Grain-Free/Vegan (mini) Chocolate Berry Pies

Whitney Fisch

Easy

Difficulty

Hello 18Doors readers! My name is Whitney Fisch and I am beyond honored to be able to create recipes and write for this wonderful website. So here’s a bit about me:

I was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. I’m the daughter of a Jewish mama and a Christian dad. My mom raised me within the Reform Jewish community. Throughout my childhood, my mom was incredibly active within our temple community, at one point as the founding member of what is now one of the larger Reform temples in metropolitan Atlanta (can you tell I’m proud of my mom!?).

In 2008, after living all over the map and working for various Jewish organizations, I decided to sell all my stuff, drop my dog off at mom’s house and head to Israel for the year to learn at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies. While there (and immersed in an incredible multi-cultural learning environment), I met the man I would later marry. We got hitched in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2010 (we were the very first kosher wedding to hit the town—we even made the local paper! Huzzah! Take that, Kardashians! Who’s the celebrity now!?).

We have two beloved daughters, one finicky lemon tree and a lot of love . . . and babka. We love babka. We also LOVE to eat. It’s with this love of eating that brings me to food writing on my personal blog, Jewhungry and is what brings me to 18Doors.

I developed the following recipe a few years ago during the ‘grain-free’ craze of 2013. It wasn’t until I hosted my first seder later that year that I realized this recipe is THE PERFECT recipe for a seder dessert. It doesn’t require any grains and is so incredibly easy to make as it requires no baking. In addition, it celebrates the fruits of the season and what is Passover but a celebration of the harvest! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for 12-14 mini cakes

Crust

Adapted from my own recipe for Raw Brownie Bites

  • 2 cups of dates, seeded and chopped
  • 4 Tbsp. almond meal
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. milled flaxseed
  • 3 heaping Tbsp. vegan cocoa powder*
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp. maple syrup (depending upon your taste—start with 1 and if you make it again, up to 2 if it wasn’t sweet enough for you)

*Extra cocoa for rolling the bites in afterwards if you want an extra chocolate punch

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream (Recipe straight from my girl, Samantha, at The Little Ferraro Kitchen)

Note: chill your mixer for best results

  • 1 can coconut milk, chilled
  • 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Mixed Berry Filling

  • 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup blackberries, chopped
  • 1/4 cup raspberries, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 Tbsp. Demerara sugar

Directions

Crust

I used regular-sized muffin tins to shape the crusts, but a ramekin will work just as well.

1.  Cut pieces of parchment paper into squares about 8 in. by 8 in. or large enough that when placed into the muffin tins there is an excess of paper sticking out.

2.  Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until well combined—to about the count of 30 or until the ingredients have a dough-like consistency. If you feel like it’s a bit dry due to too many walnuts or almond meal, just add a bit of water, about 1 Tbsp. at a time, until you get that doughy consistency.

3.  Once you’ve attained your desired consistency, scoop out enough “dough” to form a ball about the size of a tennis ball. Gently press the dough ball into the parchment paper-lined muffin tin and shape to the entirety of the tin so that a “crust” forms. Your crust should be thick enough to hold the filling but thin enough so that it doesn’t take over the pie flavor. Do this until you run out of dough. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 30 minutes.

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

1.  If you haven’t already, open the coconut milk can and pour out the water in a separate bowl. (Save it and use for smoothies, soups, etc.) If you’ve been chilling your coconut milk in the refrigerator for several hours in prep for this recipe, the watery part of the coconut milk will be at the bottom of the can so pour slowly and make sure to omit the watery part at the end.

2.  Pour the thicker coconut milk into your chilled mixer and begin to whip starting on low and gradually moving to medium-high setting. As soon as it begins to thicken, add powdered sugar and continue to beat. Check every so often for desired consistency.

Fruit Filling

Place all your chopped fruit into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and sugar and mix until well combined.

Assembly

Once your crusts have refrigerated, scoop fruit filling into each pie; enough so that the is a mound of fruit filling. Top with a dollop or two (or three) of whipped cream. Enjoy!

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Whitney Fisch

Whitney Fisch received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and is currently working as The Director of Counseling at Milken Community Schools’ Upper School Campus in Los Angeles, CA. When not dealing with the trials and tribulations of roughly 600 high schoolers, she is at home dealing with the trials and tribulations of her preschooler and 6-month-old baby as well as cooking… a lot. She blogs about all things food and life on her blog, Jewhungry was a Top 5 finalist in The Kitchn’s Homie Awards for Best Health & Diet blog in 2014 and also co-authored a Passover e-cookbook that same year with fellow Jewish food bloggers, Amy Kritzer, Sarah Lasry and Liz Reuven called, “4 Bloggers Dish: Passover – Modern Twists on Traditional Recipes.” You can follow Whitney’s adventures in parenting and life on her blog as well as in other media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Kveller.com and The Times of Israel, all of which Whitney is a contributor for. Instagram: @jewhungry Facebook: www.facebook.com/Jewhungry Twitter: @jewhungry Blog: www.jewhungrytheblog.com