Okay, guys! We’re in the home stretch now. All we have to do is clear New Year’s and then we can leave the butter, alcohol and social anxiety behind for another calendar year. Okay, so the holidays are not as bad as all that. But I have to say I’ve never thought of kale quite so longingly. Today’s Black and White Cookie Tart is the last installment in my now two-month long (nearly three) ode to butter. So, after we devour this guy, you have a month of healthy-ish (let’s not go nuts) recipes to look forward to. And then we’ll be back to butter because it will be the dead of Winter and I will be sad.
Jump to Recipe
But enough about the future, let’s talk about this Black and White Cookie Tart, which is most deserving of our attention. The idea for this tart came from the iconic New York Black and White Cookie. As a true child of the 90s, I was introduced to the cookie via an episode of Seinfeld. But I never got to try one until I was in my mid-twenties. And, as I expected, it was love at first bite. Horrible cliche, I know, but also very true.
The thing I love most about a black and white cookie is it eliminates a very difficult choice: Chocolate or Vanilla? For some, this is not a difficult choice. I’ve known some die-hard chocolate lovers and I’ve known some real deal vanilla enthusiasts but my life has never been so black and white…I know, I’m terrible. So, for indecisive people paralysed by the real possibility of regret, the black and white cookie is a break. You get the best of both worlds and a few bites where the two collide. What could be better?
I’ve had the true blue Black and White Cookie and it is so good that it makes no sense to replicate it. If I want a Black and White Cookie I should just find the nearest deli that sells the big-as-your-head variety. So, rather than let myself down with my own homemade version, I decided to use the cookie as a jumping off point and the idea for this Black and White Cookie Tart leaped into my head.
The idea to save this Black and White Cookie Tart for New Year’s came later when I realize the color palette was spot on for the occasion. Don’t you find it strange that things are tacky as all hell during Christmas and then everything goes black tie? The garish red and greens get swapped in for the timeless, art deco stylings of white, black and metallics. It’s like the roaring twenties roar back for a night every New Year’s. I don’t have an explanation for why this is, I’m just perplexed and kind of delighted about it.
So, yeah, I made this Black and White Cookie Tart for New Year’s because it looks oh so black tie. And I’m sure it gives the allusion that I must have crazy glamorous New Year’s plans, but I don’t. I have a hot date with my couch, my bae, and Chinese takeout. After years of lame New Year’s Eves, I’ve given up and I’m not even sorry. But just because I will be jammie-clad, doesn’t mean my dessert needs be dressed so casually. So, yeah, even if your sequin-less body is just chilling on the couch, I still think you should make this Black and White Cookie Tart. Treat yo’self!
Now, despite its luxe appearance, this Black and White Cookie Tart is fairly easy to make. It does involve making Pâte sucrée from scratch, which
Another potential hurdle is you have to do a bit of blind baking, which sounds much more dangerous than it is. All this means is you have to bake the tart shell with nothing in it. People often fear this step because tart shells are prone to shrinkage (snicker). This is easy to overcome if you simply line the shell with parchment paper and fill it with granulated sugar. This is a little tip I picked up from Stella Parks. Not only does the granulated sugar weigh down your tart dough more evenly than pie weights
Now, the filling sure does look impressive but it’s not. It’s just chocolate and vanilla pudding poured from either side of the tart shell so the two meet in the middle. It’s true, I didn’t use a mix for either flavor but, honestly, pudding from scratch is so insanely easy that you’ll wonder why there’s a market for the packaged stuff. From there, it’s just the simple task of arranging fruit, sprinkles and other garnishes in a pleasing manner. All fun stuff, folks!
So, that’s everything you need to know about this Black and White Cookie Tart. It as quick and easy to assemble as it is fancy and delicious. If that’s not a winning combination, I don’t know what is. Have a
Enjoy!
FollowBlack and White Cookie Tart
Ingredients
Pate Sucree
- 1 vanilla bean
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold
Vanilla Pudding
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Chocolate Pudding
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Pate Sucree
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise. With the blunt side of a butter knife, scrape the caviar out of the pod and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Add the egg yolks and the whipping cream to the bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large food processor. Blitz for 15 seconds to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and set the food processor to low. Drop the butter cubes into the dough as it blitzes at a steady but measured pace.
- With the food processor still running, slowly stream in the egg, cream and vanilla mixture and process until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a large ball. Cut the ball in half and form each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge. Let chill for 1-2 hours or overnight.
- Take one chilled disc and place it on a lightly floured surface. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out to roughly a 1/4 of an inch thick. Coil the pastry dough around your rolling pin and unroll it over a fluted, 9-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the sides and base of the tart pan and trim the edges. Transfer the dough to the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.
- While the tart shell is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and prick the surface all over with a fork. Fit a piece of parchment into the center of the tart pan and fill with granulated sugar, dried beans or pie weights. Bake your shell for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the tart to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Vanilla Pudding
- Whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in the milk and place the saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until steam starts to gather on the surface of the milk.
- While you’re waiting for the milk mixture to heat up, whisk the vanilla extract and egg yolks together in a small bowl. Once the milk is warm verging on hot, add two ladles-full of the milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
- Once the eggs are tempered, add the egg yolk mixture to the milk mixture and cook over medium heat until bubbles break the surface and the pudding is thick enough to readily coat the back of a spoon.
- Take the pudding off of the heat and stir in the butter until thoroughly integrated. Transfer the pudding to a large, spouted measuring cup and set aside.
Chocolate Pudding
- Whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small saucepan. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk again. Slowly whisk in the milk and place the saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat until steam starts to gather on the surface of the milk.
- While the milk mixture heats up, place the egg yolks in a small bowl and beat gently. Once the milk mixture is warm verging on hot, add two ladles-full of the milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
- Add the now tempered egg yolks to the milk mixture and place over medium heat. Cook until bubbles break the surface and the mixture coats the back of a spoon readily.
- Take the pudding off of the heat and stir in the butter until completely melted and thoroughly integrated. Transfer the pudding to another large, spouted measuring cup and set aside.
To Assemble
- Take the cooled tart shell and the two spouted measuring cups. At the same rate, pour the two puddings into the tart shell at opposite ends. The two fillings should meet in the middle. Using a toothpick, swirl the two flavors together at the edge. Transfer the tart to the fridge and let chill until set, about 2 hours.
- Halfway through the chill time, decorate the tart with whole and halved blackberries and fresh sage leaves if desired. Garnish with gold sprinkles just before serving.
2 Comments
This tart looks and sounds so delicious! I love the beautiful design – so creative!
Thanks so much, Natalie! 💕