Cherry Tarts with Hazelnut Crust
Cherries are in season and they are delicious! But did you know that cherries are a super food that even contains melatonin, an antioxidant that not only helps you sleep, but also helps regulate heart rhythms. They are full of anthocyans, antioxidants that fight cancer and help reduce heart disease. Cherries have anti-inflamitory properties that fight arthritis and also are memory boosters.
For this raw food recipe, I wanted the cherries to be the star so you will notice the filling doesn’t have many ingredients. It tastes like wonderful, fresh, ripe cherries. The tart shells, made with hazelnuts and almonds, compliment the flavor of the cherries. You can also make this raw recipe as a pie or full size tart.
What is your favorite thing to make with cherries? Do you like to just eat them whole or put them in recipes? For another amazing cherry recipe click here: Raw Vegan Cherry Crisp
And if you don’t want purple fingers for the next two days, it pays to invest in a cherry pitter! I like this one:
Norpro Deluxe Cherry Pitter with Suction Base
Use plastic wrap to shape tart shells. Press into the corners to get a good shell formed, pop out and place to dry. I use this pan: Mini Muffin Pan
Cherry Tartlets with Hazelnut Almond Crust
MAKES 24 MINI-TARTS
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 3 dates
- 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
- Place all ingredients in food processor and process until fine.
- Using a small muffin tin (mine measured 2″ in diameter), place a piece of plastic wrap in the tin (see below), add crust mixture, cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press into shape. You want to make sure you get the crust evenly spread and into the corners to get a good tart shell shape.
- Remove tart shell from plastic wrap and set on dehydrator screen. Dehydrate for 2-3 hours at 115 degrees. Alternatively, you can let these air dry for 4-5 hours or overnight if it isn’t humid.
Filling
- 3 cups pitted and quartered cherries
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 4 dates, coarsely chopped
- Set aside 2 cups of the quartered cherries.
- Place all remaining ingredients in high-speed blender (I actually used the silver bullet for this as it works well for small batches) and process until smooth.
- Stir in remaining cherries.
- Spoon into tart shells. Chill until set.
Susan wrote on September 19, 2012
Milena….next time that happens, just warm everything up again. Cheers!
Milena wrote on September 19, 2012
I made these darlings a few weeks ago, and they were AMAZING! On thing I learned however, is that the fruit should be room temperature before mixing it with the coconut oil. I cut the cherries the day before and had them in my refrigerator, but didn’t think to let them warm up before mixing and the coconut oil immediately became lumpy. Oops! Not attractive, and of course it changed the overall texture, but still delicious =-)
nyki wrote on July 23, 2012
Everything looks so awesome and i can;t wait to try things! I’m still learning however, and have one question. Any time nuts are mentioned should I assume they have been soaked? I want to be sure that I am doing it correctly and not missing an important step.
Christi wrote on July 18, 2012
I made these tarts for a mom’s night. All of the women loved them. The flavor is just divine! My little boy told me that the blended cherry mixture would taste great on pancakes. I think we will try that out this weekend. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy wrote on July 17, 2012
those are so gorgeous! i love that the crust is made with hazelnuts! fabulous!
Julianne wrote on July 15, 2012
I just made these and they are amazing!!
Susan wrote on July 15, 2012
So wonderful to hear! Cheers!
Paula wrote on July 12, 2012
Dumb Question ? Do you take them out of the muffin tin to place in the dehydrator or do you keep them in to ensure they retain their shape?
Valerie {all mussed up} wrote on July 10, 2012
I can’t wait to try this this weekend! Nothing can compare to freshly picked cherries…I just found an orchard outside of my city, and I swear these cherries tastes alive still. Mmm, thanks for the delicious idea.
dre wrote on July 10, 2012
They look delicious! You always have the best recipes and most gorgeous photos of them!