AIP Pop Tarts
A healthier take on an American classic, these Paleo Pop Tarts are completely gluten-free, AIP, and vegan. Fill your pop tarts with whatever your heart desires and enjoy a healthier version of a nostalgic treat.
Servings 6 -8 pop tarts
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup cooked and mashed Japanese sweet potato white fleshed sweet potato will also work
- ¼ cup cassava flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup melted coconut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup softened coconut oil
Filling
- 1.5 cups berries mashed*
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
Icing
- ½ coconut butter optional
- Or see above for alternative icing options
Instructions
- First, cook your sweet potato either by steaming or roasting. Let cool before mashing the flesh with a fork so that you have 1 cup of mashed sweet potato.
- Blend the sweet potato, flours, coconut butter, maple syrup, and milk in a blender or food processor or with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Transfer batter to a bowl and cut in the coconut oil until it is combined in the dough (don't over mix). You should have a pretty soft dough at this point. Form it into a ball and place plastic wrap over the top of the bowl.
- Place dough in the fridge for an 30-60 minutes so that the dough can firm up some. It should be like sugar cookie dough- firm but malleable. If you leave it in the fridge longer or it becomes too hard, just leave it at room temperature for a little bit until it begins to soften and become easier to work with.
- While dough rests, make the filling by mashing the berries with a fork in a small bowl. Pour of any excess liquid and reserve. Mix in the coconut sugar until well combined and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Sprinkle the dough with some cassava flour then roll it out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to be about ⅛-1/4 inch thick. You can split the dough in half and work in batches if needed. Cut rolled dough into the shapes you want for the pop tarts (mine were 3x4 inch squares). Make sure when you cut a shape, you cut two matching ones so you have the top and bottom of the pop tart.
- Using a spatula, gently transfer one cut shape (bottom of the pop tart) to a parchment lined baking sheet and transfer the other shape (top of the pop tart) to a holding tray (another baking sheet or a cutting board.
- Scoop up the scraps of dough and repeat the same process until you've used up all the dough. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, just place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes. This may apply to the cut shapes, as well. If dough begins to soften too much on the baking sheet, just place it in the fridge (you don't want it to get too hard that it crumbles when working with it though).
- You should end up with a total of 12-16 squares.
- Take about one tablespoon of the filling and place it in the middle of a pop tart that is on the baking sheet. Spread the filling slightly on the dough, leaving about a ½ inch around the edges. [See image]
- Dip your finger in cold water and run it along the edges of the bottom crust, place the top crust piece overtop so edges line up and gently press the two pieces of crust together with your fingers. Repeat with all the pop tarts.
- Use a fork dipped in water to crimp the edges of the pop tarts together. Brush the tops of the pop tarts with olive oil (or an egg wash) if desired.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.
- Ice with melted coconut butter or your favorite icing. You can also mix some of the reserved berry juice with the coconut butter for a colored icing.
Notes
*I used frozen since it is winter, just thaw and pour off excess juice. You can also use fresh. Alternatively, you can use whatever filling you want, like a chocolate spread!