Speculaas Tart With Almond Filling

This recipe looks spectacular! Use a two-inch gingerbread-man cutter to make the cookies for the topping. Taken from Epicurious.com and posted for ZWT.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12-16
• Yields: 1 tart

Ingredients

• Dough

• 2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1  cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 1  large egg

• Filling

• 1 1⁄2 cups  blanched slivered almonds (about 6 ounces)
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1  large egg
• 2  teaspoons  grated lemon peel
• 2  teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 teaspoon  almond extract
•  powdered sugar
•  apricot preserves

Directions

1. For filling:.
2. Blend first 8 ingredients in processor until nuts are finely chopped.
3. Transfer to small bowl.
4. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
5. For dough:.
6. Sift first 6 ingredients into medium bowl.
7. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended; beat in egg.
8. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form.
9. Gather dough into ball; divide into 2 pieces, 1 slightly larger than the other. Flatten dough into disks; wrap and chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled. Soften slightly before rolling.).
10. Preheat oven to 325°F
11. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan.
12. Roll out larger dough piece on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to pan and press gently over bottom and up sides, pressing any tears together.
13. Spread filling in dough.
14. Trim dough on sides to 1/2 inch above level of filling.
15. Fold dough in over filling.
16. Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12- to 13-inch round.
17. Using bottom of cake pan as aid, cut out 9-inch-diameter round of dough. Slide dough round onto plate and freeze 5 minutes to firm. (Reserve dough scraps for cookies.)
18. Place chilled dough round on tart; press to adhere and seal edges.
19. Bake tart until crust is brown, about 50 minutes.
20. Remove sides of springform pan; cool tart completely on pan bottom. Maintain oven temperature.
21. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
22. Roll out dough scraps on lightly floured surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness.
23. Using 2-inch gingerbread-man cutter, cut out cookies.
24. Transfer cutouts to prepared sheets. Repeat, using all of dough.
25. Bake cookies until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets. (Tart and cookies can be made ahead; cover and store at room temperature 1 day or refrigerate up to 3 days.).
26. Sift powdered sugar over top of tart.
27. Place small dab of preserves on back of 1 cookie; place at top edge of tart; repeat with more cookies, forming border around tart.
28. Transfer tart to platter.
29. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour.