Gluten-Free and Vegan Pop-Tarts

Some might say I had a deprived childhood as I was never allowed chocolate cereal let alone anything like Pop-Tarts.  I know that's how I felt at the time, although I am eternally grateful that I had a healthy diet when I was younger.  However, as an adult I do feel the need every now and again to have a breakfast splurge to make up for lost time as it were!
Due to baking such a variety of recipes, I quite often end up with a shed load of half used jars of things like jams and curds.  These Pop-Tarts are based on a recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, altered slightly to make it vegan friendly and dairy-free.


What you will need:
350g Flour
1 tsp Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp Salt
150g Caster sugar
112g Melted vegetable shortening
1 tsp Vanilla extract
100ml Almond milk (room temperature)
Jam (I used cherry, hedgerow and apple and raspberry jam and lemon curd, but remember lemon curd isn't vegan)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  Thoroughly mix together the flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the melted shortening, vanilla and almond milk and mix together until completely combined.   Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Place the dough in between two sheets of baking paper and roll out to an 1/8th of an inch thick.  Cut out rectangles approximately 2 inch x 4 inch.  I drew around the base of icing sugar to use as a stencil.  Place half of them onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with baking paper.  The recipe makes about 8 Pop-Tarts.  Spread your chosen jam onto the middle of the rectangles leaving a gap all around.  Place the other half of the rectangles on top and thoroughly seal the edges by pinching and pressing.  Make sure you do this thoroughly or your jam will spill out during cooking.

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. 

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  When cool you can choose to ice them if you wish.  I mixed approximately 4 tbsp icing sugar with 1 tbsp of almond milk and then drizzled over the tarts, then sprinkled with strawberry flavoured sprinkles.

Oh my goodness gracious, these little beauties are quite something.  You can even put them in the toaster like their shop bought equivalents.  I do like the lucky dip aspect of the random fillings too.  I feel like it is such dangerous knowledge knowing how to make these and I may as well just bid farewell to my waistline right now!