My gluten-free pop tarts have a flaky outer crust and a sweet cherry filling, and they're covered in a delicious gooey glaze. They taste just like the toaster pastries you remember as a kid.
2cupsBob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
1tbspgranulated sugar
1/2tspsalt
3/4cupunsalted buttercut into small pieces and very cold
6-7tbspice cold water
1eggbeaten
For the Jam Filling:
3/4cupcherry jam
2tspcornstarch
For the Icing:
1cuppowdered sugar
1tbspmilk
1tbspcherry jam
2tspred sugar
Instructions
For the Pastry:
In a food processor, pulse to combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter pieces to the food processor and pulse until the butter is the size of peas, with some larger pieces.
Remove from the food processor and place the flour mixture into a bowl. Add in water, one tablespoon at a time, until you can pinch the dough together. You may only end up using some of the water. Work the dough into a ball.
Pat the dough into a flat circle, cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
For the Filling:
While the dough is chilling, make the cherry filling. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cherry jam and stir until no clumps remain. Set aside.
For the Pastry (continued):
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the dough is chilled, roll it out into two equal rectangles about 8x9 inches each and about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 6 smaller rectangles about 3x4 inches in size. Place 6 of the rectangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet. (Reserve the other 6 rectangles for the top of the pop-tart.)
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of cherry filling onto each rectangle and spread, leaving about a 1/2 inch border.
Place the reserved rectangles over the jam. Gently press the edges closed with your fingers. Crimp all the way around with a fork. Generously poke holes into the top of the pastry.
Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg just until covered. You will not need to use the whole egg.
Bake at 350ºF for 23-25 minutes, until the crust edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the pop-tarts cool completely.
For the glaze:
While the pop-tart is cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the jam and milk until smooth. Then add to powdered sugar. Whisk until combined and no clumps remain. You want the glaze to be spreadable but thick so it doesn't run off the pop-tart. Add more powdered sugar or milk to reach the desired consistency.
Once the pop-tart has cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top of each pastry using a spoon. Sprinkle red sanding sugar while the glaze is wet. Allow the pop-tarts to dry completely before serving.
Notes
See my full blog post for pictures of each step.To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter with vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened almond milk.To make this recipe vegan, follow the dairy-free recipe and brush the tops of the pop-tarts with almond milk instead of the egg before baking.You can substitute the cherry jam with your favorite jam flavor.The butter must be very cold to create a flaky crust when baked.Adding the water one tablespoon at a time helps ensure your dough doesn't get too wet. Depending on the weight of your flour and environmental conditions, you may need more or less water.Make sure you crimp the edges with a fork to help prevent the filling from oozing. Some oozing is okay and normal during baking.