Start your day with the nostalgia of a chocolate-cherry pop tart, but made in your own kitchen. The effort of homemaking it makes the appeal of the processed, commercial version very understandable, but the light sweetness and the flaky, buckwheat and brown-rice flour crust is worth every step. For lunch, take a picnic of these homemade Pop Tart breakfast pies to your favorite shaded tree, and languish in the only time of year when tomatoes taste like anything.
What’s in Real Pop Tarts?
So…this may not come as a shock to you, but pop tarts are not healthy. What’s in them on a basic level is wheat flour, sugar, oil, corn syrup, and dried fruit…but there are also a ton of preservatives and artificial dyes. The laundry list of synthetic ingredients includes elatin, citric acid, xanthan gum, cornstarch, turmeric extract color, soy lecithin, and “artificial colors.” That’s all the more reason to make homemade pop tarts, where you know where all of the ingredients come from. But the process for actually making a pop tart is not a straightforward one, so you can see where all the corners get cut. But it’s fun to try yourself, just for once!
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Homemade Chocolate Cherry Pie Pop Tarts
Description
Why not have pie for breakfast?
Ingredients
For the cherry filling:
- 4 cups cherries, pitted
- 1/2 cup honey
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp. crushed black pepper
For the crust:
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup buckwheat flour
- 16 tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
- 2 tbsp. chilled vodka
- 4 to 5 tbsp. cold water
- 1 egg beaten
For the glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsb raw cacao powder
- 2 tbsp milk or water (I recommend oat milk)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
For the optional garnish:
- Freeze-dried strawberries or beets, for garnish
- Sea salt
- Dried rose petals
Instructions
For the Cherry Filling
- In a medium pot, bring the cherries, honey, and lemon juice to a boil. Boil 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and becomes jam-like.
- Stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let cool.
For the crust:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours. Scatter the butter pieces over the top, and work with a pastry blender, or your fingers, to combine, until the mixture resembles gravel, with lots of butter chunks the size of large peas.
For assembly:
- Drizzle the vodka into the flour mixture, then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing the dough with a rubber spatula to moisten evenly.
- Add just enough liquid for the dough to hold together when you give it a squeeze, and add it directly to the dry floury bits that like to hang out on the bottom of the bowl.
Working The Dough
- Knead the dough in the bowl 10 to 20 times to bring it together. Dump the dough onto the counter or a cutting board, and drag portions of the dough across the counter with the heel of your hand (this makes the mixture come together and yields a flakier dough). Gather the dough into a ball (a metal bench scraper helps). Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it loosely in plastic or beeswax wrap. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
For extra-flaky crust:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough disk into a rectangle that is about ¼-inch thick. Fold it in thirds like you’re folding a letter, then roll up from a skinny end into a loose spiral.
- Gently press to flatten it slightly, and chill for 30 minutes. Optional: For extra, extra flake, repeat this step once more.
Shape the Crust:
- Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap it, and place on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll it into a rectangle of 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles. For more uniformity and ease of assembly, it helps to cut a template out of wax paper or cardboard measuring about 3 x 4.75 inches. Gather any scraps and re-roll the dough until you have used it all.
To assemble:
- Place a heaping tablespoon of the cherry jam on one half of the rectangle. Lay the other half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges by crimping them with the back of a fork. Place the pop tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet(s).
- Cover the baking sheet(s), and chill in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes.
To bake:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush the tarts with the beaten egg, and bake the pop tarts for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly.
For the glaze:
- Sift the powdered sugar and cacao into the bowl of a stand mixer. With the mixer on low, slowly stir in the milk and vanilla, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.
- Drizzle over the pop tarts, and garnish according to your tastes.
Story, photography, and styling by Quelcy Kogel
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