These homemade strawberry pop tarts feature a healthy sprouted wheat crust, naturally sweet strawberry filling and coconut butter glaze on top! A whole food version of the classic pop tart, these are great for dessert or a special school snack or breakfast.
I don't remember ever getting pop tarts are a kid, and I'm really thankful for that.
Can you believe they are marketed as breakfast food?! It's utterly ridiculous. "Made with real fruit!". Um... yeah sure, but what else. Sugar is the first ingredient, so... that reads "dessert" to me!
Luckily, it's possible to make a healthier homemade version of this manufactured sweet treat. These homemade pop tarts are so healthy that I honestly wouldn't feel bad if I had to eat them for breakfast! I personally wouldn't choose to make them for breakfast, but that's just because I love my soaked oats so much.
As I was making these, I also thought they would be such a cute treat for breakfast on Valentine's Day, especially shaped as hearts instead of rectangles. I'm sure your whole family, especially the kids, would love that! So I tried making a heart-shaped pop tart and it turned out great!
If you do make these for your kids, calling them hand pies might be a good idea, especially if your kids are familiar with pop tarts! These aren't ultra-sweet like pop tarts and the crust isn't the same, so they shouldn't expect a store-bought pop tart. Hopefully, we can all help our kids to realize that homemade goods are different, but SO MUCH BETTER than processed foods!
What Are Storebought Pop Tarts Made Of?
Ah, the iconic toaster strudel with flaky pastry, a sweet fruity filling, covered in frosting and rainbow sprinkles.
Most of us have always known pop tarts are bad for us and looking at the ingredient list really confirms that! Bleached wheat flour is used, along with many sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and sugar. To top it off there are many artificial colorants (petroleum-derived substances) used, which may cause a wide variety of problems, including increased hyperactivity in children, depression and cancer.
Eating these foods once in a while probably won't cause huge issues, but in my opinion, it's best to avoid them anyway!
Are Strawberry Pop Tarts Healthy?
These strawberry pop tarts are made with clean, healthful ingredients, so you can feel MUCH better about serving these to your family in place of store-bought pop tarts.
What Are Strawberry Pop Tarts Made Of?
Crust - 4 simple ingredients: sprouted wheat flour, water, olive oil and salt. Sprouting the wheat makes it more nutrient-dense and digestible than regular wheat. You can buy sprouted wheat flour or make your own, which is very simple and much cheaper.
Filling - Also made with only 4 ingredients: strawberries, maple syrup, lemon juice and chia seeds (water is a fifth if you are using fresh strawberries). This is basically a thick, slightly sweeter version of my strawberry chia jam. Strawberries and chia seeds both contain high amounts of many nutrients, and maple syrup is a natural sweetener containing small amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Frosting - I adapted this recipe, from Natalie at "Feasting on Fruit" which I thought was genius! The main ingredient is coconut butter, which is basically pureed coconut. We simply thin it out with a little water over some heat and sweeten with a little maple syrup. It's really hard to find a glaze/frosting recipe without powdered sugar, so this concept was a real winner for me!
Are Strawberry Pop Tarts Vegan?
This recipe is totally vegan! If you aren't vegan, feel free to use honey in place of the maple syrup in both the filling and frosting, if that suits you better.
Can I Use a Different Flour?
This crust recipe is specifically made for sprouted wheat flour. If you don't have any and want to make a healthy crust, I would suggest sourdough or einkorn pie crusts. All-purpose flour (not fermented in sourdough) is the least desirable option, so avoid it if you can!
Tools You May Need
Immersion blender, food processor or blender
Rolling pin
How to Make Strawberry Pop Tarts
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon whole or ground chia seeds
- ¼ cup filtered water (if using fresh berries)
Crust:
- 2 cups sprouted wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup filtered water
- ½ cup olive oil
Frosting:
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- 2 tablespoon room temperature water
- 2-3 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions:
Filling: Place strawberries in a small saucepan (add ¼ cup water if using fresh strawberries), covered, over medium-high heat. Remove the lid and stir every few minutes. Once the liquid is boiling, you can reduce to medium heat. Allow 15-20 minutes of cooking time, or cook until the strawberries are soft and begin to fall apart.
Blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender to get a smooth consistency.
