Honey & Vanilla Sweet Potato Tarts with Pomegranates

This recipe is from my blog archives from 2013. It’s gluten & grain free, dairy free, soy free, with a vegan option.

Crust

• 1 1/4 c almond meal

• 1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1 egg [flax egg for vegan option: 1 tbsp flax seed meal to 3 tbsp water, mix & let sit for 10 minutes before adding]

• 1-2 tbsp water

Filling

• 2-3 medium sized white sweet potatoes

• 1/3 c honey [1/4 c maple for vegan option]

• 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tsp salt

Topping

• 1 pomegranate [or another fruit if you prefer]

• 1/4 cup chopped nuts if desired

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350° & start boiling water in a medium sized pot for the sweet potatoes. Let your potatoes cook while you work on the crust.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine almond meal, shredded coconut, and egg. Mix well. If the dough is too flaky to stick together, add a little bit of water, 1/2 tbsp at a time, not more than 2 tbsp.

3. The dough should form well but not be sticky or gooey.

4. Oil a muffin pan with either or line with parchment squares. Olive oil will give the crust a slight buttery flavor, which I love.

5. Split the dough ball into 12 even sized balls and place one in each muffin cup.

6. Press dough into the bottom & sides of the muffin cups, roughly 1/4 in thick.

7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Start checking at 10 and bake until the edges are golden.

While the Crust Bakes

1. While the crust is in the oven, strain and mash the white sweet potatoes.

   I chopped my potatoes small so they would cook faster.

2. Add honey, vanilla, & salt.

3. When the tart shells come out of the oven, let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

4. While they cool, open your pomegranate & remove the seeds.

   *tip: fill a large bowl with water and open while the pomegranate is submerged. All seeds will sink to the bottom and the inside skin will float to the top.

5. Once tart shells have cooled, spoon sweet potato mixture into each cup and top with chopped nuts & pomegranate seeds.
   
   Serve warm or at room temp as is or topped with whipped cream (coconut whipped cream if dairy free).