Tag Archives: walnut

Red Fruit Tart in a Chocolate Crust

red fruit tart in a chocolate crust

red fruit tart in a chocolate crust

Summer is here, but so is the heat. Using the oven during really hot weather is not an option for me. Yes, this is a baking blog, but I cut myself a bit of slack when the temps soar.

Another way to keep things cool is to eat a dessert right out of the fridge. When that treat combines the best of summer’s red fruit with chocolate, then you have a real winner.

I saw a video of this gorgeous tart on social media. A bit of searching revealed the author’s website and original recipe. It has quite a few steps, and requires advanced planning, so I chose to use store-bought jam instead of making my own. With that it comes together quite easily.

Enjoy this beautiful tart in a big showy presentation, or make mini tartlets for a gathering. Either way, just remember that a baked cake can sometimes be a no-bake cake.

Until next time, happy non-baking!

red fruit tart in a chocolate crust
Print Recipe

Red Fruit Tart in a Chocolate Crust

Summer is here, but so is the heat. Using the oven during really hot weather is not an option for me. Yes, this is a baking blog, but I cut myself a bit of slack when the temps soar.
Another way to keep things cool is to eat a dessert right out of the fridge. When that treat combines the best of summer’s red fruit with chocolate, then you have a real winner.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Gluten Free, Raspberry, Raw, Recipe, Strawberry, Tart
Servings: 8
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker

Equipment

  • 9” tart pan with removable base
  • food processor
  • Blender

Ingredients

for the crust

  • 2 cups 250 grams coarsely chopped walnuts toasted (see note)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • pinch salt
  • 200 grams 10 large, soft dates pitted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the fruit filling

  • 2 cups 280 grams raw cashews soaked in water for 4 hours
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup at room temperature
  • 1.5 cups 6 ounces fresh raspberries and/or strawberries
  • 1/4 cup cranberry-pomegranate juice at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon rose water food grade, at room temperature
  • 40 grams cocoa butter food grade, melted

for assembly

  • 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam stirred
  • fresh red berries and nuts

Instructions

  • Use a parchment circle to line the bottom of a 9” tart pan with a removable base. Set aside.
  • Place the walnuts, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Add the dates and vanilla, and process until the mixture forms a ball. Test the mixture with your fingers. If it is too dry then add an extra date; if it is too wet then add more cacao powder.
  • Tip the crust mixture out into the prepared tart pan. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Flatten the crust by taking a clean water glass and pressing it into the bottom of the crust. Set the filled pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the freezer and gently take the crust from the pan. Place the crust on a baking sheet and put it in the fridge while you make the filling.
  • To make the fruit filling, drain the cashews and add them to a blender along with the maple syrup, berries, juice, and rose water. Blend until very smooth and creamy, using a tamper as needed. Add the melted cocoa butter and blend again until smooth.
  • Remove the baking sheet with the crust from the fridge. Spread the jam in an even layer over the crust. Spoon the filling evenly over the jam layer. Decorate with berries and nuts. Set the sheet with the tart in the freezer for two hours.
  • Prior to serving, remove the tart from the freezer and place it in the fridge for at least six hours. Remove from the fridge, slice into wedges, and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.

Notes

To toast nuts, preheat your oven to 325F. Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and slightly browned, 5–8 minutes. Remove the baking tray from the oven and pour the nuts into a bowl to cool slightly.
Adapted from No bake raspberry tart https://panaceaspantryblog.com/no-bake-raspberry-tart/

Cranberry Orange Shortbread with Hibiscus Glaze + gluten-free option

cranberry orange shortbread - gluten free option
cranberry orange shortbread with hibiscus glaze

This time of year adds more parties to my calendar, and that means cookies! I love to bring cookies along because they are tasty and easy to snack on while chatting with other guests. And they can be made in quantity without much extra effort.

With several events scheduled this season that included gluten-free attendees, I scoured my files for vegan and gluten-free treats. I discovered a book in my collection with a cookie recipe that fit the bill. To allow for all foodie types to enjoy my offering, I decided to bake a batch gluten-free, as listed in the cookbook, but also one with regular flour. It was a fun and interesting experiment, and it tasted great, too. You can find the gluten-free substitution at the end of the recipe.

To amp up the holiday taste I added orange zest to the dough. I also borrowed a red cookie glaze from a Food Network recipe. The shortbread turned out colorful and festive, and they combined my favorite holiday flavors.

Vegan Cranberry Orange Shortbread with Hibiscus Glaze inspired by Gluten-Free and Vegan Holidays and The Food Network

for cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
for glaze
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup (17 grams) dried hibiscus
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease the sides and removable bottom of a 4” x 14” tart pan. If you prefer wedge-shaped cookies, then use a 9” round tart pan. Set aside.

Put the flour, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined.

Add the coconut oil and maple syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream until combined. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until it comes together.

Add the walnuts and cranberries and mix on low speed to just incorporate. The dough should be a bit stiff, but if the mixture is too crumbly you can beat in a small amount of water until it just holds together.

Press the dough into the prepared tart pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup.

Bake for 20 – 22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Place the pan on a heat-safe surface and cut the shortbread into squares or wedges while still warm. Leave the cookies in the tart pan and move the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove them only once they have fully cooled.

