Raw Vegan Lemon Tarts

You can never go wrong with lemon desserts. There’s something about the acidity of lemon mixed with just the right amount of sweetness that creates an unbeatable dessert. Make it from entirely whole, natural foods and you have something incredible. These raw vegan lemon tarts are a no-nonsense dessert that can be whipped up with just a food processor and mini (or regular) muffin tin. They’re also made with only real foods, and can be completely raw if you use raw nuts and agave.

Find original recipe here.

Yield: 9 mini tarts

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 medjool dates
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup coconut butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
• 1 lemon (juice + zest)

Instructions

1. Make the crust by combining all ingredient from the first list (nuts, dates, sea salt) in a food processor until completely broken down. The nuts should be crumbly and the dates should be sticky enough to hold everything together. Pinch a chunk of this crust between your fingers – if it forms a flat disc and holds together, you’re done. If it’s still too crumbly, add 1-2 more dates and continue processing. Note: If you don’t mind using a little coconut oil, add 1-2 teaspoons to the mix. It will help this crust solidify even better when chilled.
2. Form this crust in a mini-muffin tin, pressing a thin layer along the edges of ~9 holes. You can use a full-size muffin tin, but they will be much bigger than single servings and you’ll only get 3-4 tarts with this recipe. When the crust has been formed, pop the muffin tin into the freezer. Meanwhile…
3. Make the filling. Returning to the food processor, add all ingredients from the second list (almond flour, coconut butter, maple syrup or agave, lemon juice, and lemon zest and process until smooth. This will be very sticky. Remove the crusts from the freezer and add a spoonful of the lemon filling to each. Notes: If you don’t have almond flour, simply process whole almonds by themselves first until they’re a powdery consistency. Coconut butter is the pureed flesh of a coconut. (RFR tip — Dastony makes an incredible one!)
4. Return to the freezer for at least 1 hour. The reason for this is to allow everything to become hard enough that you can pop them out of the muffin tins. To do that, carefully slide a butter knife around the edges of the chilled tarts and they should pop out. Transfer to another dish and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. They will keep for 2-3 days if refrigerated.