This One’s For The Girls (and Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart)

February 13, 2012

Who doesn’t love a Girl Scout?

I never got to be a scout growing up, but I definitely love them now. The cute uniforms! The service projects! And, of course, the delicious cookies.

I’m a huge sucker for a group of girl scouts knocking on my door or waving to me from the grocery store parking lot, tempting me with their piles and piles of cookies.  In my house we’re partial to Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs, and we’re very excited about the new lemony Savannah Smiles. So when the Girl Scouts of Western Washington invited me to participate in their Girl Scout Cookie Recipe Contest, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

The first recipe idea that came to mind was one that would build on the flavors of the Samoa cookie. The caramel, chocolate and coconut flavors are amazing enough in a cookie, but I thought I would build them out into a chocolate, salted caramel tart. It’s a very rich, very decadent, very grown up dessert reminiscent of a big slice of a candy bar. It’s what a girl scout troupe leader might sink her teeth into after a big day of cookie sales, along with a nice glass of red wine.

Being 2012, you no longer have to wait for an adorable scout to knock on your door to get your cookie fix. When they are sale between March 2 – 18th you can use this handy online cookie locator, or download the Girl Scout Cookie app to your smartphone.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Ingredients

For Crust:

• One box + 4 Samoa cookies
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For Chocolate Filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Caramel Topping:

• 6 ounces heavy cream
• 1/2 of a small vanilla bean
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon water
• 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For crust: crumble Samoa cookies into a food processor. Pulse until they form small crumbs. Add the melted butter, and process briefly until it comes together. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 7″ tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 350 for five minutes, then chill while making filling.
• For filling: Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted. Add butter, 1 piece at a time; whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour filling into crust leaving a 1/2″ space before the top of the pan. You will have extra filling – don’t worry, just pour into a serving dish and chill for a treat later. Chill tart until filling is set, about 2 hours.
• For caramel: pour the cream into a heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the cream, then add the pod to the cream. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
• In a large heavy saucepan, stir the sugar into the water. Simmer over medium heat, without stirring, until deep amber caramel forms, about 7 minutes. Watch very closely as caramel can go from perfect to burned in a second.
• Remove the caramel from heat and carefully add the cream. It will bubble up violently – don’t worry. When the bubbling subsides, stir in the butter. Insert a candy thermometer and cook over medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the caramel reaches 240 degrees (about 8 minutes). Discard the vanilla bean and stir in the salt.
• Immediately pour the caramel over the tart. Chill until firm (3-4 hours). Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, slice and serve.

Serves 8 -10

Filed under: Desserts

Tags: chocolate, Cookies, salted caramel, tart