These tarts are creamy, sweet and delicious. They also happen to be dairy free and vegan and the home made pastry is so easy to throw together. They’re also really festive looking!

Yep I just hinted at Christmas. I know, I know it’s only November but I’m busy trying all of these healthy alternatives to Christmas sweets and desserts and these cute festively coloured tarts are definitely going to be making an appearance this Christmas. I’m not listening to Christmas carols just yet don’t you worry. Those are saved for Christmas parties and Mariah Carey is the soundtrack of choice. Is there any other Christmas album?!

But enough, I’ll stop, back to November things. Like fresh berries and cream and desserts designed to be shared. Like these tarts. They’re surprisingly easy to make, you can buy your own tart shells if you’re scared of the pastry bit but it’s so simple. You don’t even need to rest it you just mix, roll, cut, bake tah dah. I am yet to find an easier pastry recipe. The spelt flour gives these a lovely nutty tasty that compliments the sweet strawberries and coconut cream. I haven’t tried them with gluten free flour but if you have please let me know how you go! I always use this to make my mini lemon tarts.

Making chia jam is such a great cheats way of creating a jam. Those magic little seeds just bind everything together so quickly when you use heat. This is quicker than any traditional jam to make. Jam in 5 minutes? Yes please! I’ve made it before with raspberries too, so delicious.

Ingredients

Pastry

1 cup spelt flour (I like the stoneground whole grain variety)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry jam

1.5 cups roughly chopped strawberries

1.5 Tbs chia seeds

1/4 cup water

Cream

3/4 cup coconut cream, refrigerated overnight

1 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

To decorate

4 strawberries, cut into 3 slices

1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes

Directions

For the pastry:

Mix the flours and baking powder together in a large bowl. Mix the water and oil together by whisking well or shaking in a jar.

Pour the liquid into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Tip out onto a piece of baking paper or clean smooth surface and roll into a circle about 2 mm thick. It might be a little wet feeling, this is fine.

Use a glass or cookie cutter to cut circles, peel off using a spatula and place in 12 hole muffin tins. The muffin tins should not need to be greased as the pastry contains oil, if yours are quite old feel free to lightly grease. Press pastry into holes lightly so there is a 1 cm edge. Fill with a scant tablespoon of rice or pie weights to prevent the middle rising. Bring any pastry scraps together into a bowl and roll out again, cut the circles and so on until you have 12 holes of the muffin tins lined. If you have any left over it will refrigerate for a couple of days.

Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove the pie weights after 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.

For the Strawberry Jam:

Place the strawberries and water in a small pot and bring to a boil, lightly mash with a fork and add the chia seeds. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the chia seeds have begun to swell and the strawberries are thick and sticky. Set aside.

For the Cream:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth, you can do this with a small hand held whisk. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. You want it to be very thick, like clotted cream.

Assemble:

Once the tart shells are cool, place a heaped tsp of the jam at the bottom of each one and spread evenly. Top with a couple of teaspoons of the cream and smooth the top. Sprinkle with coconut flakes and top with a slice of strawberry. You can refrigerate for a couple of days but best eaten immediately once assembled!

HH. x