There’s this incredible place I love to eat brunch at that serves homemade pop tarts, and it’s 100% the inspiration for these little delectable treats. Unfortunately, that restaurant is over an hour from my home!
Thankfully, these are pretty simple to make. This recipe includes two fillings (I made four of each). If you like, you can even use store bought jam/jelly and skip the whole filling part of the recipe! Need a dairy free alternative? I’ve included that too! Just look for the *asterisks*.
Okay, so I’m not going to get long-winded about these pop tarts because the photos and recipe speaks for itself. Here’s how I create my homemade, gluten free pop tarts!
Homemade Gluten Free Pop Tarts
Makes 8 pop tarts, 1/2 c. blueberry filling, and 4 Tsp. brown sugar and cinnamon filling
Ingredients:
2 c. gluten free, cup-for-cup flour (I use this currently)
1/4 white sugar
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) margarine or butter*
8 Tbsp. water
4 Tbsp milk*
1 Tbsp. melted butter for brushing
*I use this plant based butter for a DF alternative, and almond milk in place of cow’s milk. You could sub any milk you like in this recipe.*
Filling and Topping Ingredients and Instructions:
Blueberry Filling:
1 c. blueberries
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter*
Icing / Decor for Topping:
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk*
Sprinkles!
*Use almond milk or your favorite dairy milk alternative if you need to.*
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.
2. Prep the blueberry filling — Stir the blueberry filling ingredients together in a small saucepan. Crush or macerate the blueberries with a fork. Simmer on medium-low heat for five minutes. This makes about 1/2 c. of filling. You probably won’t use the whole batch! I stored my extra in a mason jar in the fridge and used the leftovers to top pancakes later in the week.
3. Prep the brown sugar and cinnamon filling — Microwave the butter until melted (about 15-20 seconds) and stir in the sugar and cinnamon until it creates a thick, dark brown paste.
4. Prep the pastry dough — Combine the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Grate in the butter – like with a cheese grater! I know it sounds weird, but it really works and makes the pastry flaky!) – and add the water and milk. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Use fingers to work into a thick dough.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface cut out 16 equal squares. Fill eight of the squares with 1 Tbsp. of desired filling. Eight squares should remain empty (for the pop tart tops).
6. Place one pastry top on each filled pastry bottom and press the sides with a fork (video below).
7. Brush with melted butter before baking. Using a spatula, carefully lift each pop tart onto the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. Allow the pastries to completely cool.
9. Prep the icing + decor — Mix the sugar and milk together until it creates a thin, drippy icing. Drizzle the icing over each pop tart and top with sprinkles!
Some Helpful Tips:
- Allow the blueberry compote to cool a bit before spooning onto the pastries.
- Just use store bought or pre-made jam for an easy filling! I love strawberry jam!
- When you seal the pastries with a fork, make sure to press them down enough to prevent significant leakage.
- The icing whips up quickly. You can do this when the pastries are cooling.
- Lift the pop tarts onto a cooling rack for quicker cooling.
- These store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and the freezer for up to three weeks. Just pull out and toast as needed. *I do not have a countertop toaster, but toast them in the oven on the top rack. These may or may not work in a countertop toaster — I haven’t tried it! A toaster oven should work great. They really are delicious toasted and even just plain cold!*
Even though there are several steps to this process, having pop tarts that I can literally just toast up in the mornings for a quick and easy treat is such a luxury for this gluten free mama. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
a fresh brewed faith 