Today it is Athanasia’s father’s birthday! So, Happy Birthday George! What better way is there to share the joy of a birthday than making a birthday treat? When Athanasia (my better half) and I were discussing the options for a sweet treat, I came up with this idea. I will admit, Athanasia was a little bit hesitant (because of her dislike for cinnamon) so she said to me: “sell me on it”. Well, I am proud to say after she tried it she is not only sold on it, but is a believer! The flavor reminds me of autumn in New York; warm colors, crisp air and bursting with flavor! Try it for yourself, it’s the perfect autumn treat!

First you will need to prepare a cinnamon hazelnut cream (for a recipe click here).

Pre-heat oven to 150° Celsius (302° F)

Add the following ingredients to a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix). Begin on a slow speed gradually increasing the speed to the highest setting.

• 1/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/4 cup roasted and salted peanuts
• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 6 dates – remove pits
• 1/4 cup agave syrup

Once mixture is almost smooth, spread in a pan like a crust. You may use a circular or rectangular pan. We used a 27 cm by 18 cm glass pan (about 10 inches by 7 inches)

You will want to bake this crust for 5 to 7 minutes at 150° Celsius (302° F) to bring the excess moisture to the top of the crust. Pull the crust out of the oven and attempt to soak up the excess moisture off the top of the crust using paper towels or cloth.

Turn the oven’s temperature down to 100° Celsius (212° F).

Put the crust back in the oven at 100° C (212° F) for about 15 more minutes. The crust will still feel soft and should not be browning very much at all around the outside edges.

Take crust out of the oven and let it cool to harden for 10 to 20 minutes. Cover with cinnamon hazelnut cream, cover and place in refrigerator overnight. We doubled the recipe for the cinnamon hazelnut cream for this purpose. This is mouthwatering!