PEANUT BUTTER TART
This delicious dessert has a secret ingredient that will surprise your family and friends. Sweet potato. I never cared for peanut butter pie but this recipe has changed my mind. My intent was to completely use dates in place of maple syrup but I ran out of dates. Nevertheless, this option is still much healthier than a conventional peanut butter pie made with cream cheese, sugar, and graham crackers.
You can find the original recipe at the “Unconventional Baker” blog: PEANUT BUTTER SWEET POTATO PIE. I did make a few modifications but the recipe as described in the blog is compliant.
Here's the difference between a pie and a tart from Chef Turner at Cooking Clarified:
Pie — Pie has a bottom crust topped with a filling. It’s baked in a pie plate, which should have sides that are sloped and are a couple of inches tall. Some pies are topped with a second crust, which is pinched together with the bottom crust to create a seal. Pies can be sweet or savory.
Tart – Tarts have a crust that’s thicker than a pie crust. They’re baked in tart pans, which are shallow with ridged or fluted edges. Tart pans have removable bottoms so a baked tart can be removed from the pan and placed on a platter for serving. Tarts never have a second crust and can be sweet or savory.
Here is a brief blog piece by Dr. Andrew Weil about the potential for peanuts and peanut butters to be contaminated with a mold toxin: Perplexed About Peanuts?
See photo at bottom of the page for my PowerPoint slide regarding peanut butter ingredients.
PEANUT BUTTER TART
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cup rolled oats (I used quick oats)
1/4 cup raisins (I used 1/3 packed cup of pitted Medjool dates instead)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup (Did not add)
2 Tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
1 Tablespoons warm water (I used 2 TBSP)
Filling:
1/2 cup sweet potato puree (I used 1/2 of a medium to large baked sweet potato)
6 Tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
5 Tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
5 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I did not add)
less than a 1/16 teaspoon raw ground vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used extract)
less than a 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
less than a 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Process dates in a food processor until they form a ball. Add the remaining crust ingredients and process until well combined. If you pinch some of the mixture between your fingers it should stick together.
Transfer crust mixture into a 7 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press down into an even crust with your fingers along the base and walls of the tart pan. Set aside. (I didn’t have a tart pan so used a 9 inch cheesecake pan with a removable bottom lined with parchment paper and pressed crust just on the bottom.)
Blend all filling ingredients in a high speed blender. Transfer this mixture into the prepared pie crust, flatten and even out the filling with the back of a spoon.
Freeze the pie for 6 hours to set. Keep the pie frozen until serving time. Thaw out lightly, then remove from the pan and cut into slices.
