Gluten free chocolate fudge pop tarts are breakfast pastries with fudge filling and covered in chocolate icing.
First, we made classic gluten-free Pop Tarts. I was kind of loosey-goosey with the fillings, and gave you no recipe for icing. I left you hanging. Oh the humanity!
Something tells me … you'll find a new place in your heart for me once more. On account of the chocolate fudge pop tarts-style bribe.
The basic idea of these gee eff chocolate Pop-Tarts is pretty much the same as the original kind. These just need a bit of TLC. A few tips!
Tip #1. When you seal them, you have to be careful to blend the edges into one another so you don't have an inside-outside filling experience. Keep the inside, well, inside by following my directions in the recipe closely.
Tip #2. These pastries need lots of holes. And still they may puff and even leak a bit during the last few minutes of baking. But if you cut baking short by a few minutes, the pastries won't ever crisp and will be very fragile.
Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the dough
2 1/4 cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
10 tablespoons (50 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon (14 g) canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
FUDGE FILLING
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup (38 g) confectioners’ sugar
CHOCOLATE ICING
1 1/2 cups (173 g) confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons (20 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 to 4 tablespoons tepid water
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
First, make the dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, granulated sugar and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the melted butter, oil, vanilla and milk, and mix to combine. The dough will be thick and a bit greasy. Knead the dough until it is smooth. It should hold together well. Allow it to sit while you make the filling.
To make the filling, place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, and microwave it for 45 seconds at a time at 60% power, stirring in between, until smooth and completely melted. Add the mascarpone cheese, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar a few tablespoons at a time by sifting it into the filling, stirring in between until smooth. Allow the filling to cool while you make the pastry crust.
Turn the pastry dough out onto a large sheet of unbleached parchment paper, and cover with another sheet of parchment. Roll into a rectangle a bit more than 1/8-inch thick (the thickness of a nickel). With a pastry cutter or sharp knife, slice into 2-inch-by-4-inch rectangles. Gather, reroll and cut the scraps into rectangles.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of the fudge filling on top of half of the rectangles in an even layer, stopping about 1/4 inch from the edges. Cover each with another rectangle, and press along the edges to seal. With wet fingers, secure the seal along all 4 edges of each pastry by blending the edges together. Transfer the pastries to the prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer and chill until firm, about 7 minutes. Once the pastries are firm, remove the baking sheet from the freezer and poke sizable holes in pairs down the entire length of the pastry, about 10 in all.
Place the pastries in the preheated oven and bake, rotating once, until the tops are set (about 12 minutes). Once set, the tops of the pastries will no longer be shiny wet – they will have more of a matte finish. Some of the filling may leak out of the pastries in the last couple minutes of baking, and it’s fine. Remove the pastries from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.
While the pastries are cooling, make the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, place the 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar and the 4 tablespoons cocoa powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water, and mix until smooth. It will form a very thick paste. Add more water by the tablespoon, and mix until smooth and well-combined. The icing should be thick but slowly pourable.
Once the pastries are completely cool, spread about 2 tablespoons of icing on top of each, and allow to dry until set, and then serve immediately. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. They can be toasted before serving, just like the original. Freeze any additional leftovers. Defrost in the toaster oven.
Ljb01520 says
OMG! Nicole! I made these (sort of) the other day, and all I have to say is Thank you! Thank you! My son was Dx’d too young to ever know Pop Tarts and I was never a fan. But these were fantastic! OK, I know it sounds odd, but with the choc filling, it sounded like just too much chocolate. So, I made a caramel cream cheese filling and these turned out sooo good. (I had a fresh batch of caramel from last weekend – for frosting for your White Choc Cupcakes.)
gfshoestring says
Oh how I love those White Chocolate Cupcakes. My poor deprived children ask for me to repeat recipes like that which have already been properly tested, and I have to tell them no! No time for repeats of perfected recipes! But I would love one of those cupcakes. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Gluten Free Klippy's says
Oh the childhood memories… I can’t wait to try!
Gluten Free Klippy's says
Oh the childhood memories… I can’t wait to try!
mary says
If I can get this to work, I will have one happy little kiddo. She lived on pop-tarts for years.
Richard says
I’ve been following for a while now and these recipes you have are absolutely amazing! I ordered and own your first book, and when I found out I could get your newer book (months ago) I jumped on it and Pre-ordered it. Truly amazing and can’t thank you enough!
I was curious to know though, if you had another subsitute for the cheese? Being lactose intolerant can’t really stomach dairy too much.
-Richard
gfshoestring says
Hi, Richard,
Thank you so much for your support of my cookbooks. I really appreciate it!
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of truly great nondairy cheeses out there. Years ago, my family and I were also dairy-free, and we used Vegan Gourmet block cheeses. These days, I understand that most people prefer Daiya dairy-free cheeses. I’m afraid that’s all I can offer!
xoxo Nicole
Janet Slater says
OMGosh Nicole, I almost peed my pants with excitement!!
~jannyjo
Nicole says
*snort* If you had, it would have been worth it. There’s always fresh underwear, jannyjo. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Allison Wilson says
I’m wondering how many marriage proposals you’ll have to turn down now after posting this.
gfshoestring says
*snort* Where you been all my life, Allison? I think my children may have proposed. Does that count? ;)
xoxo Nicole
Carole says
Any chance you’ll go back to the old format.It was much easier to read.
Dana Sorrell says
Wow. They look amazing.
Pamela G says
These just aren’t right!!! OMG…
I’m happy the price of the new book went down again…I managed to pre-order. Happy to do so!
gfshoestring says
Hi, Pam!
Amazon tends to wait until there is cover art up for the book to discount it, but when you preorder (and thank you for doing that!) you get a price guarantee. If it goes lower in price before it comes out, you’ll get it for the lower price. :)
xoxo Nicole
Bpayne78 says
Oh maaaannnn…….you said to keep an eye out and here they are! You. Are. Awesome!!!!! I can’t wait to try them. I have one question……what “high quality gluten free flour” do you use/recommend? Not sure I know what the difference it….I’m still learning. LOL
gfshoestring says
I talk about flours in the FAQs here on the blog!
xoxo Nicole
Kclark says
I heart you!
gfshoestring says
I heart you back. :)
xo N
kizzl says
I wonder how these would go with nutella filling….
Trish@MyBigFatBundt says
Oh man. This is the ONE thing miss eating after giving up nearly all processed foods, and especially most gluten-free goodies. I’ve always preferred homemade sweets over packaged, even as a kid. But Pop Tarts were like crack to me as a teen. I will have to check out your original ones as the chocolate might be in over-kill for me (or maybe not!). And the new book looks great btw. It is on my wishlist…as soon as I start bringing in a paycheck again, it shall arrive with the other books that have been waiting patiently for me. :-)
Kaitlin Martin says
I wonder how these would go with nutella filling….
Dana Schwartz says
What a lovely Monday morning it is when chocolate pop tarts are there to greet you :) Perfect for my sweet little chocoholic. I loved the other post with cherry filling, but I knew my picky girl would not. These will be a hit, for sure. Thanks Nicole! Counting down the days til I get your new cookbook and can make those smiley goldfish.
-Dana
gfshoestring says
Oh these are right up your daughter’s alley, aren’t they, Dana? ;) Thanks so much for your enthusiasm and support!
xoxo Nicole