This Christmas, Cheap Tart Bakery and PieBox are teaming up to offer the perfect Christmas gift for anyone on your list.

Choose a sweet-tart cranberry apple or decadent chocolate bourbon pecan pie, and we’ll pack it snugly in a beautiful raw pine PieBox, tie it with a bow, and deliver it by hand.

Imagine a banana cream pie, but caramelized. We fill a crispy, flaky crust with our homemade banana toffee, slices of sweet ripe banana, dark chocolate and lightly sweetened whipped cream.

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, this chewy, crispy, nutty tart is always appealing. This recipe is based on one from David Lebovitz, but the Cheap Tart version swaps in Bourbon for the Amaretto, and roasted cacao nibs to the almond filling. The addition of this crunchy hit of pure chocolate adds a mellow, earthy note to the finished tart.

Almond & Cacao Nib Tart

For the crust:

1 cup (140 g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz, 115 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into little cubes (preferably Plugra or other European brand)
1 tablespoon ice water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Mix or process until the butter is the size of grains of rice. Add extracts and ice water and mix or process again until dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a 1/2 inch thick disc, and refrigerate for half an hour. Using your hands, press refrigerated dough into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Get it as even as you can, but don’t worry about getting it perfect! Reserve a small piece of dough (a gumball sized piece) for patching any cracks later on. Put the pan with the dough pressed in it into the freezer for half an hour or until hard. Then bake in a 375 oven for 20-30 minutes until lightly golden. If any cracks or very thin places appear during baking, wait for the crust to cool for a few minutes, then use the reserved piece of dough to patch the holes.

For the filling:

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (80 g) sliced almonds, with or without skins
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons whiskey

A few tablespoons of dried cacao nibs (a small handful)

In a large pot bring the sugar, cream, and salt to a boil. When the mixture foams up and bubbles, remove from heat, and add the almonds, almond extract, whiskey, and cacao nibs. Pour the filling into the baked crust and place on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Bake at 375 until the surface of the tart is a deep, golden brown, (like the color of caramel sauce). After ten minutes of baking, if a crust has formed on the top of filling, break it up gently using a heat-proof spatula).

Remove the tart from the oven, and allow to cool for five or ten minutes. Carefully remove the rim of the pan by setting the tart on a can of beans or any other low, sturdy object, and allowing the rim to come off while the rest of the tart sits on the can. If the caramel has fused the rim to the tart, use a paring knife to gently pry it off. When the tart is cool enough to handle, carefully slide a long knife between the pan and the bottom of the tart. Slice the tart into wedges or small squares before the caramel completely hardens.

A friend just sent us a link to a page on the Williams Sonoma website. Looks like WS is offering pie pops for Valentine’s Day. And it’s a great idea! We think so too! Here’s what’s not so great: for about $30 WS will ship a mere six pops from a bakery in California. One week later, you can expect them to arrive. Customers are advised to freeze the pops if they won’t be eating them within a few days, then thaw and eat. The word “fresh” does not, in fact, come to mind. Friends, do not commit this sin against pastry. We beg of you.

If you really want to show someone your love, allow us to deliver a dozen FRESH, flaky, pops to your sweetie just hours after we pull the pastries out of the oven, not days and certainly not weeks later. Choose from luscious apple, decadent maple pecan, or spicy lemon ginger, or mix flavors within each dozen. We’ll tie each box with beautiful satin ribbon, and of course include a note with your personalized message.

$45 includes: one dozen delicious pie pops, gift wrapping, note card, and delivery on February 14th (or the day of your choosing).

xo!

Cheap Tart

Paper thin slices of juicy organic lemons make for a bracing sweet-tart filling. Our flakey all-butter crust is the perfect counterpoint.

A silky pastry cream spiked with both fresh and our homemade ginger syrup, and topped with a cloud of lightly sweetened whipped cream. Our crisp, all-butter crust brings it all together.

An aromatic pastry cream with shredded coconut fills the pastry shell. Topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut in our all-butter crust.

chewy chocolate chip cookies available for $25/dozen.

A rotating assortment of roasted fall vegetables (celeriac, yellow beets, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, etc). in a flavorful sauce made with onions, mushrooms, herbs and a touch of cream. Baked in our flaky, herb-flecked crust. Totally vegetarian.

A rotating assortment of root and other vegetables (celeriac, yellow beets, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, etc). roasted and stirred into a flavorful sauce with onions, mushrooms, herbs and a touch of cream. Baked in our flaky, herb-flecked crust. Buy a few of the individual pies and pop ‘em in the freezer. Then reheat whenever for a satisfying meal in these chilly months. Vegetarian.