I have eaten exactly 5 pop tarts in my life. The reason I know that is when I was 11 years old, my friend and I loved horses and wanted to attend a week-long horseback riding day camp at a local ranch. The problem was that the day camp cost about $300 per person, and our parents made us save up half of the sum.
To an 11 year old who makes exactly $1 a week in allowance, $150 is a huge amount of money. But I was determined; I cashed my change collection (about $30 worth of change sitting in a jar in my closet), I didn’t spend any of my birthday money, and I painstakingly saved up every week’s dollar bill in a labeled envelope on my bookshelf.
It took about a year, but I finally saved up the cash and so did my friend. The week at horse camp was so worth it; we had the time of our lives.
What does all of this have to do with pop tarts? Well, every day when my friend’s mother would drive us home from camp we would want a snack in the car. So my friend would break out a package of pop tarts and ask a rhetorical question: “Want a Pop Tart?” I of course, accepted her offer and ate a pop tart, every day, for five glorious days.
I haven’t eaten a pop tart since, until now of course. I created this recipe as kind of a tribute to my childhood; which I believe is poetic as today my blog reached 5,000 likes on Facebook; I feel like Cook It Up Paleo is a grown up blog.
So to celebrate,
Want a pop tart?
Of course you do.
- 1 cup [url href=”http://www.idevaffiliate.com/32360/idevaffiliate.php?id=104″ target=”_blank”]cassava flour[/url]
- 1/2 teaspoon [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BD0SDU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000BD0SDU&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=V5KGA3ERPSS37W57″ target=”_blank”]salt[/url]
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup cold butter or [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0108Y1QPU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0108Y1QPU&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=WBLH6SUMTFNV2EPE” target=”_blank”]coconut oil[/url] (solid, not melted)
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ENHSC8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003ENHSC8&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=SYAIMTGB5GBAJITM” target=”_blank”]maple syrup[/url]
- 2 egg whites, whisked until very frothy
- 1/2 cup [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UXYZI0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000UXYZI0&linkCode=as2&tag=coituppa-20&linkId=I72KZQASR7BHCFTQ” target=”_blank”]berry preserves[/url] (organic and fruit-sweetened)
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the cassava flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Cut in the coconut oil until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the egg, water, and maple syrup. Stir just until dough comes together.
- Form dough into a ball.
- Roll dough out on a cassava floured surface in a 12″x12″ rectangle. (I recommend using a ruler to measure and cutting off excess with a pizza cutter to get it nice and square.)
- Cut the dough into twelve 3″x4″ rectangles with a pizza cutter.
- Run a thin spatula underneath the rectangles to make sure they aren’t sticking to the counter.
- Brush the tops of all the rectangles with beaten egg white.
- On half of the rectangles, place a heaping tablespoon of preserves.
- Top with the other rectangles, egg white side down against the preserves.
- Crimp all the edges with a fork.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg white.
- Cut 2-3 vents on the top of each pop tart.
- For very neat-looking pop tarts, cut off excess dough on the edges of the tarts to create nice straight edges.
- Carefully transfer the pop tarts to greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Enjoy!
Admittedly I struggle with baking and this was my first time using cassava flour. I struggled with rolling it out and morning having it crumble. I also couldn’t get it very thin and therefor could only make 5. They were super tastey and my kids LOVED them. Thank you!
Just made the. Did not have cassava flour but did have green banana flour and gf all purpose. Did half and half. the dough was much softer but so flaky and delicious I had memories of my mothers homemade pies.
I think I would call these hand pies before pop tarts! They really are the gf thing I have made in years! Thanks
Can I use coconut flour instead of cassava flour?
No that wouldn’t work; they’re very different flours.
Hi!!!
I made these twice so far! I love the taste and how well they stay together but I am having a very hard time with the dough. I do use extra cassava flour for the surface and to dust the rolling pin. However the dough is super sticky to my table, rolling pin and hands when i try to roll it out. Any suggestions? I have tried adding more cassava flour to the dough and dusting with tapioca stratch as well. Still makes for a sticky dough and very hard to handle.
You could try kneading the dough with extra cassava flour until it’s not sticky.
Just made these with my daughter, and OMG. They are awesome. We made 3 with pineapple peach jam, and the other 3 with strawberry, both made by a friend. A dollop of butter on top and it was heaven. I had a hard time getting the rectangles sized right, but that’s just me. So we had various sizes.
This one is a definite keeper, and I need to find the space to double or triple this recipe. I’m thinking they will freeze well, and would be great to have on hand.
Yes so glad you liked them!! Love the idea of using pineapple peach jam!
Can you use spectrum organic Palm shortening instead of coconut oil or butter?
Yes, that would work.
Having difficulty with the process! You state to cut 6 rectangles . On 1/2 of the rectangles put preserves and use the other 1/2 for tops! That would make 3 ! Recipes says it makes 6?
Thanks for calling that out Leslie; it’s twelve rectangles; sorry about that!
I loooooved poptarts! the standard strawberry ones were amazing and so were the oreo ones. your recipe creations are genius–your 5,000 likes is well-deserved.
I bet you could make an icing similar to the one on the strawberry poptarts out of coconut butter, coconut oil, and coconut sugar to top these with. yum!
We think alike, Sheeva! 😀 I was going to suggest a drizzle of coconut butter on top of these yummy looking (healthy version) poptarts! I’m a grown woman and miss my poptarts! LOL Strawberry were my favorite too, with brown sugar being a close second. 🙂
Thank you, Heather for creating this childhood favorite! And for using cassava flour! I’m LOVING the cassava flour and how easy it is to use in recipes! 🙂 Can’t wait to try these! Do you think they would freeze well? And what do you think if I substituted the coconut oil for unsalted grass-fed butter?
Thanks again! 🙂
I think using butter would be delicious and I am guessing these would freeze well.
I never really liked Pop-Tarts, strangely enough! I guess I thought they tasted too fake, even when I still ate a lot of junk food! These look tasty and they would be good with some homemade fruit-sweetened raspberry jam in our fridge. I don’t have any cassava flour, though; it’s about time I purchased some!
Cassava flour is awesome; and I’m sure if I ate a regular Pop Tart now I’d agree; they are super processed!
Poptarts were the breakfast food of my middle school days! Hot fudge was my fav! Im actually amazed by these paleo version, they look incredible! I love the use of cassava flour, by far my favorite flour out there! Congrats on reaching 5,000 likes!
Thanks Bethany! 🙂