Surprisingly, Pop-Tarts® don’t contain as many allergens as you would think. There is the obvious, gluten/wheat and soy. So my oldest son, egg allergy, can eat them. Now of course, when you really get into reading the label you realize that they are still incredibly unhealthy and packed with many chemicals. So although my oldest can have them…I don’t really want him to. I loved Pop-Tarts® growing up and still do. For me, they are more a dessert and treat. I don’t actually buy them because they are too tempting for me to have around. But grandma and grandpa always have some at their house, so my oldest always wants one when he visits. And although I don’t mind him having one it is hard when my youngest can’t have them due to his soy allergy.
So I set out to make them from scratch. And all I can say is that WOW, they are super
easy to make and much better than the store bought ones. I frosted the ones that I made
because let’s face it, the frosted ones are way better. But you could totally
leave them unfrosted if you’d like. I hope you enjoy the recipe. My boys are
in-love!
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 TBS Sugar
- ⅔ cups Shortening (Spectrum)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 6-8 TBS Ice Cold Water
- Strawberry Jam
For the Icing:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 TBS Rice Milk (or other dairy substitute)
- Preheat oven to 350
- Combine Flour, Sugar, Salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Add 6-8 TBS Ice Cold Water until the dough becomes a ball.
- Roll dough out on floured surface.
- Using a sharp knife, cut out 3"x5" rectangles. Remember you'll need a top and bottom.
- Add 1-2 tsp Strawberry Jam in the center of the bottom rectangle, leaving ¼" of space around the edge.
- Place another rectangle piece of dough on top and seal the edges with the tines of the fork.
- Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and prick small holes on top with a fork or sharp knife to allow the heat and air to escape.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes until slightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
- While cooling, mix up the icing. Add Powdered Sugar and milk and whisk until you reach your desired consistency.
- Once cool, add the icing and top with sprinkles.
To make the recipe with out the food allergy substitutions…
For the PieCrust:
Use any shortening. I prefer Crisco.
For the Icing:
milk or water for the rice milk
Any jam may be used, peanut butter, Nutella or chocolate. There are so many options.
**Allergy Alert**
Be sure to read all of your labels. I have found many spices and other products (i.e. garlic powder) that includes additional ingredients like soy.
Known Allergy Information (containing the major 8): Wheat
If you are going gluten free, substitute a gluten free flour mix. Here is my
favorite gluten-free substitute.
**Disclaimer: Please note that every child’s sensitivity to their given allergen(s) varies. Some of the items that I use do contain “natural flavoring” and “spices” which is hard to determine if it is 100% allergy free. You should always check with the manufacturer to confirm that your child can have their product(s). The products that I list are items that I’ve been using for awhile and have proven to be safe for my boys (their allergies are dairy, soy, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish and sesame).**