Granola Crusted Yogurt Fruit Tarts

I'm not a proponent of dessert for breakfast but I do love to eat breakfast with a dessert appeal to it. Today I'm sharing with you a Granola Crusted Yogurt Fruit Tart which takes a classic yogurt parfait and deconstructs it into a gorgeous breakfast tart that will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but it will also start your day with a great balance of nutrients (simple and complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats) to sustain you through the morning. These tarts are highly adaptable to your liking. You can add different types of add-ins depending on what you like to eat as well as your dietary needs. The crust is made from granola (without fruit), coconut oil, and a little bit of honey. The granola can be homemade or store-bought. Just be sure to use granola without dried pieces of fruit because we will make granola crumbs in a food processor and dried fruit doesn't cooperate as well as oats and nuts. Feel free to use a flavored granola like cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin, or cocoa. 

If you prefer to use homemade granola, here is my favorite granola recipe from the Savory Sweet Life archives. Coconut oil is considered a heart-healthy medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) saturated fat. Unlike other fats, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil metabolize in the body as an energy source and burn as fuel instead of being stored as fat.  The honey used in the crust is intended to work more as a binder than it is to sweeten the crust. If you prefer agave or maple syrup, either of these can be substituted.  When these three ingredients are thrown into a food processor and pulsated into little tiny grain-sized pieces, the crumbs become the perfect texture to make a nice crunchy hard tart crust that is baked for about 12 minutes. Once cooled, it transforms into a beautiful cookie-like, tart shell - durable enough to hold a filling.

Tip: Bake the crusts the night before and allow them to cool overnight.  This way you have them ready to go in the morning, only taking a few minutes to assemble the entire tart for breakfast. Instead of a traditional custard or pastry cream filling, this recipe calls for yogurt.  Greek yogurt works best because of its creamy thick custard-like texture. I prefer the non-fat plain variety but feel free to use your favorite kind. Two benefits to using plain yogurt is having the freedom to sweeten it to your liking, which for me is a lot less sweeter than most flavored yogurts on the refrigerated store shelves. Plain Greek yogurt also is much higher in protein.

Lastly, each tart should be topped off with fresh ripe fruit.  Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, mangoes, and bananas work best.  To add visual appeal, a pinch of chia seeds, chopped nuts, toasted coconut, and mint leaves can be added along with the fruit.  Even a tiny ½ teaspoon drizzle of honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup can be drizzled over the whole tart for added sweetness, if necessary. These tarts can be served for breakfast, brunch, or as a healthy after-dinner dessert, perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays, or any other special occasion. Enjoy!