Tea Milk and Cookies Tart

With its crunchy oatmeal-cookie base, luscious Drambuie-infused ganache and creamy tea-milk filling, this tart puts a deliciously grown-up spin on Santa’s favourite snack.

A smattering of iced cookies and gold flakes on top gives it even more whimsical holiday magic. (Baker Andrei Godoroja also made an edible "glass" to decorate his treat, but this recipe keeps things a bit simpler for the busy festive season.)

Here’s how to make Andrei’s Tea Milk and Cookies Tart, which Kyla Kennaley called “the perfect after-dinner dessert” in The Great Canadian Baking Show holiday special.

Tea Milk and Cookies Tart

By Andrei Godoroja

Ingredients

Oatmeal Crust:

• ½ cup plus 5 tbsp (185 g) salted butter, cool but not hard
• ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (111 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups (156 g) quick oats (not instant)
• 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp candied ginger, finely chopped

Tea Milk:

• 1¾ cups 3.25% milk
• 3 orange pekoe tea bags

Filling:

• Scant ½ cup (70 g) dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp 35% cream
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp Drambuie liqueur
• 1 packet (7 g) powdered gelatin or 4 gelatin sheets
• 1 tbsp 3.25% milk, if using powdered gelatin
• 1¼ cups tea milk (see above)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 1¼ cups 35% cream

Royal Icing:

• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp white rum
• ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
• 2¼ cups (254 g) icing sugar

Decorations:

• Chopped gold foil or gold flakes

Preparation

Oatmeal Crust: 

Heat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with cooking spray. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. 

Pulse the oats in a food processor until just fine (it’s OK if some flakes remain). In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and candied ginger. Add the oats and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on medium-low until combined. 

Separate 325 grams of the dough and roll it into a generous 11-inch round. Line the tart pan with the dough and trim the edges so it’s flush with the pan. Dock the bottom with a fork and then place the crust in the freezer.

Roll out the remaining dough to a scant ¼-inch thick. Cut out small stars and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.

Place the cookies and crust in the oven. Bake the star-shaped cookies until the edges have browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Bake the crust until the centre has lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set both aside to cool completely.

Tea Milk:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan set over medium heat until steaming and bubbles begin to form around the edges. Add the tea bags, then remove the saucepan from the heat and cover. Set aside to steep for 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags.

Filling:

Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.

Bring the cream and Drambuie to a simmer in a small saucepan set over medium heat, then pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly into the cooled tart shell to cover the bottom. Set aside.

If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle the gelatin over the milk. If using gelatin sheets, soak them in enough cold water to cover until soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the tea milk, cornstarch and sugar together in a medium saucepan set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. If using powdered gelatin, add the gelatin and milk mixture to the saucepan and stir to melt. If using gelatin sheets, remove the gelatin from the water, squeeze out any excess moisture and add to the saucepan, stirring until melted. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. 

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks using a hand mixer. Chill in the fridge.

Prepare an ice bath large enough to fit the metal bowl. Place the metal bowl in the ice bath and whisk slowly until the milk mixture is cool and has started to thicken. Fold in the whipped cream. Pour the mixture into the tart shell, over the chocolate layer, and transfer to the fridge to set completely, about 3 hours.

Royal Icing:

Place the egg white, rum and cream of tartar in a medium bowl and whip until frothy using a hand mixer. Lower the speed of the mixer and slowly add the icing sugar until combined and shiny. Increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture is stiff. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a writing tip. 

Decoration:

Outline each cookie’s edge with a line of royal icing and allow to dry. When dry, transfer the remaining icing into a small bowl and add a little bit of water to give it a slightly looser flooding consistency. Spoon a small amount of loosened icing onto a cookie, then use a toothpick to move the icing and fill in the lines. Set aside to dry and repeat with the remaining cookies.

Once the tart is set and the royal icing has dried, place the cookies on top of the tart and sprinkle with chopped gold foil or flakes.

Makes one 9-inch tart