Receta BIRTHDAY TREATS: Chocolate!
There are some people who will cook and bake outside of their "diet philosophies" for family and friends. I'm definitely not one of those people. That may sound stubborn, but really it's not about being difficult. I just figure if I could make the "same" thing AND be able to eat it, too, why not? It's easy to go buy any full-fat "normal" dessert. It is not always easy to make a gluten-free vegan birthday cake.
My tradition among close friends and family, is to bake a special treat for them. I usually ask what their top 3 favorite desserts are, then I'll create a unique recipe for them based off their response. Unfortunately for me, that answer is usually chocolate. No, not "chocolate cake" or "brownies," just "anything chocolate." Now, I like chocolate, don't get me wrong. I can appreciate a good brownie or truffle, but it's definitely not my first choice. I was always the odd one out among my sisters requesting "vanilla" instead of "chocolate." I remember refusing birthday cake as a young kid because it was chocolate! My indifference is heightened among the many many chocolate lovers I know.
I had almost 4 friend's birthdays in a weeks span of time. I knew I had to find something everyone would love. This time, I decided to not just go for my Cocoa Carob Brownie Bites, or homemade truffles, but something I could even like. This tart was so delicious, I actually started laughing upon the first bite. It's rich chocolate and I like it!
I am warning you now, this is quite a decadent dessert. It is rich, creamy and nutty thanks to an amazing buttery almond meal crust. This will surely make someone feel special on any day, chocolate lover or not.
CHILLED TRUFFLE TARTLETS WITH BUTTERY ALMOND MEAL CRUST
Gluten-free and Vegan
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 Mini Tartlettes
- 6 mini tart pans, "greased"
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup soy-free earth balance, chilled and cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sucanat
- 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate (100% cacao)
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup SoDelicious coconut cream, coconut milk or hempmilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Whisk together almond meal and sucanat in a stand mixer. Slowly add cubed "butter" and vanilla until mixture starts holding together.
2. Press 2-3 tablespoons of crust mixture into greased tart pans. Add to mini tarts to baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
3. Chill or freeze for 20 minutes or until less fragile. While the crusts chill, add all chocolate into a food processor until very chopped very small. Add to medium sized bowl.
4. When tart crusts are close to done chilling, add coconut milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour over chocolate and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and whisk into ganache.
5. Remove tart crusts from freezer and pour chocolate ganache into each crust. Return to freezer for 20 minutes, and eat chilled