Gluten Free-Sugar Free Blackberry Tarts

I have a few recipes to share over the next few days. Hubby bought me a new mixer and I'm testing it out to see if I like it. I tend to be a person who, once I like a brand, I stick with it. I've had my Kitchenaid mixer for over 15 years and have loved it. A few months ago hubby spotted a Bosch Universal  Mixer at Costco and told me about it. I had never heard of nor seen one before so I checked it out in the store, came home and watched some online videos and decided I'd like to give it a try. I have wanted a larger mixer and one of the selling points on this was it's capacity, and the ease of adding ingredients. The Costco price also included a slicer/shredder attachment. It also has a spot for other attachments as well. So far I've made these tarts and some peanut butter cookies, today I'll try bread. I really want to get a good feel for how it works in different scenarios with different "loads". I'll post my final thoughts later this week.
While we are not "gluten-free", at the moment my oldest is on a 6 week anti-inflammatory diet. We also have several friends who do not eat gluten and I love finding new recipes, because while I love my bread, I want to limit my intake. However, gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean "healthier" or "less calories", so one must be careful.

One thing to remember when making gluten free recipes is that you are not going to have the same textures necessarily as if you were using full all purpose flour. Sometimes you can get pretty darn close, but there's just a difference. It also depends on the flours you use. For this recipe I used only GF oat flour. It almost had more of a combination of a shortbread/cakey texture. The flavor was really good. It was delicate and had to be lifted with a spatula off the bottom tart disc. 

Ready for the recipe? I thought so. I found this recipe on Rodales Organic Life site along with several other recipes.

Crust:

1 1/2 c. oat flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. coconut oil, lard or butter (I used coconut oil and chilled it a bit before adding it)
1/4 c. cold water

1. In a bowl of a mixer add flour and salt. Add your choice of "fat" and pulse or mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Sprinkle in cold water, a little at a time, stirring with a fork or mixing in mixture till dough begins to form a single ball. 

3. If you have time, place dough in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap for 30 minutes, chilling the dough helps it hold together (and it is hard to hold together). 

4. I divided my dough into 4 pieces (then saved any scraps and got another 2 tart crusts). Roll dough out to appropriate size for tarts and carefully place in tart pan (molding and pressing in to bottom and sides of pan). Trim edges. 


Tart Filling: 

Ingredients:

4 c. blackberries
2 tsp. arrowroot powder
2 tsp. water
Honey and maple syrup to sweeten

Instructions:

1. Combine arrowroot powder and water..stir. Add to berries along with honey and maple syrup...it is a matter of how sweet you want it. 

2. Stir and pour berries in to tart crusts. 

3. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. 

I just had to post a picture of our pup in the background. I was trying to take pictures with natural light and she kept standing there staring at me. Probably licking her lips.

We topped ours with coconut whipped cream. I made a mistake in that I forgot to chill the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. I put it in for a bit, then put it in the freezer. Still did not thicken enough when I whipped it. I poured it in a bowl and froze it for just a little bit till it set up, then scooped it out with a mini scoop. Tasted great. I had flavored it with vanilla and cinnamon. 

With Joy UNquenchable,