Those of you who know me well know that I'm an avid green tea drinker. Matcha green tea, to be exact.

Matcha is a high-quality green tea leaf (grown and produced in Japan) that are dried and ground into a powder. There are different grades of matcha on the market, from super high quality used for fancy tea ceremonies to culinary grade used for cooking purposes. Regardless of quality, the powder can be used to brew a rich, frothy green tea drink or it can be added into recipes to create a matcha-flavored dish. Oh, but it doesn’t stop there.

This magical powder offers so many great health benefits as well. One of the major health benefits of matcha tea is that it delivers a mega dose of antioxidants in every sip. They say that the antioxidant concentration in one cup of matcha tea is equivalent to that in 10 cups of brewed green tea. AKA, matcha is an antioxidant POWERHOUSE. It also contains chlorophyll, which is an element that gives green tea (and other plants) that signature verdant color. Ultimately, this detoxifies your body of harmful toxins and naturally calms your mind. Green is truly the color of health, isn’t it?

Today, I was inspired to add matcha to a raw dessert: Strawberry Matcha Brownie Tarts! Don't be fooled by the word 'brownie.' No baking required, I promise! I made a walnut and almond-based crust that incorporates carob powder (AKA 'healthy chocolate'), and it's completely raw. The matcha green tea powder infuses any sweet dessert with its delicate, yet earthy and sweet, yet slightly bitter flavors. I was dying to add some cashews to create a thicker and nuttier texture to the matcha cream filling. The bold flavors from the carob powder and nuts go perfectly with the smooth and rich flavors from the matcha, it's actually ridiculous how perfect it is guhhhh.

I have tasted matcha in all its forms: cakes, cream, hot lattes, iced drinks, pudding and jello, you name it, but I realized that no matter what it was, I particularly loved it associated with strawberries. I think that's because the sweetness of the berry counteracts the sometimes bitter notes that come along with matcha naturally. Then pair it with an equally light whipped cream and it works beautifully. The original blends of textures and flavors are surprising sometimes, but always light and delicious! Vegan and gluten-free are the ways to go. This matcha-strawberry-whipped cream combo is so classic, you really can’t go wrong with this recipe hehe.

Recipe

Strawberry Matcha Brownie Tarts

By Anna Nguyen

5 from 1 vote

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Servings 16 mini tarts

Course Tarts

Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

 

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BROWNIE SHELL

• ▢ 1 ½ cup walnuts and almond
• ▢ ¼ cup carob powder
• ▢ ¼ cup maple syrup
• ▢ pinch kosher salt

MATCHA CREAM FILLING

• ▢ ⅔ cup raw cashews, soaked
• ▢ ¾ to 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoon maple syrup
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• ▢ pinch kosher salt

COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM

• ▢ 1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled for 24 hours
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoon sweetener of choice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ strawberries,

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Instructions

 

BROWNIE SHELL

• Place the nuts and carob powder into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse until finely ground and mixture is just starting to clump.
• Line the tart pans with plastic wrap and sprinkle a few pinches of the walnut mixture over each bottom.
• Add the honey and sea salt to the nut mixture and pulse until mixture forms a dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a teaspoon of cocoa powder at a time. Pat the dough into the tart pans.

MATCHA CREAM FILLING

• Soak the raw cashews in water for at least 2-3 hours.
• Add cashews and almond milk into a Vtiamix or high-powdered blender, and blend for about 3 minutes until a smooth consistency is reached. Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend until combined.
• Pour the matcha mixture into each of the tart pans. Freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight.

COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM

• After chilling the can, open it and scoop the solid white coconut cream into the bowl. Discard the coconut water.
• Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until fluffy and smooth. Add in sweetener and vanilla to taste.

ASSEMBLY

• Slice strawberries one at a time. Keep each respective bunch so that when you garnish each tart, there's one whole strawberry.
• Put coconut cream into a piping bag fitted with any icing tip. I first sifted some more matcha powder onto each tart, then placed the strawberry with the piped cream.

Notes

Before starting this recipe, first soak the raw cashews (⅔ cup) in water for at least 2-3 hours.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a rating, comment below, or tag me @thebakingspoon on Instagram to let me know how it was!