We’re taking advantage of late season fruit by using them to top this incredible tart with a fun and delicious cookie crust and cookie cream.
The Cookie Crust
The genius thing about this tart recipe is the way we use sugar cookies for both the crust and the cream. Be particular about the cookies here – only Stauffer’s Iced Animal Cookies will do. These cookies have the perfect amount of icing on them. It’s just a light glaze. Any more icing and it would change the overall balance of this tart. (Really, though, we aren’t the boss of you, so try whatever cookies you like best. Just know that they might not give you the same result!)
Once you have your cookies, making the crust is so easy. Simply crush some of the cookies, then combine the crumbs with melted butter and a tiny bit of salt. Press the mixture into your tart pan and bake until golden. We like this style of tart pan with a removable bottom, which makes serving your tart a bit easier. This ceramic tart dish is a pretty choice, too!
You can bake the crust ahead of time if you like. Once it cools completely, cover it well and store it at room temperature for up to a couple of days.
The Cookie Cream
Cookies are doing double duty in this wonderful tart. Combined with almond milk, they make a wonderful pastry cream substitute, thickened by the cookies themselves. The inspiration comes from Christina Tosi’s use of cereal to flavor milk, which is then used in all sorts of wonderful desserts. We do the same with cookies and almond milk. Steep the cookies in the milk and allow them to soften, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.
You will find that a lot of the cookies have nearly dissolved into the milk. That is a good thing! This provides flavor and thickening power. Heat the mixture until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency. This won’t take long at all. When it thickens, remove it from the heat, stir in maple syrup and vanilla, then refrigerate, covered, until it is completely cool.
Building Your Ultimate Stone Fruit Tart
Once you have your crust and your cream cooled and ready to go, you are ready to build your tart! If you are using a tart pan with a removable bottom, take off the outer ring so that you have your crust resting on the removable bottom with the sides of the crust exposed. Spread the cream over the crust, then arrange your fruit slices in whatever pattern you like on top of the cream.
If desired, heat a little apricot jam and brush it all over the fruit to glaze it and forestall browning. Dust with powdered sugar if you want, or leave it as it is. Whichever you choose, it will be absolutely delicious!
Serve your tart right away. It is best the day it’s assembled, though it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. That is, if it lasts that long!
Serving Your Ultimate Stone Fruit Tart
This is the perfect dessert ending to any number of meals. Try these dinner options as a precursor to your tart:
- Easy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Sausage and Three Bean Chili
- Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili
- Incredible Sweet and Spicy Glazed Salmon
More Stone Fruit Recipes
Enjoy these late-summer fruits in some of these other recipes, too!
- Amazing Fresh Peach and Avocado Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette
- Ginger Peach Crisp with Ginger Whipped Cream
- Summer’s Best Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Ice Cream
The Ultimate Stone Fruit Tart with a Cookie Crust
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 5-1/2 ounces (1-1/4 cup) Stauffer’s Iced Animal Cookie crumbs
- 2-1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
For the Cookie Milk Cream:
- 3 ounces (1 cup) roughly chopped Stauffer’s Iced Animal Cookies
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Fruit Topping:
- 1 medium peach pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 nectarine pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 plum pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam melted (optional)
Instructions
- For the Crust: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.Mix together the cookie crumbs, melted butter, and salt until they are fully combined. Spray non-stick baking spray into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, then press your crust mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.Bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
- Make the Cookie Cream: While the crust is cooling (or up to a day ahead), prepare your cookie milk cream. Place the cookie pieces in a large bowl and pour the almond milk over the top. Stir in the cinnamon. Cover and allow to steep for 20 minutes.Using a fine-mesh strainer over a saucepan, strain the milk and cookie mixture. Stir in the strainer to allow all of the liquid to pass through and press as much of the now-soggy cookies through as possible. Discard any large cookie pieces that do not pass easily through the strainer. Heat the milk, which will be thick and starchy, over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened to a pudding-like consistency, about 3 minutes.Remove from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla, breaking up any lumps that have formed so that the cream is nice and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down onto the surface of the cream, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1-2 hours. The cream can also be stored like this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Asemble Your Tart: Just before serving, assemble your tart by removing the ring from the tart pan, leaving the exposed crust still resting on the pan bottom. Spread the cookie cream in an even layer over the crust, leaving space all around the edge. Top with fruit slices in whatever design you like. If desired, brush all of the fruit with the melted apricot jam to glaze and prevent browning.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Both the crust and pastry cream can be made ahead of time. Store the crust at room temperature, covered, for 2-3 days. Store the pastry cream covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Use any combination of fruit that you like. We like a mix of stone fruits for this one, but you could use only one or a completely different combination. Cherries would be a nice addition!
- The way you arrange the fruit on the tart will dictate how much fruit you need – the more tightly packed your slices, the more you will need.
- The type of cookies really matters here. Stauffer’s Iced Animal Cookies have a very light glaze icing and a hint of cinnamon. They bring the right amount of sugar and spice to this crust. Other brands of animal cookies have more frosting and a different flavor profile, and that makes a difference.
- This tart is best eaten the day it is made, right after assembling. If you must, you can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the fruit may begin to brown and the crust will become a bit soft.
