Raw-baked almond & citrus mini-pies

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Last time, I presented to you my current addiction: the pumpkin butter. The jar didn’t last long … I used it in different ways. Among the different experiences, here is one I particularly liked, some Raw-baked almond and citrus mini-pies.

You'll find a raw crust made out of almonds with a slightly lemon flavor, then a pumpkin/clementine/orange filling with a light cocoa taste. Flavors that go awesomely good together (who said Pim’s cookies?)!

Just imagine the range of textures as well… crunchy with the almond, creamy with the pumpkin butter, juicy with the clementine. A great gift for you taste buds!

So if you have some pumpkin butter at home, just do those mini-pies right now. If you don’t, do the pumpkin butter right away … and the mini-pies right after :D

The raw crust for 3 mini-pies

• 100g almond
• 2 Deglet Nour dates
• 2 tbs agave syrup
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp liquid vanilla
• 1 pinch of thin salt

The filling for 1 mini-pie (I let you multiple if needed ;)

• 2-3 tbs pumpkin butter
• 1 heaped tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably raw)
• Some small chocolate chunks (optional)
• 1 clementine

For the pie crusts:

1. Soak the almonds in a lot of water for at least 2 hours. Rinse them and add them into your food processor with the other ingredients for the crust. Mix until you get a malleable dough but which still holds together.
2. Cover your mini-pie baking tin with some parchment paper (and/or use baking tins with removable bottoms – be careful, it’s sticky!). Get 1/3 of the almond dough and spread it by pressing it with a wet back of a spoon.
3. Keep for about 1 hour in the fridge (less time needed in the freezer if you’re in a hurry!).

For the filling:

1. Blend the pumpkin butter with the cocoa powder (and the chocolate chunks if you wish :).
2. Prepare the clementine supremes. Or simply peel the clementine and remove the sections, it will be as good :)

Make the mini-pies:

1. Carefully remove the crusts from the baking tins.
2. Fill them with the cocoa-pumpkin butter.
3. Decorate with the clementine supremes.

Serve right away!

TIPS AND TRICKS

Plate and spoon required :p I’m responsible of nothing if you dare using your fingers :)

Indeed, the crust made that way is fragile, so to obtain a more solid one, I’d suggest to either reduce the quantity of liquids (lemon juice and/or agave syrup), or to use 2 mini-pie baking tins instead of 3 in order to get a thicker crust.

If you don’t have pumpkin butter, try with apple compote. Forget the cocoa in that case (or?). It should be really good as well :)

For the man of the house, who doesn’t like citrus in desserts, I made a ½ banana + chocolate spread version with the other ½ banana sliced on top; it works very well as well :D

The nutrition tip of the day!

Get your fill of vitamin C and antioxidant with the clementine!

As it is for the carrots, this small fruit contains among others, carotenoids (antioxidants) which some of them help building vitamin A. And as we talked about it here with carrots, combining those liposoluble elements with lipids will help your body to absorb them. So, almond + citrus couldn’t be better a better combo!

Enjoy it :)

Rose.