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This crazy delicious dessert was inspired by the cutest April Fool’s joke ever! Now you can find Pugsheen on t-shirts, hats, and even as her own plush (which is very high on my wishlist 🙂 ), but Pusheen’s canine alter ego started as an illustration that was so adorable I knew instantly I needed to find a way to turn her into food! It was more than a year before the idea came to fruition, but once I tasted this creamy combination of lush mousse-like chocolate filling and rich peanut butter I knew I had a winner. To date, this is by far my favorite tart flavor that I’ve made yet. Trust me, you will want to make extras to store in the freezer because once you taste them one won’t be enough.

While I live for dessert :), I limit the amount of sugars that I eat (aside from those naturally occurring in fruit), so what’s considered sweet for me may not be true for you. Please feel free to adjust the maple syrup to your preferred level using up to 1/4 cup in each component of this recipe. You can also easily swap the peanut butter out for any nut or seed butter (almond is my second favorite here).

Ingredients: (makes about five 4″ tarts with some filling left over)

This post contains affiliate links to some of the products mentioned. Luxe and the Lady is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to amazon.com . This helps to pay for the ingredients used to make even more cute, smiling treats :), and doesn’t cost you extra to use.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crust:

2 cups hazelnut flour

Pinch Celtic sea salt (you can also use pink Himalayan)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut chips (or flakes)

2 tablespoons maple syrup or raw honey

2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons cacao powder

4″ tart pans

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked for a minimum of 3 hours

1 can full fat coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (plus more for soaking the cashews)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons cacao powder

All natural peanut butter (you want one without any added sugars)

Decorations:

Coconut cashew buttercream (recipe from the Moon Juice cookbook)

Cacao powder (for color)

1 piping bag fitted with standard sized coupler

Wilton piping tip 10

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips (skip or substitute for vegan)

1/2 teaspoon unrefined coconut oil

 

Directions:

1. You will need to soak your cashews for the filling. Stir 1/2 tablespoon Celtic or Himalayan pink salt into 4 cups filtered water in a medium size glass bowl. Add the 2 cups of raw cashews, cover with a thin kitchen or tea towel, and allow the bowl to sit on the counter for 3 hours. Before using the cashews rinse and drain them 3 times or until the water is clear.
2. To make the crust, prep your tart pans by lightly greasing them with melted coconut oil. Place the crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 1 minute, or until the ingredients start to stick together.
3. Evenly distribute the crust between the tart pans, and firmly press it into the bottom and up the sides using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a small drinking glass (the back of a spoon also works well). Transfer the pans to the freezer while making the fillings (I find it helps to place them all on a baking sheet first to make it easier to move them around).
4. Place all of the filling ingredients except for the peanut butter in a high powered blender, and blend until smooth. I like to work my way up to high and then let it blend on high for 1 minute to get the right consistency.
5. Remove the tart pans from the freezer, and add about a tablespoon or so of peanut butter to each (you can use the back of the spoon to spread it across the bottom of each pan). Pour a little of the filling over top,  smooth with a spatula if needed, and transfer back to the freezer. Freeze for at least an hour to set. You can store them in the fridge as well, but they will keep longer in the freezer.
6. The tarts would be delicious topped with a little coconut whipped cream and chocolate chips :), but if you’d like to turn them into Pugsheen, start by melting the milk and dark chocolate chips and 1/4 tsp coconut oil each seperately in 30 second intervals at 40% power in the microwave, until smooth.
7. Use a toothpick to draw the mouths and eyes with dark chocolate, and the ears, noses and tails with the milk onto wax paper. Allow the shapes to set before transferring to the tarts.
8. Mix just a pinch of cacao powder into the buttercream for Pugsheen’s color. Use the #10 piping tip to pipe over each tart, and then smooth it out with an angled icing spatula or the back of a spoon.
9. Add the chocolate pieces (overlapping the mouth and nose), and pipe the paws and over the chocolate piece for the tail. Stand back and admire your work, and then immediately eat. Leftovers (if there are any) will keep for 2 weeks if covered and stored in the freezer, but it’s best to enjoy them at room temperature.