Rustic Blood Orange Tarts with Salted Chocolate and Basil

I made these blood orange tarts with salted chocolate and basil last week while working on this blood orange bundt cake, because while I love my cake, sometimes you just want a more petite treat on hand instead {or in addition... ;) } -- so I wanted to give you options... Well, really, I just love blood oranges so much I've been playing around with them plenty in the kitchen, making all kinds of things -- galettes, ice creams, smoothies, and more. Too many to be able to even share here on time before their season ends {sigh}. So I settled on sharing a few favorites -- the cake, and these little rustic tarts, which I've sort of fallen in love with.

These tarts are a small, simple, yet very decadent treat that combines a lot of wonderful flavors together -- a delicious pastry crust, the goodness of salted chocolate, the citrus goodness of blood oranges, the warmth and spice of cinnamon, and the deep flavor of basil... I know that sounds like a lot -- but these flavors really come together so well! Plus they look so pretty and rustic... :)

I used an old favorite crust for these tarts -- a favorite because it's very easy to work with {just press the mixture in and you're good to go -- no rolling out of dough of any kind}, looks rustic, and tastes great.  You can of course use regular oranges for this too -- just use a smaller orange, and cut it down to size to fit into the mini tart. You may want to remove the rind if it doesn't taste good or if it's too thick {taste a tiny bit from the fresh orange and you'll know whether it's a flavor you'll enjoy or not...}.

As for the chocolate, I'm including the recipe I used, however in retrospect I think that perhaps putting a square or two of your favorite chocolate or some chocolate chips {melted or not} in there and a sprinkle of salt would probably work just as well -- I'll be trying that out next time I think :) . And while we're on chocolate, if you want to make this AIP - friendly, use carob powder instead and you'll be good to enjoy this treat too.

Blood Orange Tarts with Salted Chocolate and Basil

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★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 tarts
• Category: Tarts
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Dessert

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Description

Simple gluten-free vegan tarts that combine a delicious pastry crust with notes of citrus, salted chocolate and cinnamon. Refined sugar-free.

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Ingredients

Crust:

• 5 tbsp unsweetened applesauce (I used my homemade applesauce), at room temperature
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of your choice), at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• 3 tbsp tapioca flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Chocolate: {*see notes above recipe for an alternative}

• ¼ cup coconut oil, liquified
• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup -- at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp tapioca starch
• ¼ tsp large salt flakes {or just a big dash of salt of your choice}

Top layer:

• 1-2 small blood oranges, sliced into ¼" thick rings
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil {or any cooking oil}
• 5 fresh basil leaves

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Oil a 6-cup non-stick muffin tray and set aside.
2. Place applesauce, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and use an immersion blender to blend the mixture into a smooth consistency {or blend all the ingredients in a regular blender and then pour into a mixing bowl}. Add coconut, tapioca, and cinnamon and mix well using a wooden spoon until everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Divide the mixture evenly between the 6 cups in your muffin tray. Use your hands to press the mixture down along the bottom and up around the walls of the pan cups forming the crust. Set aside.
4. Prepare chocolate mixture by stirring all ingredients together -- keep stirring until the mixture becomes completely uniform and all clumps are dissolved. Pour this mixture into each tart shell, dividing equally.
5. Top each tart with an orange slice. Stir the maple syrup, cinnamon, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Brush this mixture over each orange slice.
6. Bake in a pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes until the tart shells firm up and the edges brown up a little. Remove from oven and allow the tarts to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, VERY carefully remove tarts from the pan and transfer onto a serving plate or glass container {they are a little delicate at this stage, so take extra care not to break the shells}. Prior to serving, top each tart with a basil leaf and enjoy! Store leftover tarts in the fridge.