Guilt Free Apple Walnut Tarts

These tarts were a special treat that I created for my husband on his birthday. They are white sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free. You will need 4 granny smith apples, cinnamon, 1/2 a bag of walnuts, tahini, honey, and a box of gluten-free pie mix.

Guilt Free Apple Walnut Tarts!!!

Firstly, I thought I had a head start on this recipe because I found a gluten-free pie crust mix in my local health food store. Unfortunately, the mix called for adding eggs and butter and all kinds of things my hubby no longer eats. Lesson 1: Gluten-free doesn't always mean healthy.

So this is what did. I took the mix (which was basically rice flour with a few other ingredients like guar gum) and I dumped it in my food processor. I started the processor and started adding tahini - in total, maybe 3/4 of a cup. And then I added about a 1/4 cup of honey. The mix did not form a dough ball or anything that could be rolled out with a rolling pin, but I could feel with my fingers that it would clump enough to press into a tin. So I got out a cupcake tin and creased the tin with vegetable oil. I then grabbed some of the dough, rolled it into a ball about the size of a golf ball and placed it in each cup and then pressed it out until it made a dough cup. As you can see from the pic, the crust was about 1/8th of an inch thick.

Next, I peeled and cut up granny smith apples - about 4 apples - and placed the slices in a bowl. I added about 2 tablespoons of honey to the apples and a teaspoon of cinnamon. You could definitely add other spices or even raisins of you want.  I stirred the mixture together. I then spooned the apple mixture  about 3/4 full in the cups. Then in the former apple bowl, I put walnuts that had been crushed to smaller pieces and again added enough honey to coat the pieces. I then added the walnut mixture to each cup to top it off.

Place pan in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until poking a cup seems to indicate that the apples have cooked - if necessary, after 20 minutes, cover with foil so that the nuts do not burn and the apples can keep cooking. Allow to cool completely before carefully removing cups by sliding a knife around the edges.

Note: There are many controversies about the differences between white sugar and honey. I personally believe that honey affects me differently and while you may not want to eat these everyday - they can be a really nice treat. They also go great in school lunches (or my husband's lunch).

In the future: I plan to try other fruit and nut combinations - blueberry and pistachio? Banana and almond? Experiment and let me know what you come up with.