Spooky Speculoos Cream Cheese Tarts, Happy Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner! Such an exciting day for the kids since it is usually filled with sweets and treats! Not to mention they get to be some one else, ha! 

Usually on this day itself, I would bake up or simply whip up something fun and spooky for the kids to enjoy. Frankly speaking the feel is Singapore is really low, mostly are commercialised events. Luckily for me this year I will be away from home and experiencing trick or treating in California! Do stay tune to my Snapchat Honeybeesweets and Instagram @Honeybeesweets.sg for more live updates teehee  :D So when you are reading this post...I will already be in California, weee! 

Okay, let's not get too excited. Back to spooky cheese tart shall we? So this idea came because I wanted to create a new recipe using the Speculoos butter that has been in my cupboard in the past months. I know I know...seems almost like a sin to waste it away! So here I am, creating some delicious cream cheese tarts....with loads of Speculoos goodness into it and a touch of spookiness. :9

Okay, I admit this ain't as scary. But I can guarantee you that these cheese tarts taste darn good! Or should I say spookily good? I had 3 little tasters whom all gave me thumbs up after chomping down a tart each, yay! Since we want to impress our guests with speculiciously good treats on this Spooky Halloween day or any day, let's get on with the baking!

Ingredients for Spooky Speculoos Cream Cheese Tarts (makes 14)

125 g Speculoos finely blended cookie crumbs

170 g all plain flour

60 g sifted powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

150 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla paste

Method:

• Blend Speculoos cookies till fine. 

• Then add the Speculoos cookie crumbs to the flour and powdered sugar into mixing bowl. Mix well with a whisk. 
• Rub butter into flour mixture until resembles coarse crumbs using only your finger tips.
• Add in egg yolk and vanilla paste.

• Preheat the oven to 170C and grease that tart mounds with softened butter. Then weigh out the dough portions of about 40 g each. 
• Place dough onto tart moulds and press the dough to shape into the tart. Then poked the base with a toothpick to release the hot air trapped underneath that tart pastry. 

• Bake at 170C for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown.

• Remove the tart base from the oven and let cool before filling them later.

Cream Cheese Fillings

350 g cream cheese at room temperature

20 g unsalted butter, room temperature

60 g powdered sugar

1 large egg

100 g speculoos butter

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170 C.
• In a mixing bowl, add in the cream cheese, butter, egg and sugar in. Beat the mixture till smooth and creamy.

• Scoop the cream cheese mixture into the Speculoos tartlets' cavities.

• Smooth out the cheese filling. The spoon the 100 g of the Speculoos butter into piping bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe spider webs over the top of the cream cheese fillings. (if you are making these after Halloween, you can just do swirls....unless you like spider webs haha)

• Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes till the cream cheese filling just set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before placing them in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
• Once the tarts has cooled, prepare some black sesame paste and place in a piping bag. Bare in mind this step is not necessary if you are not going to make Halloween spooky tarts.  

• Pipe little spiders on the webs. Basically 2 rounds, one head and one body, then 4 skinny legs on each side of the body.

Okay, I have a confession to make. I did not wait for the tarts to be chilled in the fridge before piping those little spiders on them. So you might find the spiders all smudge....Oh man! But some still look okay...much like a bug or something haha. :P I was in such a rush making these that I didn't even have time to unmould them before the photoshoot...haiz. :P

Okay I have to say these tarts are quite delicious...did I say that earlier? Because they are! I urge you to try them out when you get the chance. I couldn't say enough praise about them. The crust was speculoos-cookie-like-yumminess but more buttery, oh my. :9 The cream cheese filling was perfectly not too sweet (I only used 60 g!), creamy and paired wonderfully with the speculoos butter on top which kind of toasted and crusty after the bake, like a speculoos chocolate like texture.

Okay...this shot should pretty much sums it up. Tempting huh? I actually like the crust so much that I had purposely made a thicker crust for these teehee. Good choice isn't it.

Okay, another shot just in case. :P And oh yes, I will try to load the video I complied for this recipe. Will post it on my Facebook page at HoneyBeeSweets Kitchen. Stay tune yo!

Try it, eat it and tell me ya? Looking forward already!

Have fun baking and eating it too!

Okay...I am off Trick or Treating now, have a spooky fun and delicious Halloween guys!