When I saw this recipe for gluten/sugar/dairy free pop tarts, I immediately wanted to make them. I have no serious allergies or aversions to any of those types of ingredients but I like trying to eat as clean as possible.
Since my sweet tooth is what gets me in the most trouble, I thought this recipe would be perfect for a guilt-free dessert. On top of that, the ingredient list was short and legible which was a bonus. However half way through this recipe I thought to myself ‘Is this really worth all the effort?’ I’ve tried a lot of healthified recipes that were a lot of work and turned out bland or just not the right texture. However I forged on, battling flimsy cracking crusts with sticky date smudged fingers. I finished the recipe and Matt and I (but mostly I) enjoyed the fruits of my labour.
My honest opinion – they taste really good. Worth the effort? Not particularly for someone like me who can eat a pop tart out of the box without suffering any serious (mental or physical) pains – in moderation of course. Also if you consider what your time is worth + shopping for good quality ingredients… It can all add up to a pricey afternoon activity. However, all that being said – cooking is fun! And I think this is a great recipe worth sharing.
Plus it gave me an opportunity to use my newly thrifted Pyrex glass custard dishes (1$ for 4!) from the 1930’s. Just ignore all the other words and photos in this post and admire my pyrex dishes.
Recipe from offbeat + inspired
Ingredients
- yields about 6 pop tarts
- For the Crust
- 350g finely ground blanched almonds
- 2-3 small, or 1 large pitted Medjool date
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp light coconut milk (if needed)
- For the Filling
- 1/2 a sweet/tart apple such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold or York Imperial
- 4-6 small, or 3 large pitted Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine blanched almonds, dates, cinnamon, salt and coconut oil. Pulse until fully combined, resembling wet sand. If you’re able to form a ball of dough, move the mixture to a large piece of parchment paper. If not, add 1 tbsp coconut milk and pulse again.
- After you’ve moved the dough to the parchment paper, rinse out your food processor bowl and make the filling. Add the apple, dates, coconut milk and cinnamon and pulse until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Once you’ve formed the dough ball, press it into a rough rectangle on the parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment and roll out to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick with a rolling pin. Be very careful to press and roll slowly and steadily, as this dough is prone to crumbling.
- Cut as many rectangles from the rolled out dough as you can. Use a very sharp knife and cut slowly. The rectangles should be roughly 3 x 4 1/2 inches.
- With a spatula, carefully slide up to 6 rectangles onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of filling onto the middle of each rectangle, spreading with the back of the spoon, being sure to keep the filling about 1/2 inch away from the edge.
- Form the rest of your dough into a ball again, press into a rectangle and roll out the same as the first time. Cut 6 more rectangles and place them carefully on top of the filled rectangles. Press the edges lightly with your fingers until they’re all sealed. Crimp the edges lightly with a fork, and then poke 8 holes as shown, using a toothpick or skewer.
- Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Carefully move the pop tarts to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before serving. These will be much more fragile than a flour-based pop tart, so handle them gently! They’re SO worth the extra care though. Once they’ve cooled, they won’t be as crumbly. If you have leftovers, wrap and store them in the fridge.