No-Bake Fruit Tarts
Dessert for breakfast?
When the tart shell is made of dried fruit and nuts, filled with creamy Greek yogurt sweetened with maple syrup, and then topped with fresh fruit, absolutely! Have dessert for breakfast, without shame, have two!
Using dates and nuts to create a simple tart crust is a stroke of genius as far as I'm concerned. It couldn't be easier, just throw everything in the food processor and grind it into a paste, then press it into your tart shells. No baking required. The resulting crust is not flaky or crisp like a pastry crust, it's soft and chewy, and so delicious. I ate more than half of the first batch straight out of the food processor...it's that good.
I found this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction and promptly began to experiment with different combinations of nuts and dried fruit. As long as I kept to the basic ratio of about 2 cups of nuts to 1/2 cup of dried fruit, it worked perfectly. If you find it's too dry and crumbly, just add a little water. If it's too soft, just add some more nuts.
One note- this mixture is really sticky, wet your hands before handling it to prevent sticking. Also, be sure to grease your tart pans really well, it will be difficult to remove from the pan unless you've thoroughly oiled every nook and cranny. You could also line your tart pan with greased parchment for easy serving.
Crust:
- 1 3/4 cups raw cashews
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 10 Medjool dated (pitted)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- vegetable oil (for greasing the pan)
Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons PURE Lavender and Chai infused maple syrup
- 2 cups fresh fruit
Soak dates and cranberries in hot water for 15-20 minutes to soften. In the bowl of your food processor fitted with the steel blade, grind the cashews and coconut until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Drain the dates and cranberries thoroughly, chop the dates, and add them along with the cranberries to the bowl of the food processor. Process until the mixture comes together into a sort of paste.
Press the date/nut mixture into the bottom and up the sides of your tart pans, and chill for about an hour to let it firm up a bit before filling.
To prepare the filling, simply stir the maple syrup into Greek yogurt. I'm using a local product, PURE Lavender and Chai infused maple syrup, because I love the subtle floral note it adds to this recipe, but plain maple syrup will work too.
Top the tarts with an assortment of fresh fruit, whatever tickles your fancy, and you are ready to serve.
This recipe will yield one nine inch tart, or two 4 inch and two 3 inch tarts. The tarts will keep nicely in the fridge for a couple of days if you'd like to prepare the recipe ahead of time.
