Chocolate Almond Butter Tarts (Imitation Hail Merry)

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I like to try and post at least once a week, especially since the blog is so new and I'd like to build on to it as much as I can. I've been dealing with some things which I definitely intend to talk about in an upcoming post, mainly having to do with some internal issues I've been trying to figure out how to deal with. The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride, and I'm just now trying to get back into the groove of things, which can be difficult because it feels so much like almost starting off from scratch. But here we are, and to try and start getting back into my groove and feeling well, I figured the best way to do that would be make some sweets, and what's better than a rich, decadent, chocolaty dessert?

When I used to shop at Whole Foods I discovered Hail Merry Miracle Tarts. They're insanely delicious, and contain ingredients that I feel comfortable consuming everyday, like coconut oil, almonds, real maple syrup for sweetener, and they're also vegan, gluten free, paleo, and essentially raw aside from the fact that they use cocoa instead of cacao. The main problem though, they are far too expensive for me to buy almost ever. I have a pretty strict budget when I go food shopping because organic produce is my main priority, which adds up quickly. So spending almost $5 on a tiny treat which will last me all of two seconds just isn't in the cards. You can purchase a 12 pack from Hail Merry's website for $100, which sounds kind of insane to me since I just can't imagine having the ability to drop that kind of cash on 12 little chocolates, but more power to those that can afford it.

After a bit of consideration I realized that I already have all of the ingredients needed to make one of these, and I'd actually made similar desserts before without realizing there were recipes for these kinds of sweets, back before I knew there were entire real food and raw food communities. So I figured why not give it a try? I thought even if it doesn't come out tasting the same it'll probably still be delicious. The good news is that these do taste incredibly similar, and are very delicious. All you'll need for this are a few simple ingredients, and some baking cups.

Chocolate Almond Butter Tarts

Makes about 6-8 tarts

Crust Ingredients:

-1/2 cup Almond Flour

-2 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

-1.5 Tbsp Coconut Oil

-1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Center Ingredients:

-1 or 2 Tbsp Raw Almond Butter

Method:

-Line a cupcake tin with baking cups.

-Mix together your dry ingredients.

-In a separate bowl warm your coconut oil just until it's a clear liquid.

-Add coconut oil to dry ingredients and mix well.

-Scoop about half tablespoon (a bit more or less may be needed) into baking cups, and press down with your fingers, molding the mixture into cup shapes.

-Place in the refrigerator while mixing filling.

Filling Ingredients:

-1.5 Tbsp Coconut Oil

-2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

-1/8 cup Raw Cacao Powder

Method:

-Melt your coconut oil just until it reaches a clear liquid consistency.

-Add maple syrup, and cacao powder and thoroughly mix.

-Take crusts out of the refrigerator, and scoop a bit more than 1/2 teaspoon almond butter into each cup, then fill the rest of the way up with your chocolate filling.

-Refrigerate for at least an hour, or if you're eager like me then you can pop it in the freezer.