gluten-free
March 25, 2014 posted by Dre

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

{copycat} miracle tart recipe… samoa girl scout cookie style!
a grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free recipe that will rock your world–not your waistline! :)

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

this recipe… ohhhh, this recipe!! i’ve been waiting for the perfect time to post it. it’s finally here, now that girl scouts aren’t stalking the front doors of every grocery store in america with their vibrantly colored boxes and devious little smiles.

if you’re a fan of their classic samoa cookie, you’re absolutely going to fall in love with this recipe. as addictive as the real thing… but waaay better for you! these little bite-size tarts are just as heavenly, but without all the refined sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, enriched/bleached wheat flour, or corn syrup. (yes, those are the actual first few ingredients, and no thank you!)

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

but these. mini chocolate crusts filled with creamy caramel and coconut, topped off with a chocolatey drizzle… seriously, just like the cookie!! and everyone knows, you don’t even have to like coconut to single-handedly inhale a box of those dangerously delicious samoa cookies… they should really come with a surgeons general warning or something.

okay, before i get too excited and get ahead of myself, i have to stop and give credit where credit is most definitely due. it all started with jenny, from the urban poser blog. {please tell me you’ve heard of her genius paleo samoa donut recipe… if not, you must check it out!} her donuts are the entire reason this recipe ever came to exist. so, thank you jenny. and bravo.

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

here’s what happened… a few weeks back, my husband and i decided to make these donuts.  (and they were aahhhh-mazing!!)  the only problem was the extra caramel i had left over after i glazed all the donuts… don’t get me wrong, it was a delightful problem to have!

i had a decision to make:  do i…

a) make more donuts? or,
b) figure out what indulgent paleo deliciousness i could concoct next…??

duh.

okay, if i’ve completely consumed your brain with donuts and you’ve totally forgotten about the recipe at hand, no worries.  today might just be a perfect day to try out both recipes… because the most time-consuming step of this whole process, the paleo caramel, is the key ingredient in both recipes!  the rest is easy!

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

i had already been scheming to make a copycat hail merry miracle tart recipe… after buying a 12-pack at costco, i realized that all (five) of the ingredients were things i had in my pantry at that exact moment!  (almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut oil, sea salt, and maple syrup)  just how i like my ingredient lists: simple, straightforward and made with foods you can actually pronounce!  with this extra caramel already made, all i needed were the crusts.  how sweet it is… this recipe makes 14 mini tarts and turned out better than i had imagined.

{i normally don’t go into this much explanation on my recipes, but i wanted to make sure you had clear, detailed instructions along with all my little tricks and tips to make your tarts turn out just like the ones you see in my pictures…}

here’s a trick for getting your tarts to easily (and prettily) pop out of the tin: take a 3″-4″ inch wide strip of parchment paper and cut it into little 1/2 inch strips.  spray your mini muffin tin with non stick spray and lay a strip down before pressing in your dough (i used about 1 tbsp of  dough for each little crust).  in the picture it only shows one parchment tab popping out of each tart, but the next time i make these i will definitely lay the strip so i can grasp both edges… i had a few that didn’t want to cooperate.

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

next comes the caramel… i have started making this stuff in bulk.  (this is one of my favorite ways to eat it!)  making the caramel is the most time consuming part of the entire recipe… it takes about 45 min start-to-finish.  but trust me when i say it is soooooo worth it.  most of the time it is spent letting the caramel reduce while boiling on the stove, only stirring every once in a while.  so it’s not super labor-intensive… and it comes with a free arm workout when you stir the caramel up at the very end! :)  the best part is that you can make this stuff ahead of time (and in bulk) so once you get that part out of the way, the rest of the recipe is easy-peasy!

while the caramel is cooking, toss about 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut into the oven at 325 degrees for about 5 min, or until it is a nice toasted shade of tan.  i burned at least 4 or 5 batches of coconut the first time i made the donuts… don’t ask me how!  just make sure to stir the coconut often so it doesn’t burn!  once you’re ready to put your tarts together, stir together your caramel (if you made a larger batch, you’ll need about 1/2 cup of caramel or just under 5 oz), 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut (saving the remainder as a topping), and 1 tbsp melted coconut oil.  i used a little cookie dough scoop to fill each tart with about 1 tbsp of caramel.  top each tart with a sprinkle of toasted coconut and place your tarts in the freezer to chill while you get your chocolatey drizzle ready.

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

the chocolate drizzle is like the icing on top of the cake, if you will.  the drizzle makes them look legit, just like on the real samoa girl scout cookies!  don’t be intimidated with using a double boiler… find a metal bowl that fits in the opening of a small saucepan.  fill the pan with a few inches of water, place the bowl on top (making sure the bottom isn’t touching the water) and dump about 1/4 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips into the bowl.  stir until melted.  then just spoon the chocolate into a little plastic baggie and cut the corner to drizzle on top of each tart.

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

i like these best frozen; my husband said he likes them best in his mouth.  :)

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

paleo samoa miracle tarts {vegan & gluten free!}

ingredients

    for the crust
  • 1 c. almond flour (i used honeyville)
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2.5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • for the filling direct link via paleomg
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (~1.5 cups)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey)
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 rounded tbsp organic coconut oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 c. (finely) shredded coconut
  • for the chocolate drizzle
  • 1/4 c. enjoy life chocolate chips (melted in a double boiler)

instructions

    for the crust
  1. mix together the 5 ingredients for the crust.
  2. spray mini-muffin tin with cooking spray (lay down parchment tabs if desired; see above)
  3. mold about 1 tbsp of dough (12 grams) in each compartment like so...
  4. place in freezer
  5. for the caramel filling
  6. in a small-medium heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the coconut milk, maple syrup, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, being sure that they are well combined. reduce to a medium heat, and let the mixture boil down for about 35-40 minutes.
  7. add the coconut oil and vanilla, stirring it in till well incorporated. lower heat to create a simmer and continue cooking for another 5-15 minutes or as long as needed until it is a deep caramel color. don’t rush the process... depending on your burner is this process could be faster or slower. stir often toward the end to keep the bottom from burning too much. (a little burning is fine as long as you are stirring it in to the mixture. It will give it a darker flavor.)
  8. remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes then stir vigorously until it’s creamy, shinny and smooth. (free arm workout!)
  9. while the caramel is cooking, spread the coconut out on an ungreased cookie sheet and toast the coconut in a 325 degree oven. stir often till golden tan, about 5-7 minutes. remove from the oven and let cool.
  10. mix 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1/4 of the toasted coconut into the caramel, saving the remainder of the coconut to sprinkle on top.
  11. remove crusts from freezer and spoon caramel mixture into each crust, sprinkling the remaining toasted coconut on top. return to freezer.
  12. melt chocolate chips in double broiler and spoon into a small baggie. remove tarts from freezer and cut a small corner of the baggie to drizzle chocolate over the caramel. return tarts to freezer until chocolate hardens.

Notes

caramel can be made ahead of time (without the shredded coconut) and stored in the fridge for up 2 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months. reheat in a double boiler.

http://deliciousbydre.com/paleo-samoa-miracle-tarts-vegan-gluten-free/

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