Raw pecan & chocolate tarts

I’m a huge fan of nuts and nut butters, to the point where it can actually be dangerous to have them lying around as it’s highly likely that I will just gobble down the whole lot! They make an excellent, nutritious addition to meals and are a great way to add protein and healthy fats into your diet. I also love snacking on nuts and nut butters, as not only are they delicious, but a pretty convenient option too. Another thing that nuts are amazing for, it creating raw vegan desserts.. I mean, they’re probably found in about 80% of raw cheesecakes, brownies and energy bites! 

Pecans are one of my favourite nuts, mainly because of their gorgeous caramel like flavour which works an absolute treat in sweet dishes. Pecan pie probably has to be one of the most delicious things to have ever been created.. I mean it basically combines caramel, pecans and a biscuit-y crust; that is just heaven. This version is of course refined sugar free and made from completely natural ingredients, but I really don’t think you’d guess it from how indulgently sweet they taste! The caramel centre is a glorious blend of date caramel with hints of warming spices and creamy pecan butter. This sits on a crispy biscuit like base and to top the whole things of.. obviously some chocolate, what else? 

These would probably be even more perfect for the Autumn and Winter months, as the spices give an amazing sense of warmth and kind of remind me of Christmas. But, lets be honest desserts like this are pretty perfect for any day of the year, so it just seemed silly to wait until then to share the recipe! 

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Raw pecan & chocolate tarts

• Yield: 3

Ingredients

Base

• 3/4 cup oats
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Pinch of pink salt

Filling

• 2/3 cup dates + 4 (soaked in hot water for 20 minutes)
• 5 tbsp pecan butter
• Almond milk
• Heaped 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Chocolate

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 heaped tbsp cacao powder
• Pecans and cacao nibs to decorate

Instructions

1. To make the base, add the almonds into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds to crush them slightly. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is well combined and has started to stick together.
2. Press the mixture into the base of each of the tart cases and place these in the freezer to firm whilst you prepare the filling.
3. Add the soaked dates, pecan butter, cinnamon and a splash of almond milk into your food processor of high powered blender and blender until smooth. Add more milk if needed.
4. This should now resemble a thick caramel like mixture. Spread this into each of the tarts and return them to the freezer.
5. Melt the coconut oil and stir in the maple syrup and cacao powder. Drizzle this over the top of each of the tarts and add some pecans and cacao nibs to garnish if you would like. Leave in the freezer for 1 hour to set.