Speculoos Tart

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the speculoos crust. Finely crumb 250 g of speculoos cookies in a bowl, either by hand or using a food processor for a few seconds. Melt 100 g of unsalted butter over low heat and pour it over the cookie crumbs. Mix thoroughly with a fork until all the crumbs are coated with butter and the texture resembles wet sand. This flavorful crust is a wonderful alternative to classic shortcrust pastry.

Step 2

Line a buttered 9-inch tart pan with the shortcrust pastry rolled to 3 mm thickness. Prick the base with a fork and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cover with parchment paper and baking beans, then bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Meanwhile, spread the buttered speculoos crumbs over the pre-baked pastry, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon to form a second crunchy, flavorful layer.

Step 3

Prepare the creamy filling. In a saucepan, heat 200 ml of heavy cream with 80 g of brown sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add 200 g of speculoos spread and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and homogeneous. In a bowl, whisk 2 eggs with 20 g of cornstarch, then slowly incorporate the warm mixture, stirring constantly.

Step 4

Pour the creamy filling over the crust and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 20 to 25 minutes. The filling should be set at the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center — it will firm up as it cools. Remove from the oven and drizzle 60 ml of caramel sauce over the surface, tilting the tart to spread it evenly. Let cool completely at room temperature.

Step 5

Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours before serving — it will be even better and easier to slice. Before serving, crumble a few extra speculoos cookies on top for decoration and texture contrast. Serve generous slices with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days — it reaches its peak flavor the next day, when the speculoos and caramel flavors have fully harmonized.