Dates with nuts have been a long time obsession of mine with an unparalleled ability to satisfy my sweet tooth. As the temperatures really amp up with summer right around the corner, no-bake sweet-treats have quickly become my go-to crowd-pleasing dessert. Who wants to turn on their oven when it’s bordering 100 degrees? Not this girl.
Garden party treats should be delicate and bite-sized while showcasing the season. That is where strawberries come in as an essential component of these mini sweet treats. Yesterday I shared some cake stands that could display these treats in a beautiful and appetizing way.
What I am most excited about this recipe is how few ingredients are involved and steps there are to making it. This recipe is essentially nuts, dates, strawberries and sweetener. It’s all about how the ingredients are prepared to transform these nutrient dense components into a mouthful of sweet. While I have used almonds and cashews as my heart-healthy fats of choice, any nuts will do. I think pecans, walnuts or even hazelnuts would be excellent.
Nutrition:
Dates: Dates, though high in sugar, also contain antioxidants, nutrients like potassium, magnesium & copper and insoluble fiber which helps regulate digestion and induce satiation.
Almonds: Beauty nutrients biotin and vitamin E are standouts in these heart-healthy nuts. Biotin is attributed to aiding blood sugar balance and building healthy fats in the skin to keep it supple and moist. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that protects our cells from damage caused by free radicals brought on by environmental stressors, for example. This fat-soluble nutrient is best absorbed in the presence of dietary fat.
Cashews: Creamy cashews are my absolute favorite. An incredibly rich source of copper involved in cholesterol balance, generating energy in our cells, antioxidant protection and manufacturing collagen, the major structural protein in the body.
1
- 1 cup almond flour
- 7-8 dates, de-pitted
- 1 cup cashews (soaked in 3 cups of water)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp lemon (optional)
- Sliced strawberries
- Start by soaking your cashews in 3 cups of water for about an hour to soften.
- Make your base by adding almond flour and dates to a food processor. Mix until crumbly and divide your mixture evenly into the bottoms of a muffin tin. Put the muffin tin in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes to harden. (I didn't grease the bottom of the pan but they still popped out seamlessly).
- While your bases are hardening, make your cashew cream by combining your cashews, water and maple syrup in a food processor.
- Remove your muffin pan from the fridge. Remove the tart bottoms from the muffin pan. Top each with cashew cream and a sliced strawberry.
