Raw Almond Butter and Banana Pie.

I’ve been quite interested in trying my hand at a raw dessert lately. Then came last week and we had a big reason to celebrate and I wanted to make our pizza night extra special. My oldest had just passed her lifeguarding course earning her certification. That was reason enough. She had worked so hard and this will be her very first “real” job and that warranted an extra special pizza night in her honor.

I purchased some awesome supplies (raw cashews, almonds, hemp protein etc. from Nuts.com) who I highly recommend (this is NOT a paid sponsorship). I love passing along great finds to my friends. Their products are incredibly fresh and the shipping was insanely fast! Win! Win! Will definitely be a repeat customer.

Okay so this recipe does need to set up and chill in the freezer for at least 6-8 hours but I did it overnight. So remember that when preparing. This would be a fun Easter dessert or for a summer party. Nice and chilled. Packed with healthy ingredients and great fats that your body needs. Not all fats are bad – remember that! Nuts are a great source of protein and fats. Plus the addition of almond butter and bananas… I believe I was channeling Elvis on some level.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup of raw almonds
3/4 cup of raw cashews
3/4 cup of toasted coconut
10 pitted Medjool dates
2 tablespoons of almond butter (I used Justin’s Maple)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into your food processor and blend until well incorporated. See the pics below. When you can pinch the dough together and it clumps – it’s ready. If not, add another Medjool date or a splash of almond milk to help add some moisture. Some Medjool dates (if not fresh) will be a bit dry.

Spray your removable bottom tart pan with baking spray with flour. Then pour out your crust ingredients into your prepared pan. Press the crust dough into the pan firmly going up the sides. See photos below.

Filling:

1 cup of cashew cream
2 overripe bananas
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of lemon juice (fresh)
1/3 cup of coconut oil (melted)
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Into your blender or Vitamix, blend all of the ingredients. Once smooth and creamy, taste and adjust flavor if necessary.

At this point, I covered the pie with plastic wrap and into the freezer it went. The next day, I removed and let thaw for about 15 minutes. I added sliced bananas to top it and melted some extra almond butter to drizzle over the top (all optional). Slice and serve.