Grain Free Mini Fruit Tarts with Cashew Cream

The citrus season is winding down in San Diego, and juicy strawberries are coming into their peak. It's the perfect time for celebrating the abundance of colorful, sweet fruits with these decadently delicious Grain Free Tarts. The gorgeous fruit captures the brightness of the spring season, and the light and flaky almond flour shortbread crust is perfectly rich and buttery. With rich cashew cream between, you are in for a treat!

This dish remains relevant as stone fruits emerge coming into the summer season. Cherries, berries, peaches...they are all delicious and beautiful here! Free from inflammatory grains and refined sugars, these taste sensations will leave you feeling uplifted and as bright as the fruit on top. 

We love the minis as bite size treats, but if you want to serve this for a special celebration, you can press the crust into a parchment lined full size tart pan and bake at 350*F for 12-15 minutes to set, then decorate and serve.

Tip: The crust maintains its flakiness best when you add the cashew cream and fruit within an hour or two of serving.

Tip Two: To make a vegan version, use coconut palm shortening (look for companies like Nutiva who are committed to sustainable sourcing) instead of butter in the shortbread base.

grain free mini fruit tarts with cashew cream

• YIELD: 12-15 mini tarts
• PREP: 18 minutes
• COOK: 12 minutes
• READY IN: 30 minutes

Buttery grain free shortbread crusts, topped with sweet cashew cream and gorgeous seasonal fruit, for a decadent and nourishing treat!

ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp cold grassfed butter
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-8 hours then drained
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk, unsweetened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Juice of half lemon
• fresh fruit of choice, cut into small pieces
• fresh mint leaves for garnish
• raw local honey

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
    
2. Sift together almond flour, arrowroot and sea salt. Cut in cold butter using pastry cutter or two butter knives until your dough is crumby with pea-sized butter balls. Stir in 1/4 cup maple syrup.
    
3. Use a tablespoon scoop to form balls of dough, and drop onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Press with your fingers to flatten into shortbread cookie rounds. Bake for 12-15 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.
    
4. Meanwhile, put soaked cashews, 1/4 cup maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla and lemon juice in high powered blender or food processor, and blend until silky smooth.
    
5. Once cookie crusts have cooled slightly, top with sweet cashew cream and layer with fresh fruit. Garnish with fresh mint and drizzle with a little raw honey to serve.