While the cookies cool, start the glaze by bringing the water and hibiscus to a boil in a small pot. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, pressing to remove all liquid, then discard the hibiscus. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and add the warm hibiscus water a bit at a time, mixing as you go, until you reach your desired consistency. Let it sit until fully cooled. (Note: You may not use all of the hibiscus water.)

Dip half of each cooled cookie in the cooled glaze and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Place cookies in the fridge to allow the glaze to set. If you prefer a darker shade of glaze, you can dip the cookies again and place them back in the fridge to set. (Note: you may have leftover glaze depending on how much you apply to your cookies.)

Gluten Free option: use an equal amount of buckwheat flour in place of the all purpose flour. You may need to add extra maple syrup and/or water because buckwheat flour is thirstier with a bolder flavor than all purpose flour.

Note on the photograph: the darker cookies are gluten-free and the lighter dipped cookies are made with all purpose flour.

Until next time, happy baking!

Charoset-Inspired Dessert Bites

Charoset-Inspired Dessert Bites

This time of year I get a little excited for Charoset, the classic Passover relish made from fruits, nuts, spice, and grape (in the form of juice or wine). The combined tastes of those food elements dance playfully on my tongue. Some traditions make charoset into a paste rather than a relish, so I thought it would be fun to make a food item that melded the two forms. That is how I decided on dessert bites. A little pureed and a little chunky, with all of the wonderful flavors that I love.

This recipe is raw so high altitude baking wasn’t an issue. I merely wanted to create my version of this treat and share it with you. These bites make an energetic afternoon snack, a quick breakfast, or a healthy dessert. They would be appreciated for Passover or Easter, or anytime you want to savor the combination of apples, nuts, and grape juice.

Charoset-Inspired Dessert Bites inspired by Haroset Balls

1 cup dried apple
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup grape juice
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
1/8 tsp powdered clove
2 TBS almond meal
powders to roll the bites in, optional

Line a tray or baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place dried apples, apricots, dates, and raisins in a bowl and cover with grape juice. Let sit for 15 minutes so the juice can soak into the fruit.

Place walnuts and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are roughly chopped. To the food processor, add the soaked fruit and any juices from the bowl. Add the spices and pulse until everything is finely chopped and well combined. Add the almond meal and pulse a few times to evenly distribute. The mixture will form a large ball in the food processor bowl.

Transfer the large ball to a bowl. Remove small amounts at a time to form balls the size of walnuts. Place balls on the lined tray and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. When firm, roll each ball into powder, if desired. I used ground up freeze-dried blueberries, dried raspberry powder, cocoa powder, goji berry powder, and maca powder. (Can you tell in the picture which bite has which powder?)

charoset dessert bites and toppings

Store up to 3 weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator. Yields: 24 sweet treats

Until next time, happy non-baking!

Walnut and Cinnamon Peach Crisp

The perfect bite of peach crisp

Walnut and Cinnamon Peach Crisp

Walnuts and cinnamon and peaches … oh, my! Looking at half a flat of local peaches, I was devising ways to use up a good portion of them when a crisp came to mind. The dessert turned out so velvety, luscious, and decadent that I wanted to eat the entire dish in one sitting, for dinner. A few bites were saved for breakfast, but it’s best to reheat it to bring out the full peachy flavor.

The recipe I liked had few ingredients and good preparation techniques but made a large baking dish of crisp, so I scaled it down. Then I added walnuts because I love a crunchy topping. To veganize it I used vegan buttery sticks. Fortunately, nothing needed to be changed for altitude. My final fix was to prefer mixing with my hands instead of using a stick blender. It made for easier kitchen cleanup, and it allowed me to create larger clumps of topping goodness.

Walnut and Cinnamon Peach Crisp adapted from Cinnamon-Oat Peach Crisp

3 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4” slices
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
2 TBS + 3/4 cup all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup packed organic brown sugar
1/2 cup rough chopped walnuts
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan margarine, softened

Toss peaches, granulated sugar, and 2 TBS flour in a bowl to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk oats, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup flour in a large bowl to combine. Add margarine and mix it in with your fingers, removing any lumps.

Place a rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350F. Scrape peaches and any juices into a 2-qt baking dish. Evenly scatter oat topping over peaches and bake until peaches are soft, fruit juices are bubbling, and topping is a deep golden brown, 40–45 minutes. Transfer baking dish to a wire rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Until next time, happy baking!

Coffee Shop Muffins

Coffee Shop Muffins

Coffee Shop Muffins

On some Sundays I just want to sit around and enjoy a cup of tea and a delicious muffin, or two, or three. (But, who’s counting.) For this Sunday, I decided to find a recipe for a muffin that went well with coffee. With a little espresso powder and cinnamon, these muffins would complement a cup of coffee, or even tea or non-dairy milk. And if you eat half a batch, it will just be our secret.

For high altitude, I reduced the baking powder but found I lost some lift. To fix this problem I included some baking soda with the baking powder. I also added a little more milk to counteract dryness. For a little health boost, and so I wouldn’t feel guilty about eating a few extra muffins, I used whole wheat flour along with the all purpose variety.

Coffee Shop Muffins adapted from “Vegan: 100 Everyday Recipes” edited by Love Food

1.25 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1.75 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TBS espresso powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1 cup + 1.5 tsp almond milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 TBS vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and cinnamon. Whisk in sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts. Mix until just combined.

Divide batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan.

Until next time, happy baking!