Vegan + Paleo Peanut Butter Tart
This recipe is essentially for a vegan/paleo version of a giant peanut butter cup. I made it using a tart pan because I knew it would be easy to remove once solid, you could also do this with a baking dish completely lined with parchment (so you can easily lift it out) or with a spring form pan.
There's no baking! Just place in fridge or freezer until solid. I used peanut butter for this recipe because it's Levi's birthday present, but almond butter would work just as well, just not have quite the same satisfying peanut buttery flavor.
What you'll need
Crust Ingredients
7 pitted dates
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil
Filling Ingredients
3.5 oz coconut cream
1 cup cashews
4 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Drizzle ingredients
1 tbsp coconut cream
2 oz bakers chocolate
1 tsp maple syrup
Tools
tart pan, food processor
Note: If you're making a cake instead of a tart, meaning thicker and in a springform pan, I'd recommend using this ingredient adjustment.
Crust Ingredients (cake)
8 pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
2 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil
Filling Ingredients (cake)
3.5 oz coconut cream
2 cups cashews
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1. Begin by warming up some water. Soak cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes, the pitted dates for 5 minutes. It doesn't have to be boiling, feel free to take it straight out of the tap warm, I used a kettle to heat up mine.
2. Place all of the ingredients for the crust in the food processor and blend until it turns itself into a sweet chocolate dough, slightly sticky. Taste at this point, if it's not sweet enough for you I recommend adding a tsp of maple syrup.
3. Trace bottom of tart pan onto parchment or freezer paper to create lining for the bottom of the pan, This will make it easier to remove later on. Press crust into the bottom of pan, it should be a thin layer. Place in Freezer while we work on the filling.
4. Put all of the ingredients for the filling in the food processor. Blend until it's smooth, should be a few minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides every so often. It should be thick and like a dough, but smooth. Taste to make sure it's sweet enough for you, I tend to under sweeten things just because that's what I'm used to.
Note: if doing a cake rather than a tart I recommend working in batches to achieve ultimate smoothness.
5. Once blended, press our filling down into our prepared pan over the crust. It's thick, so you'll have to even it out with your fingers best you can. Finish by placing a paper towel on the top and applying some more pressure until even, this should soak up any excess oil on the surface as well.
5. Melt ingredients for drizzle together in a double boiler situation. So basically a medium sized sauce pan filled with water over medium heat, with a smaller saucepan floating in it. We'll put our ingredients in the smaller saucepan, this is so we don't overheat the chocolate. Stir continuously, water shouldn't be boiling, just be warm enough to melt the chocolate. Once smooth drizzle over the top of our tart then refrigerate, if you're in a hurry you can always freeze it too.
