Home Made Gluten Free Pop Tarts

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It is no secret that I do not like my children having processed foods.  My husband does not want them to have HFCS.  My son loves pop tarts though.  He has been asking for them allot lately.  I thought to myself, "I'll go to the whole foods store and look for a healthier option".  No such option could be found.  All of them had HFCS or some strange ingredient.  Then I found a blog.  THIS blog.  She made her own pop tarts.  I had to try making them.

2 cups Flour (I used GF Tom Sawyer but regular is the same measurement)

1 cup butter

1 oz Milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

Add flour, salt, sugar and butter into food processor.  Pulse until butter is incorporated into flour and forms small beads the size of peas.  Add milk and egg.  Mix until just incorporated.  Dough should hold together when squeezed in your fist.

Divide dough into 10 ounces each (approximately).  Chill one while you roll out the other into a 3 x 5 rectangle.  

Please note, Gluten Free flour is very difficult to deal with.  It will crack, OFTEN.  It mends nicely together though.  Just take a piece from the ends and pinch it onto crack to mend.  Rolling will hide the mend entirely.  Go gently.  Perseverance is the key here.  Roll, turn, roll turn, roll turn. I use a very large outdoor quality spatula to move the dough around without breaking. Use rice flour for the roller and spatula.

I cut the dough to a rectangle and then 7 x 12 centimeter squares.  Each section made 4 pop tart tops and bottoms.  Please note: you will need a separate top and a separate bottom.  Gluten dough will fold nicely so you wont need to make that middle cut.  Gluten Free dough will NOT fold.  You have to lift each piece gently off the counter with a spatula.

Brown Sugar Filling

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Flour

Chocolate Filling

6 squares Semi Sweet Chocolate

2 tablespoons Milk

(I bet a tablespoon of Peanut Butter would be good too)

Microwave for 30 seconds.

I spooned 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of one side.

Beat an egg with a bit of water.  Cover tops and area surrounding filling with egg wash.  Use that long spatula again to lift the top off the counter.  You could try to flip that egg wash side down onto the filling.  I did not take any chances.  I placed the top gently on my hand and flipped it over by hand.  Brush egg wash on tops of pop tarts.

 Use spatula again to lift pop tart onto baking pan lined with greased parchment paper.  Press to seal edges.  Edge with a fork

Do you see how ugly this top was.  I flipped it over on the pan.  The underside was still lovely.  

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.