Oh, poptarts. We go way back. Growing up it was always a special treat when I heard the wrinkling of the poptart wrapper coming from the kitchen, and the ticking of the toaster oven warming them to perfection while I hurried to get ready for school. Or when I would see the glorious box pulled out in the woods while on camping trips. But then I got boring when I learned about calories and carbohydrates, processed sugar, and all the nutritional woes one experiences as they become increasingly enlightened to what is really in their food growing up. Therefore, the sad day came when poptarts were no longer a part of my life. That was until about a year and a half ago when I decided to bring the poptart back using only the best ingredients and making them a little bigger than those thin little flakes of a breakfast pastry you come to find in poptart packages now a days. Upon delivering them to a friend they were sought after by a cafe owner who asked me to start delivering them on a weekly basis to her cafe in downtown Phoenix. After eight or nine months of doing so I ended my deliveries (Who knew you could get so tired of making poptarts? Believe me, it's possible). Since choosing to become vegan a year ago (had my 1 year veganniversary yesterday, yippee!) I have been going through some of my favorite recipes from my pre-vegan days and "veganizing" them, and this one's turn is up. Behold, the vegan poptart.
Ingredients
Dough
2 cups spelt flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks Earth Balance vegan butter
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons almond milk or more water
Filling
Organic raspberry preserves
Frosting
1 cup powder sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons almond milk
Begin by making the dough ahead of time so that it can refrigerate for at least 2 hours. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. In a small cup, combine the ground flax, water, and almond milk. Cut the vegan butter into cubes, and with the food processor running add 1-2 cubes at a time. Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary until the butter is well mixed and the dough is crumbly. With the food processor running again, add the wet ground flax mixture and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, form into a ball, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or even overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out half of the dough on a well floured work surface. Place the other half of the dough you are not using back in the refrigerator to stay chilled while you are working with the first half. Roll the dough out into a 12x12 inch square, at about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thickness (depending on how thin or thick you would like your crust. I rolled mine to about 1/4 inch). Cut your poptarts out in the desired shape and size that you wish - I chose squares but often make them in the traditional rectangle form. Circles would be fun too! Lay your pop tart bases out evenly on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spoon a tablespoon of preserves onto the center of each poptart. Roll out the rest of the dough that was in the refrigerator, cut out your poptart tops, and lay them on top of the bases on the cookie sheet. Crimp the edges of the poptarts together using a fork, dipping the fork in a small cup of water intermittently so that it does not stick to the dough. Poke a few holes in the top of each tart and brush the tops with water. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges become golden. Let the poptarts cool completely before mixing and drizzling on the frosting.
