Chocolate Raspberry Tart

This tart!

This tart is delightful. Super creamy, slightly chocolaty, and topped with plenty of fresh raspberries, it may just be the perfect dessert. It’s simple, yet decadent, and I’m pleased to report that the recipe is 100% healthy.

And look how pretty it is!

For Valentine’s Day, I decided it was time to create something crowd-pleasing and rustic. The raspberry filling is naturally sweet with a little bit of zippy lemon flavor. Walnuts and dates are the key players that make this tart crust so completely addictive. It’s indulgent without being overly heavy, and it’s very simple to make. You can easily prep the tart crust in advance and then whip up the raspberry filling when you’re ready to eat.

Please exercise normal human portion control when eating this.

Raspberry Chocolate Tart

Yield: 1 tart

For the Tart crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 1/4 cup dried organic soft dates, chopped (soaked for 30 minutes only if not soft)
3/4 cups raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
1-2 tbsp filtered water

Combine above ingredients in bowl of food processor fitted with S blade and blend until the mass begins to clump together adding the water bit by bit only if needed to combine the mixture.  Take the mixture and roll into ball and place in tart pan.  Using your fingers, gently press in the center and push mixture towards the sides, lining the tart pan.  Repeat until pan is full. Chill for 15 minutes.  Remove from fridge. Wash your food processor bowl and S blade.

For the Raspberry Filling:
2 cups organic frozen raspberries (plus more for garnish)
1 1/2 cups raw organic cashews (soaked in water for 30 minutes)
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice (plus a little more for consistency)
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

Place all filling ingredients in *high speed blender or food processor with S blade and combine well, scraping down sides to mix thoroughly, until nice and creamy.  Adding a bit of extra lemon juice to allow it to blend is fine, but do check the sweetness factor and adjust if needed.  With the food processor it may not become as perfectly smooth and eliminate raspberry seeds. To complete the tart, place the filling in the tart shell and top with raspberries. Enjoy!

*Vitamix and BlendTec Blenders will get the raspberry filling smooth & creamy. If you do not have a high speed blender, you may need to add a bit of water (1 tbsp. at a time) to get the same consistency.