I bought a flan tin a couple of months ago with high hopes for all the concoctions I would rustle up in it. Sadly, it has gathered dust in the cupboard where things get lost until one Sunday when I found myself with severe hangover munchies resulting in two packs of Oreos and some salted caramel sauce. 

To distract myself from self pity and a tempting afternoon of watching Netflix on the sofa, I decided to give said Flan tin its ‘moment’ and bake something on my to do list. The need for making an Oreo based tart came from flicking through my Simple Nigella book a while back as well as my recent love for cheesecake – this dessert meets somewhere in the middle and it is glorious! 

The biscuit base is always a winner with my eager recipe testers and the pie filling is so creamy that the salted caramel sauce I was prepared to eat from the jar proved the perfect partner. My sisters, who are ten years younger than me, are the last people I would’ve expected to like this but they demolished a slice within seconds and loved the contrast between the sauce and chocolatey filling. I used the sauce in some brownies a few weeks before and tested out the recipe from Cupcake Jemma. It’s so easy that I will never look back. 

If you’re looking for a cheesecake alternative, this is definitely the dessert for you – it’s been requested so much since I first made it that I think it will be my new dinner party staple. 

Ingredients: 

For the Oreo crust

• 260g of Oreo biscuits 
• 90g unsalted butter (melted) 

For the chocolate filling

• 200g dark chocolate  
• 225ml double cream
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

For the salted caramel sauce

• 245ml double/heavy cream with 1 tsp of good quality vanilla extract  
• 220g caster sugar 
• 6tbsp water  
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes 

Method: 

1. If you haven’t already pre-made your caramel sauce, I would make this first. Place the water and the caster sugar into a non stick saucepan over a medium heat for around 6-8 minutes. DO NOT stir the water and sugar as it boils as this will make the sugar crystallise. Just let it do its thing for the above time and watch with an eagle eye 
2. As you get closer to the 6th/8th minute, the water will begin to dissolve and the sugar will change colour meaning it is now caramelising (yay!). Once your sugar is a golden brown/amber (yep, like caramel) take it off be heat and gradually add the vanilla cream to the caramelised sugar, stirring continuously – take care, it will be HOT and violently bubble at first
3. Once all the cream has been added, you should have a smooth, glossy golden brown sauce which you can now add the crushed sea salt flakes to. Give it one last stir and set aside in a bowl or sterilised glass jar 
4. Whilst the caramel cools, make the Oreo biscuit base. Start by taking your Oreo crumbs (you can do this with a rolling pin, with the Oreos placed in an airtight food bag or a food processor) and placing in a bowl with the melted butter. Stir until all the crumbs are covered and the biscuits begin to stick together 
5. Next, place the biscuit crumbs into a greased flan tin and start by pressing the crumbs up the side of the tin before spreading across the bottom (I found this the easiest way, starting at the sides, but whatever works for you) 
6. Once the entire flan tin is covered, place in the fridge to set whilst you make the filling. To start the filling, melt both of the chocolates and set aside to cool slightly. Whip the cream with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla extract and mix again for about 10 seconds 
7. Finish by pouring the chocolate into the cream, stirring again until all is combined. Take the biscuit base out of the fridge and smother a layer of the salted caramel on top. Next add the chocolate cream filling on top, smoothing with a palette knife and placing back in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (I usually leave mine overnight) 
8. Once fully set, remove and dress for the occasion by adding Oreo crumbs,  whipped cream or drizzles of caramel 

Enjoy! Nic x 

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