How to make your own gluten free pop tarts from scratch with a coconut flour shortcrust pastry + a raspberry jam filling, icing and Waitrose fruity confetti.
Growing up in the 90s in Canada, breakfast was all about pop tarts and toaster strudels. Honestly looking back it’s a bit disturbing… lol I mean, considering how much sugar and how very little nutrition there is in the original version – they’re basically empty calories – surely these things are a dessert at best? ? But besides the fact that they never really should have been marketed as a breakfast food, they’re definitely a fun treat we can all enjoy from time to time though!
So I decided to make my own gluten free version, but slightly healthier with coconut flour and a lot less sugar. ?
But:
1. Of course you can use ‘normal’ shortcrust pastry for a more authentic feel.
2. Use pre-made pastry to save time. Pop tarts are actually pretty easy to make, most of the preparation time is eaten up by the homemade shortcrust pastry.
3. Use homemade jam or mashed berries instead of jam for a healthier filling.
Gluten Free Pop Tarts Recipe:
- 85g coconut flour (I used The Groovy Food Company)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 90g unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1-2 tsp water
- Egg wash (1 egg + a dash of milk / to brush over the pop tarts)
- 4 heaped Tbsp of any jam of your choice
- 1-2 tsp cornflour
- Icing sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
Directions:
To make the shortcrust pastry:
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl: coconut flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.
- Add the butter (still solid, but preferably left at room temperature for 10 minutes before starting) and mix with your hands.
- Add the two eggs and mix, kneading the dough with your hands, until you reach a smooth ball.
- Then add one or two teaspoons of warm water and keep kneading the dough until smooth. It shouldn’t be overly sticky, but it also shouldn’t be so dry that the pastry is impossible to roll without cracking all over the place. Feel free to add more water (1 teaspoon at a time) if necessary.
To make the pop tarts:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C (355F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour your work surface and sprinkle a bit on top of the dough as well to prevent sticking. Note: be careful not to put too much as it could make the dough too dry. If that happens, don’t worry, just add a tiny bit of water to the dough and restart.
- Carefully roll the dough as thin as possible, correcting any cracks with your fingers as you go along (especially around the edges). Note: as I said above, if the dough is dry and unmanageable, this is a sign that you need to add more water.
- Trim the edges with a knife and divide the pastry into three or four long rectangles. Repeat with the leftover pastry.
- Add a generous amount of jam (previously mixed with the cornflour to thicken) to one end, leaving enough space on the side to seal the pop tarts.
- Then cut the rectangles in half and cover, sealing the edges with your fingers by pressing gently.
- Gently crimp the edges with a fork.
- Brush egg wash on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes on the middle shelf.
To decorate the pop tarts:
- Let the pop tarts cool down.
- Mix icing sugar with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and add milk, a tiny bit at a time, until you reach a smooth creamy icing.
- Spread the icing on top, add sprinkles (I used Waitrose fruity confetti) and let the icing dry.
Enjoy!
Pingback: 3 Ways to Make Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry - Kimi Eats Gluten Free