Around the holidays my sister Audrey and I were always looking for a new dessert to make and take to the family Christmas get together. Back in 2005 or 2006, I came across a Cashew Tart that was a twist on the traditional Pecan Pie. It became our go to dessert and it was amazing, but, it was also labor intensive, full of gluten and heavy cream. I’ve recreated and Paleo-ized it so that it now has a gluten free chocolate crust and is grain-free, dairy free, AND less labor intensive. Just as impressive and delicious though!
For another great dessert idea perfect for both celebrations or everyday is my Double Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe.
Gluten Free Chocolate Crust
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. We’re going to start with the crust by placing all of crust ingredients except for the coconut oil and water into a food processor and then pulsing it until it’s all nice and crumbled.
Add in the coconut oil and pulse again. Your crust should start to stick together. If it hasn’t, add the water, a little bit at a time until it does. You shouldn’t need more than 2 Tbsp of water.
Then you’ll gather up the crust and place it into a 10″ or 11″ tart pan with a removable bottom and using your hands, spread (more like smoosh) the crust along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Place the gluten free chocolate crust in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. It may puff up a little and that’s ok.
Coconut-Walnut Filling
While it’s baking, get started on the filling.
Place all the filling ingredients except the nuts and the coconut flakes into a small sauce pan over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve the coconut sugar. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until a thermometer reaches about 220 degrees.
Turn off the heat and add in the walnuts and coconut flakes and give it a good stir. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then, pour it into the gluten free chocolate crust and spread it out, reaching the edges. Put it back in the oven (on the rimmed baking sheet) and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the nuts and coconut flakes are a nice golden brown. Check often after 20 minutes – your oven temperature my differ from mine. Remove from oven and let it cool completely.
Doesn’t that just look scrumptious? So…be patient, you want to let it cool completely so that the filling solidifies. If you are doing the optional decorating of the top, continue as follows:
In a microwave, melt the 100% cacao chocolate (2oz) in 15 second intervals. You don’t want to burn the chocolate. Stirring it will help it melt…then 15 seconds more and stir it again. Repeat until it is a smooth consistency with no lumps. Let it cool slightly and then put it into a zip lock bag. The easiest way to do that is to put the zip lock into a short cup or glass (like you would line a trash bin with a bag) and then use a spatula to “pour” the chocolate into the bag. Then, squeeze the chocolate into one corner of the bag and twist the bag (don’t zip it shut) to remove all air.
Snip a tiny piece of the corner off and drizzle the chocolate onto the tart.
Once ready to serve (I would let it sit and solidify for at least 4 hours), remove the tart by gently pushing up on the removable bottom. If you have trouble, take a butter knife and from the bottom you’ll see where the pan bottom separates from the side…gently place the knife in between and give it a slight twist. Do this in a couple of spots to release the bottom.
Slice and serve!!!
In case you want to Pin and save it for later (and pinning is greatly appreciated!):
A decadent, impressive, and easy to make Paleo dessert combining coconut, walnuts and a grain-free, gluten free chocolate crust. Heavenly!!!
- 2 cups raw organic almonds
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp coconut oil, softened
- 1 - 2 Tbsp cold water
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 cups raw organic walnuts
- 2 oz 100% organic unsweetened cacao chocolate, optional for design on top
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In the bowl of a food processor, place almonds, coconut flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder, cacao nibs, and salt. Pulse until it's fine.
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Add coconut oil, 1-2 Tbsp at a time, pulsing between each addition until it forms large clumps. If it doesn't form, add the cold water a bit at a time, until it comes together.
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Gather clumps into a ball with your hands and place into the middle of a 10 - 11" tart pan with removable bottom. Press the crust evenly outward working it up the sides. The bottom should be about 1/4" inch thick.
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Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
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In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring to boil the coconut cream, coconut sugar, and maple syrup, whisking until sugar has dissolved.
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Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook for another 8 minutes or until thermometer reaches about 220 degrees. Remove from heat and add the coconut flakes and walnuts, stirring to combine. Let cool for 10 minutes.
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Pour cooled filling into tart crust, spread to the edges. Place back onto the baking sheet and bake until bubbly and nicely browned, about 25 - 30 minutes.
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Transfer to rack and cool completely.
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If you wish to put the decoration on top, place chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave. Start with 15 seconds, stir, add another 15 second and repeat until the chocolate is completely melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
When slightly cooled, scrape chocolate into a small ziplock bag and squish it to one corner. With scissors, snip off a tiny portion of the corner. Please note, the bigger the snip, the thicker your lines will be. Start small...you can always cut off more if needed.
Twist the bag (do not seal) to remove air pockets and drizzle chocolate onto the tart.
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Let the tart sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours to let the filling solidify. Remove from pan, slice and serve.
Store leftovers (if any) in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.
This is also amazing with raw organic cashews instead of the walnuts.
The 100% cacao chocolate link is for 5 bars. You can also get just one bar through Prime Pantry if you are an Amazon Prime member.
Equipment that I Use:
(click any link above if you wish to purchase, I will receive a few pennies from Amazon that helps to keep the kitchen lights on!)
