Cranberry Cherry Chocolate Tart

This recipe was adapted from the King Arthur recipe Cranberry Fudge Pie.  The crust is different, I used dairy free chips and unsweetened almond milk instead of heavy cream and I added some dried cherries and dried orange peel.  This dessert is very rich and a sliver is plenty!

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients
1 ¼ cups dates, chopped
1/3 c + 1 T. water
¾ cup Grape-Nuts
½ cup oats
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
Pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients
1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
¾ cups toasted pecans

Topping Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 ½ cups cranberry juice
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried Montmorency cherries
12 oz. package fresh cranberries
Dried orange peel (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place dates and water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer until dates are soft.  Mash dates.

Place dates in a mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well with a fork.

Press mixture in either a ceramic tart pan lined with parchment paper or glass baking dish.  Bake for 12 minutes then cool to room temperature.

Using a small sauce pan heat the chocolate chips with the almond milk until all of the chips have melted.  Pour the ganache on top of the crust and then top with toasted pecans.  Place in the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hour or until ganache is firm

While the tart is cooling prepare the topping.  Bring the sugar, salt and cranberry juice to a boil.  Stir in the dried cranberries and cherries and simmer for 5 minutes.

Next stir in the fresh cranberries and simmer until they begin to burst, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat and chill.  Sprinkle with dried orange peel if desired.

Assemble the pie by spooning the fruit on the top of the chocolate ganache.  Chill until serving.