Recipe: Grown Up PB&J Tarts

I'm married to a man who loves PB&J sandwiches and has me make him one just about every single day for work. But that's okay because, if you ask me, peanut butter is pretty much manna from heaven. 

When I was a kid, I traveled to the US on vacation a few times. Those vacations created quite the cultured child, you see, because I knew all about the wonders of PB&J ;) 

My Australian friends were grossed out. Vegemite and Cheese? Yup. Egg and Mayonnaise? Yup. Ham and Mustard? Yup. But peanut butter?! You didn't mix anything with peanut butter - let alone jam. 

But I kept to my new flavour combinations - peanut butter and jelly (jam) and cream cheese and jam and went along my merry way. Once I married an American, PB&J obviously became the norm - so naturally, I wanted to make a little bit of a grown up twist on the ol' PB&J sandwich. 

I had way too many grapes thanks to an impulse buy at the supermarket and knew what I had to make - Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Tarts! What I came up with a recipe that was gluten free, completely free of added sugars, low in fat and absolutely delicious!

So let me give you the recipe; 

Grown Up PB&J Tarts makes 8 

gluten free, low fat, vegan, no refined sugar added, clean eating friendly

For the crust: 

1 cup (120g) Peanut Flour 

1/2 cup (50g) Almond Meal

1 tbsp (15g) Chia Seeds

1/3 cup Almond Milk or Milk of Choice

2 tsp Vanilla 

1-3 tbsp Maple Syrup (this is up to you - we used 1 tbsp) 

For the filling: 

2 1/2 cups (~450g) red grapes

1/4 cup water

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt 

For the crusts: 

• Preheat your oven to 180C/355F
• Lightly grease 8 mini tart shells or ramekins
• Mix together all of your ingredients until combined - it will feel like a firm dough. If your dough is too crumbly, add some water or milk in a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
• Divide your dough into eight portions and press into your tins, spreading to cover all of the edges.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly cooked and puffy.
• Allow to cool.

For the filling: 

• Place your washed grapes in a medium saucepan with your water. 
• Cook over a medium-low heat until your grapes have cooked down and the mixture is thickened. You will have some thicker liquid with your cooked grapes.
• Stir in your vanilla extract and salt.
• Pour your grape mixture into your cooled tart shells and place back in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until golden. 
• Leave to cool before serving. 

These tarts will keep for 1-3 days in an airtight container but are best eaten fresh. We liked them chilled or at room temperature but you can eat them however you like!

But tell me, what was your favourite sandwich as a kid? 

And what "kid food" do you still love?

When I was a kid, my favourite sandwich was Vegemite, Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato on grainy bread. It was one of the few sandwiches I'd actually eat - but never at school because I hated soggy sandwiches! (I was the weird kid that brought plain wholegrain bread rolls or chose crackers over sandwiches).