Caramel Apple Tart Recipe

Delicious Dairy Free and Gluten Free Dessert

Prep time 15 minutes | Total Time 45 minutes

Who says dessert can’t be healthy?

A good friend of mine doesn’t eat refined sugar or flour. I was invited to a birthday dinner for her and knew she never got to have dessert or birthday cake because of her dietary restrictions.

I set out on a mission to make her the best birthday dessert I could and developed this incredibly delicious and healthy dessert!

This apple tart is topped with a decadent date caramel sauce and is made with no added sugar. Although the dates give a beautiful sweetness, they will not spike blood sugar the way refined sugar does due to the high fiber content of dates.

This recipe is gluten free and can even be adapted to be a raw vegan recipe. The best part is everyone will love this dessert, and they won’t miss the sugar or flour! It is sweet and decadent, all while being made of healthy, whole food, plant-based ingredients.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2.5 cups walnuts or almond/walnut mixture - I use 1.5 cups of walnuts and 1 cup of almonds (raw)  

• 1.5 cups medjool dates 

• ¼ -½  teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 3 apples - slightly sweet apples like Honeycrisp or Macintosh work best

• juice of 1 lemon 

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves 

Topping:

• 8-10 pitted medjool dates

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened and unflavored cashew milk (coconut, almond or oat milk can also be used).

Instructions

To Make the Crust:

1. Put the nuts (walnut/almond mixture) into a food processor - use raw & unsalted nuts. Alternatively you can use roasted nuts, but be sure they are unsalted. If this is for a raw vegan dessert you want to be sure to use raw!

2. Add in 1.5 cups of dates (be sure to remove pits)

3. Add in 1/2 teaspoon salt

4. Pulse the mixture several times in your processor until the nuts and dates are finely chopped and the nuts/dates form a moist, slightly crumbly mixture that can be easily formed into a pie tin. If you need to see the exact consistency check out my YouTube video linked above.

5. Press the mixture into a pie tin and put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. You can cover with wax or parchment paper so it does not absorb moisture.

To Make the Filling:

1. Cut 3 - 4 apples into quarters

2. Remove the core from the apples

3. Cut each apple into thin slices - about 6-8 per quarter - note- I leave the skins on, they add nutrients and look pretty!

4. You can store the apples in a dish filled with water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice as you cut them. This will prevent the apples from getting brown.

5. Once your apples are cut, put into a large saute pan and cover with water - use new water, not the lemon water they were soaking in.

6. Add in your spices (cinnamon and cloves) and mix well.

7. Heat the apples and water over low heat for about 10-15 minutes until they soften but are still a bit crisp. You can make the apples as soft or crisp as you want - see notes and adjustments!

8. If you want to make this into a raw dessert see notes and adjustments!

To Make the Topping:

1. Put 8-10 dates into your clean food processor

2. Add in about 1/4 cup of unsweetened dairy free milk - I like to use cashew for this dessert

3. Add in 1/2 teaspoon salt

4. Add in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5. Pulse your food processor about 7-8 times until the dates are chopped

6. Then turn your processor on the blend function and blend until you get a smooth/creamy “caramel” sauce. NOTE: you may have to add more plant based milk to get it to the consistency you want. You want it to be thin enough to pipe through a pastry bag or to drizzle but not runny.

To Assemble Your Tart:

1. Place the apples into the pie crust starting from the outside and going around in a circular pattern until the crust is filled with apples (watch on YouTube to see how I do this!)

2. Put your caramel sauce in a pastry bag. If you don’t have a pastry bag you can make one by putting the caramel in a large Ziplock bag and cutting off one of the corners.

3. Pipe your caramel sauce around the top of the tart in a circular pattern. Feel free to get creative and fun with this part!

4. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. You can also let it warm up and serve at room temperature if you prefer.

Notes and Adjustments:

If you want to make this into a raw vegan dessert you can use fresh berries instead of apples. I use a mixture of raspberries and blueberries. You can also simply chop up fresh apples into small 1/4 inch pieces and use those as well, but I prefer berries.

If you make the date caramel first, then make the crust, you don’t have to wash the food processor in between, and the caramel adds extra flavor to the crust!

Sometimes I add a dash of peanut butter to the crust - especially if I am making the raw vegan version.

This is a guilt-free dessert- enjoy!!