Maria Biscuits were my dad’s everyday companion — he’d break them into a cup of warm coffee or milk and call it breakfast. For many Portuguese families, they’re the first solid food babies ever taste, passed around the way other moms hand out Cheerios. I grew up with them always in the house, and I never imagined turning them into a dessert crust — but here we are. This chocolate tart with a Maria Biscuit crust is one of those recipes that feels both familiar and a little bit special.
What Is a Chocolate Tart with Maria Biscuit Crust?
This is a no-fuss Portuguese-inspired chocolate tart built on a pressed cookie crust made from crushed Maria Biscuits, eggs, and butter. The filling is a rich, slow-melted blend of bittersweet chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, finished with whipped cream. Maria Biscuits are a classic wheat biscuit found in the international aisle of most grocery stores — mild, slightly sweet, and very close to arrowroot cookies if you need a substitute. They make a surprisingly sturdy and delicious crust.
How to Make This Chocolate Tart
The crust comes together in a food processor — grind the biscuits fine, add eggs and softened butter, press into a fluted tart pan, and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. The chocolate filling is made low and slow on the stovetop: melt the chocolate with sweetened condensed milk, whisk in heavy cream, and pour into the cooled shell. After a few hours in the fridge, top it with sweetened whipped cream. Overnight refrigeration gives you the cleanest slices.
Tips for the Best Chocolate Tart
- Use 60% cacao bittersweet baking chocolate for depth. If your family prefers it sweeter, add a cup of semisweet chocolate morsels — that’s what I do.
- Grind the Maria Biscuits to very fine crumbs. Coarse crumbs won’t hold together as a crust.
- Make sure the butter is softened, not melted. It binds the crust without making it greasy.
- The tart shell must be completely cool before you add the filling or it will separate.
- Refrigerate overnight if you can. Two hours is the minimum; overnight gives you perfect slices.
- Chocolate shavings on top are optional, but they make the presentation look like you spent a lot more effort than you did.
- Can’t find Maria Biscuits? Arrowroot cookies are the closest substitute.
I always reach for a loose-bottom fluted tart pan for this recipe — it makes unmolding so much easier and gives you those beautiful scalloped edges.
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H2: Serving and Storing
Serve this chocolate tart cold, straight from the refrigerator. It holds up well and actually slices cleaner the longer it chills. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days — the whipped cream topping is best added the day you plan to serve it if you’re making it ahead.
Chocolate Tart with Maria Biscuit Crust
The Maria Biscuit is a cookie I grew up with. It’s a wheat biscuit that’s not too sweet, but has always been a treat for me growing up. We like to enjoy it with tea and coffee. You can pick this up at any grocery store in their international aisle. These biscuits are comparable to arrowroot cookies which can be used as a substitute in this recipe.
- Category: Desserts
Ingredients
2 7.5 oz packages of “Maria Biscuit” (A 200gram package is about 7 ounces)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 soft sticks of butter
Chocolate Filling
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 pint (16 oz) Heavy Whipping Cream
12 oz of the 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars (3 bars), broken
Note: I use the Ghirardelli Chocolate and I have also added a cup of semisweet chocolate morsels to the above, since my family likes it a little sweeter.
Cream Topping
1 pint (16 oz) Heavy Whipping Cream
4 tablespoons of sugar
Instructions
1. Crush and grind the Maria Biscuits to very fine crumbs in the food processor, one package at a time.
2. Then, change to the dough blade and add the eggs and softened butter. Mix well and move to a greased 12 inch loose bottom fluted tart pan. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Filling
1. Place chocolate and the sweetened condensed milk in to a heavy saucepan over very low heat and stir repeatedly until chocolate is melted.
2. Add the whipping cream and whisk until completely blended. Pour the filling into the tart shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before you add the cream topping.
Cream Topping
1. With a hand mixer, whip together the whipping cream and sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Then spread over the tart filling and refrigerate over night for best results. Before serving you can add chocolate shavings over the top to give it that extra special look everyone won’t forget!
