Prepare the cookie shell.

We will need a fluted tart pan with a diameter of 10.5 inches.

Crush the cookies into a fine powder. You can use a powerful blender or put the cookies in a sturdy food bag (bags that hold corn flakes work well) and crush them with a rolling pin.

Transfer the cookie powder into a tall and large container.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat.

Once the butter is melted, take a teaspoon and use it to brush the inside of the pan. Then sprinkle the inside of the pan with a level tablespoon of wheat flour or rice flour for the gluten-free version.

Grate the peel of a lemon or an orange very finely.

Put half the grated peel into the crushed cookies. Then pour the hot melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until all the butter is completely absorbed.

Set aside 3 oz of cookie powder soaked in butter to use later.

Transfer the remaining mixture into the buttered pan and with a lot of patience and delicacy, form the base (about half a centimeter thick) and also form the edges. I use my hands to create the edges and a meat pounder to flatten the base.

Once done, put the pan in a cake holder or gently cover the surface with cling film and place it in the fridge to set.

Let’s take care of the apples

I used Annurca apples typical of my land, which are dry (meaning they do not release excessive liquid when cooked in contact with sugar), sweet, and slightly tart.

You can use any type of apples you like, and if you are worried that the apples you choose might release too much juice during baking, brush the inside of the tart with a bit of egg white before filling it, which will make the tart impermeable.

Wash, peel, and remove the hard, woody core with the seeds. You can slice the apples very thinly or cut them into cubes, whichever is more convenient for you.

Add the remaining grated citrus peel to the apples, one tablespoon of brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon, mix well to distribute the spices evenly, and fill the tart, which in the meantime we will have taken out of the fridge.

Try to fill the empty spaces with apple slices or pieces.

Now we will deal with the last step, which will make the cookie tart with apples even more delicious. Sprinkle the surface of the dessert evenly with the cookie mixture we set aside.

Since this is not a dessert that needs to rise, we can start baking from a cold oven.

Bake the tart in the middle of the oven, set the oven to 356°F, with heat only from the bottom, and let everything bake for about 20-25 minutes at most.

In case your oven bakes simultaneously from above and below, set the temperature to 338°F, and if the surface darkens too much, cover it with parchment paper, removing it 5 minutes before finishing the baking.

It is a delicate dessert, so I recommend cutting it only when it is perfectly cold.

Extra idea. The tart is delicious on its own, there’s no need to enrich it with creams or sauces, but if you really want to make it even more special, you can accompany it with semi-whipped fresh cream, ice cream balls, or semi-dense pastry cream.

Bon appetit