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Home » Recipes » Fika

Brown Sugar Skyr Tart

Published: May 7, 2020 · Modified: Jan 12, 2021 by Kristi · This post may contain affiliate links.

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A slice of brown sugar skyr tart on a plate with a fork, napkin and a cup of coffee

Whether it's in design, fashion or food, I have a thing for simplicity and elegance. I like things that are the essence of themselves without much need for embellishment or fuss. This Brown Sugar Skyr Tart falls nicely in that category. With an easy, pat-in-the-pan almond crust filled with a brown sugar skyr mixture, it's like an ultra-creamy brown sugar cheesecake in a buttery almond crust. And it is absolute perfection with an afternoon cup of coffee.

WHAT IS SKYR?

Skyr (pronounced skeer) has become increasingly popular in recent years here in the United States. Although it might be new to us, skyr is a dairy product that has been an important part of Icelandic food culture for over a thousand years. Here in America, it is often marketed as the Nordic answer to Greek yogurt. In Iceland, however, skyr as technically considered a fresh cheese, something like quark, because of the addition of rennet in the recipe. Most commercial brands no longer use rennet to make skyr, just particular strains of probiotics that are unique to the product, and different from those used to make yogurt. Skyr is also strained, much like Greek yogurt is, which helps give it a thick, creamy texture and high protein content. It takes 4 cups of milk to make 1 cup of skyr. If you can't find skyr in your grocery store, Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute.

This simple tart comes together in no time at all. The dough is pulsed in the food processor and simply pressed into a tart pan (no rolling pin necessary). While the crust firms up in the freezer, the filling ingredients are whisked together until smooth.

A close up of a tart shell

The filling is then poured into the frozen crust and the whole thing slides in to the oven for 30 minutes. And that's all there is to it! It is absolutely delicious on its own, but it is also nice with a dusting of powdered sugar and a few sugared blackberries scattered alongside.

A close up of a brown sugar skyr tart on a cooling rack
A slice of brown sugar skyr tart on a plate with blackberries and a fork

I hope you give this Brown Sugar Skyr Tart a try! It is your new "little black dress" of fika treats. Looking for more ways to incorporate skyr into your diet? I've got a few ideas for you:

  • Lingonberry Skyr Mousse
  • Summer Skyr Tart with Fresh Berries
  • Herbed Skyr Sauce
  • Golden Beets with Arugula, Lightly Pickled Shallots and Herbed Skyr Sauce
  • Beet and Celery Root Cake Smørrebrød with Herbed Skyr Sauce
  • Roasted Beet and Raspberry Skyr Parfaits

A slice of brown sugar skyr tart on a plate with a fork, napkin and a cup of coffee

Brown Sugar Skyr Tart

A simply delicious tart made with an almond crust and a creamy, cheesecake-like skyr and brown sugar filling.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Fika
Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian
Keyword: brown sugar tart recipe, easy tart recipe, sugar tart
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings (one 9-inch tart)
Calories: 320kcal
Author: Kristi

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • ½ cup blanched almonds
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into a ½ inch dice
  • 3 tablespoons ice water
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

  • 1 ¼ cups skyr preferably whole milk (Greek yogurt makes a fine substitute)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Powdered sugar for serving optional

Instructions

  • Make the Crust:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread almonds out on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until toasted and fragrant, about 8 minutes.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Add toasted nuts to the work bowl of a food processor.  Process until finely ground.  Add flour, sugar and salt and pulse a few times to combine.
  • Scatter butter over the top of the flour mixture and pulse 8-10 times or until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
  • Sprinkle water and vanilla extract over the top and pulse until dough just begins to clump together.
  • Transfer dough to a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
  • Press dough into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan creating a crust.  Flour the bottom of a metal measuring cup and press it over the bottom and sides of the crust to help even everything out.  Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the Filling:  Whisk all the filling ingredients except the flour together in a medium bowl.  Sift flour over the top and whisk thoroughly to combine.  Pour filling into the frozen tart shell and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake the tart until it is set and golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Notes

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 409IU | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg

More Nordic/Scandinavian FIka Recipes

  • Swedish Apple Pie (Easy Crustless Apple Pie)
  • Lemon Blueberry Crumble Bars
  • Strawberry Roll Cake (Swedish Rulltårta)
  • Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Filling (Swedish Midsummer Cake)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Charles

    May 07, 2021 at 9:42 am

    Just wanted to let you know that this desert is AMAZING! I made this for my sister and her family a few weeks back as a gift and she took one bite and said, "WOW, this tastes like it came from a professional bakery!" My wife couldn't get enough! Added to my permanent list! Just a couple of thoughts. I sprinkled the top with sea salt (nice contrast with the skyr, have substituted some of the brown sugar with sorghum syrup (gives a great, malty/nutty/grassy flavor - check it out! it's like if molasses and honey combined!), and have, on occasion, added lemon zest to the filling to brighten it up. It's a really versatile recipe (even the crust could be it's own treat if baked alone in bricks) and I look forward to fiddling. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Kristi

      May 07, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Charles,
      Thanks for your nice note! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And I love your ideas for playing around with it...especially the sea salt. I bet that is amazing! Such a versatile recipe. Happy baking!
      Kristi

      Reply

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