Homemade Vegan Pop-Tarts Stuffed with Raspberry Chia Jam (gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free)

A nutritious make-ahead breakfast or after-school snack with a flaky, "buttery" crust and juicy, fruity inside.  You'll love how delicious they taste topped with the tart and sweet raspberries and creamy coconut butter.  They are totally kid-friendly and evoke adult nostalgia too!  Best of all, they are gluten-free, grain-free, vegan and refined sugar-free.  Yes!  This is possible (and still totally delish).  And I've got the pictures to prove it!

When I think back to some of my favorite childhood special treats, pop-tarts definitely come to mind.  I loved going over to my friends' houses and snacking on them after school.  I remember selecting the flavor we wanted and warming them up in the toaster oven.  I loved the flaky outside that resembled a buttery pie crust with a burst of juicy jelly as you bite into it.  And the frosting/sprinkles just made the whole experience so incredible.  They were not particularly nutritious and eventually fell out of my life as I grew older, but I have been thinking about them lately.  I'm not quite sure why, but sometimes we can't always explain our cravings, right?

Anyhow, I set out to make a healthier version of the classic pop-tart.  My goals were to have my version taste incredible while being refined sugar-free, butter-free, gluten-free and vegan.  Good news, after three attempts I nailed it with all this criteria in place.  And, it also happens to be grain-free and will work for paleo diets.

The crust is made of mostly almond flour and tapioca flour.  I used a flax egg and arrowroot starch to help it bind together well.  It is sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with vanilla extract and almond extract.  Instead of butter, I opted for coconut oil and it worked wonderfully.  For the inside of the pop tart, I reached for my homemade easy raspberry chia jam which I've been making each week and using in smoothies and in my chia seed breakfast bowls.  I always have it on hand and it works so well in this recipe and keeps it refined sugar-free.  The chia seeds also help to add fiber, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, calcium, iron and magnesium to the pop tarts.

Instead of traditional icing made with refined sugar, I simply melted coconut butter and drizzled it overtop.  That's it!  Super easy and delicious.  And no one would know the difference.  Instead of sprinkles I just crushed some freeze dried raspberries with my fingers and sprinkled it overtop the pop tart letting it stick to the coconut butter.  You can enjoy the pop tarts fresh out of the oven or keep them refrigerated and enjoy cold.  I personally prefer them cold or at room temperature but I know a lot of people like to warm them in the toaster oven before enjoying.  Totally up to you!

Making a homemade pop tart may seem intimidating but I promise you it is simple and doesn't require any fancy equipment.  Everything for the dough goes into the food processor.  I chill the dough and then flatten in between sheets of parchment paper until it is ¼ inch thick.  I then use a knife to cut it into rectangles.  I top half the rectangles with the chia jam and then make a sandwich with the other crust half.  I crimp the edges with a fork and then bake for 15 minutes.  Once they cool I drizzle melted coconut butter on top and sprinkle the freeze dried raspberries.  There is not much hands-on time with this recipe so it is perfect for busy parents.

I like to double the batch and make them for quick breakfasts for the kids.  They are perfect for on-the-go and they make for a great after school-snack option too.  I find one pop tart to be quite filling so sometimes my kids split one if it is close to dinnertime.

I hope you enjoy this healthy pop tart recipe as much as our family does!  I have been making them on Sunday nights for an easy Monday morning breakfast for the kids (and me!).  It will be perfect for back-to-school as we ease into our new morning routine.  It is gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, soy-free and peanut-free.  If you give it a try, please snap a pic and tag #eatingbyelaine and @eatingbyelaine on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook so I can see you enjoying your creations.

Homemade Vegan Pop Tarts Stuffed with Raspberry Chia Jam (gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free)

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• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

A nutritious make-ahead breakfast or after-school snack with a flaky, “buttery” crust and juicy, fruity inside.  You’ll love how delicious they taste topped with the tart and sweet raspberries and creamy coconut butter.  They are totally kid-friendly and evoke adult nostalgia too!  Best of all, they are gluten-free, grain-free, vegan and refined sugar-free.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Pop Tart Dough

• 1 "flax egg" (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2 tablespoons warm filtered water)
• 1 ¾ cup blanched super fine almond flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
• ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ cup vegan butter (or sub coconut oil), solid
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Center Filling

• 4-6 teaspoons easy homemade raspberry chia jam (refined sugar-free)

Garnish

• 3-4 tablespoons coconut butter, melted
• 4-6 freeze dried raspberries

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Instructions

1. Make your flax egg.  Whisk together the ground flaxseeds and water.  Let sit for at least five minutes before adding to recipe.
2. To a food processor add the almond flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot starch and salt.  Process for a couple seconds until all dry ingredients are evenly distributed.  Add the wet ingredients to the food processor (coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract and flax egg).  Process until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Scrape down the sides if needed and process again.  A ball of dough should form.
3. Place the dough on parchment paper in the refrigerator for an hour or longer if possible.  The longer you allow it to chill the easier it will be to work with.
4. When you are ready to bake the pop tarts preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Place the dough on a rimmed half sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin or glass to roll out the dough until it is ¼ inch thick.  Form it into the shape of a large rectangle.  Even out the sides and roll again if needed.  Cut the dough into eight even rectangles.  Add a heaping teaspoon of raspberry chia jam to four of the eight rectangles.  Gently place the empty rectangles on top of the jam to form a sandwich.  If the dough starts to fall apart you probably didn't chill it for long enough.  If this happens you can stick the entire pan back into the fridge or even the freezer for a quick chill.  This will make it easier to work with.
6. Use a wet fork to crimp the edges of each of the rectangular sandwiches.  If the fork starts to stick to the dough wet it again.  Use a chopstick to poke ten evenly spaced tiny holes into the top of the pop tart.  Slightly separate the pop tarts from each other and make sure the pop tart edges are not touching each other.
7. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown around the top and edges.
8. Allow the pop tarts to fully cool.  Then, garnish with a drizzle of melted coconut butter on each pop tart and a sprinkle of crushed freeze dried raspberries.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.  Enjoy cold, room temperature or warmed.  I personally love them cold.

Notes

Optional: Before baking the pop tarts you can lightly brush them with melted coconut oil.  This helps them get perfectly golden brown.  I sometimes like to add a sprinkle of coconut sugar too.

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15

• Almond Flour
• Fruit
• Gluten-Free
• Paleo
• Refined Sugar-Free
• Vegan
• Oven-Baked
• Kid-Friendly