I am now in a wind down mode as I have to travel again, away from home for a few months. It is time to clean up the fridge and pantry items! So, when my gourmet Face book group “Healthy Wellthy Cuisines” decided on the theme “any dish using biscuits” for this month, I was ecstatic! I still had a few packets of store-bought cookie/biscuit packets in my pantry that I had to finish ASAP! I have been longing to use my new loose-bottomed tart/pie pan too for some time now and this was a good time as any! So pie or tart it was going to be and with so many cookies, it had to be a cookie/biscuit crust! I decided to use up all the packets of Britannia’s Jim Jam biscuits to make the crust

For the filling, I had to use up some chocolate I had procured a while back along with a bottle of Nutella waiting to be used up. With some cream lying in the freezer, it was going to be an easy-peasy ganache filling! With just 3 ingredients, nothing could be easier than a fudgy ganache (chocolate melted with cream) with some Nutella/butter thrown in for more flavor!

THE BEST AND EASIEST PIE CRUST TO MAKE:

Making a pie crust with flour and butter (the standard pie crust like in this Rustic Tomato Tart or  Apple Pie Tart)does take some practice but with store-bought cookies/biscuits, the whole process becomes a breeze! No great baking skills needed to make this one! Just crush any biscuit of your choice (Oreos with the cream, sugar cookies, shortbread, Marigold biscuits or in this case cream-filled Jim Jam cookies etc.) to fine crumbs. The best way to crush them fine would be with food processor. Just blitz them and you have fine crumbs in no time! But if you do not have a food processor, there is no need to panic! Place the cookies in a plastic bag and hammer away with a rolling pin to crush them! This may need some muscle power, but hey, you got your workout of the day! Once they are fine, melt some butter and mix in until they look like wet sand or they hold together when pressed!

Spread onto the base of a pie pan (I have used a 9-inch tart pan with loose bottom to make it easier to lift the final pie/tart) and press until compact up the side as well as base. Chill until ready to fill. I loved the flecks of jam bits which made the pie crust look beautiful! I decided to bake it a bit (about 8 minutes) to set the crust and make it crispier; the way I love any pie crust! This step is totally optional and then it becomes a no-bake tart!

HOW TO MAKE EASY CHOCOLATE-NUTELLA GANACHE!

Ganache is nothing but chocolate and cream melted together to form a smooth, satiny, shiny pool of chocolate goodness! No double boiler or microwave needed to melt the chocolate! To make this filling more rich and fudgy, I have used a tad bit (about ¼ cup) of Nutella spread. You can use butter instead too. Just pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and Nutella and stir until you get a smooth, velvety, satiny ganache. Once the filling is ready, pour it over the prepared biscuit crust and make sure it is evenly spread.

I have sprinkled some pomegranate pearls and chopped pistachios for a pop of color and texture! A light shower of Pink Himalayan sea salt lifts the sweetness of the chocolate a few notches up! Oh the sweet and salty combination is divine! Just chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or best overnight and remove about 10 minutes before serving.

It is like heaven in a bite! You are going to love making this over and over again! Enjoy!

HERE ARE SOME MORE CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS FROM THIS BLOG:

Mini Heart-shaped Chocolate Bites Eggless Chocolate Beetroot Cake Best Fudgy Brownies

STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE EASY-PEASY CHOCOLATE NUTELLA TART:

TO MAKE THE BISCUIT CRUST:

Preheat oven to 180 Centigrade or 350 Fahrenheit (if you prefer a crispier crust; optional). Place the cookies (along with the cream filling) into a food processor and blitz to make fine crumbs. If you do not have a food processor, you can crush them in a Ziploc/plastic bag using a rolling pin until the crumbs are fine. Make sure they are FINE! Add in melted butter and process again until the butter is well incorporated and the crumbs look like wet sand. If using the Ziploc method, just mix both the crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl and mix using your hands.

Press the mixture into a 9-inch tart/pie pan (preferably with a loose bottom) beginning with the sides. Using your hands or a spoon, press the wet crumbs up the sides first and then the base of the pan. Press well to make a compact, even base.

At this stage, you can either choose not to bake (and chill it in the fridge) but if you want a slightly crispier crust, bake in preheated oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Meanwhile, while the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache.

TO MAKE THE GANACHE:

Place chopped chocolate and Nutella spread in a medium sized bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring continuously until it just starts to boil. Pour over the chocolate and set aside covered for about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, creamy, satiny and shiny.

Pour the ganache over the crust and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes, if you are going to top with garnish or else the toppings  may sink into the filling.

After 15 minutes, the ganache would have set slightly. Sprinkle the toppings; in this case, pomegranate pearls and pistachios along with sea salt.

Return to the fridge and chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours or best overnight to set completely. Remove the tart from the fridge about 10 minutes before serving so it is easier to cut. Slice with a large, sharp knife (dip in hot water and wipe dry) into wedges/slices and enjoy!

UPDATE (March 2019):

This decadent and easy to make tart just won a prize in an International Recipe Contest on Instructables.com for the Sweet Treats Challenge! ALL THE MORE REASON WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS ASAP!

PIN FOR LATER:

Cook Time: 8 minutes

FOR THE BISCUIT/COOKIE CRUST: 22 cookies (I have used Britannia Jim Jam Cookies with cream, you can use any cookie you like or have); about 2 cups crumbs ½ cup melted unsalted butter FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING: 2 cups chopped chocolate (I have used Morde milk chocolate; you can use any dark/milk chocolate you have; the better the quality of chocolate, the more decadent the tart) 1 cup cream (I have used Amul cream) ¼ cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) FOR GARNISH: Pomegranate pearls Chopped pistachios Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (optional)

Instructions Notes Press the crumb mixture compactly into the pan. You do not have to bake the crust for a no-bake pie/tart. Just chill it until the filling of your choice is ready. You can use any kind of chocolate you like; white, dark, milk or a combination of milk and dark. To make slicing easier, use a sharp, heavy knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry every time you cut them into wedges. This pie/tart can also be frozen to enjoy later! Just cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Topping also is optional. Other suggested toppings: caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream etc.!

Sharing this with Angie’s FiestaFriday along with co-hosts Antonia’s Zoale.com and Abbey’s Three Cats and a Girl.  I am also sharing this with our Face Book group “Healthy Wellthy Cuisines” where the theme this time is “TrystwithBiscuit”!  Here are some more innovative biscuit creations shared by my blogger friends:

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