Add sweetener and lemon juice. Taste and add more if necessary. Mix in chia seeds.
This mixture will be thinner than when it cools completely. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
This filling can be made a few days in advance if needed, and just kept in the fridge until used.
Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water and olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
On a floured surface or parchment paper, roll the pie dough out into about a 10x18 inch rectangle that's about ⅛ inch thick. Cut the sheet of dough into 3x5 inch rectangles (I like to use a pizza cutter, but a sharp knife works fine too!). There should be enough dough for 12 rectangles (6 pop tarts). Alternatively, you could use large cookie cutters in different shapes, such as hearts for Valentine's Day or stars for Christmas, etc.
Spread 2 tablespoons of filling onto 6 of the rectangles, leaving 1 centimeter around the border.
Place the second dough rectangle directly over the ones with filling and pinch the edges of each tart together with a fork, all the way around.
Carefully transfer each pop tart to the prepared baking sheet, evenly spacing them apart.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and firm when tapped. Allow to cool fully before frosting.
Frosting: In a double boiler, combine coconut butter and maple syrup over high heat. Stir as the coconut butter melts and then slowly add in 2 tablespoons of water. You may need to add more, so just keep lifting up your spoon to see if the mixture drizzles nicely. If needed, add water one teaspoon at a time until it becomes a consistency you can drizzle.
When pop tarts are cool, drizzle or spread frosting on top of the pop tart. These can be eaten right away, but the frosting will take about 30 minutes to set.
How to Store Strawberry Pop Tarts
Best enjoyed the day they are made but can be refrigerated in an airtight container or gently covered with plastic wrap and eaten the following day.
Did you try this recipe? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!
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- BLUEBERRY PIE
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER EGGS
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA POPSICLES
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Pop Tarts
These homemade strawberry pop tarts feature a healthy sprouted wheat crust, naturally sweet strawberry filling and coconut butter glaze on top! A whole food version of the classic pop tart, these are great for dessert or a special school snack or breakfast.
Ingredients
FILLING
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon whole or ground chia seeds
- ¼ cup filtered water (if using fresh berries)
CRUST
- 2 cups sprouted wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup filtered water
- ½ cup olive oil
FROSTING
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- 2 tablespoon room temperature water
- 2-3 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Filling: Place strawberries in a small saucepan (add ¼ cup water if using fresh strawberries), covered, over medium-high heat. Remove the lid and stir every few minutes. Once the liquid is boiling, you can reduce to medium heat. Allow 15-20 minutes of cooking time, or cook until the strawberries are soft and begin to fall apart.
- Blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender to get a smooth consistency.
- Add sweetener and lemon juice. Taste and add more if necessary. Mix in chia seeds.
- This mixture will be thinner than when it cools completely. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
- This filling can be made a few days in advance if needed, and just kept in the fridge until used.
- Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water and olive oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. The mixture will be crumbly.
- On a floured surface or parchment paper, roll the pie dough out into about a 10x18 inch rectangle that's about ⅛ inch thick. Cut the sheet of dough into 3x5 inch rectangles (I like to use a pizza cutter, but a sharp knife works fine too!). There should be enough dough for 12 rectangles (6 pop tarts). Alternatively, you could use large cookie cutters in different shapes, such as hearts for Valentine's Day or stars for Christmas, etc.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of filling onto 6 of the rectangles, leaving 1 centimeter around the border.
- Place the second dough rectangle directly over the ones with filling and pinch the edges of each tart together with a fork, all the way around.
- Carefully transfer each pop tart to the prepared baking sheet, evenly spacing them apart.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and firm when tapped. Allow to cool fully before frosting.
- Frosting: In a double boiler, combine coconut butter and maple syrup over high heat. Stir as the coconut butter melts and then slowly add in 2 tablespoons of water. You may need to add more, so just keep lifting up your spoon to see if the mixture drizzles nicely. If needed, add water one teaspoon at a time until it becomes a consistency you can drizzle.
- When pop tarts are cool, drizzle or spread frosting on top of the pop tart. These can be eaten right away, but the frosting will take about 30 minutes to set.
Notes
Best enjoyed the day they are made but can be refrigerated in an airtight container or gently covered with plastic wrap and eaten the following day.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 434Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
This nutrient calculation is done by an automated calculator and may not be accurate.
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