      Beat the butter and sugars together with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.  Beat in the egg and milk until they are absorbed and then the vanilla.

4.      Scrape down the bowl and beater and beat in the flour mixture on low speed.

5.      Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.  Spread the filling in the tart shells over the dulce de leche layer.  Bake as directed above.