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Breakfast | Dessert | Snack

Gluten Free Cherry Pop Tarts

These homemade gluten free cherry Pop Tarts are everything you love about the classic treat, but made even better! Made with a flaky almond flour crust, homemade cherry filling, and an icing that uses no artificial dyes, this easy recipe includes detailed step-by-step instructions so you can make perfectly delicious Pop Tarts at home with more wholesome ingredients.
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Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Yield6 servings

Equipment

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
  • 2 1/2 c almond flour
  • 1 c cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 c butter (cold and grated)
  • 1/4 c maple syrup
  • 1 egg (room temperature, lightly beaten)
Homemade Cherry Filling
  • 5 c cherries (pitted, fresh or frozen, about 900 g)
  • 1/4 c maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
Egg Wash
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
Icing (Optional)
  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp freeze dried strawberry powder*
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • Sprinkles (for topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pastry
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, cornstarch, and salt. Be sure to press out any clumps that may form.
    Sifting the dry ingredients together first helps to prevent clumps.
  • Use a fork to mix in the cold, grated butter, and incorporate it with the dry ingredients until a sandy texture forms.
  • Pour in the the maple syrup, and the egg.
  • Mix together for just a few minutes until a dough forms. I find it's helpful to turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it by hand for a minute or two so that it forms a smooth, round ball.
  • Divide the dough in half.
    The dough will weigh about 500 g total, so if you want to be exact divide the dough into two 250 g pieces.
  • Shape each piece of dough into a ball shape and flatten the tops to form a disk.
  • Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
Homemade Cherry Filling
  • Pour the cherries and the maple syrup into a medium pot. Turn the heat to medium, and cook the cherries for 15-20 minutes, mashing the cherries as you go, so they can release their liquid and become jammy.
    I find this is easiest to do this step with a potato masher. At the end of the cooking time, you can use an immersion blender to get the cherry filling nice and smooth.
  • Remove the pot from heat.
  • In a small bowl or ramekin, mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water to make a slurry.
  • Stir this into the cherries, along with the vanilla and lemon juice.
  • Cool the cherry filling to room temperature before using. You can store any leftover filling in a jar or airtight container and it will stay fresh in the fridge for weeks!
Assembly
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • Working one piece of dough at a time, place the dough on a separate sheet of parchment paper and gently roll it out to a thin rectangle, roughly 15"x12" in size.
    Trim off any wonky edges so that the sides are straight and even.
    Cold dough is easier to roll out and less likely to break, so feel free to pop the dough back in the fridge if it gets too warm at room temperature. If you get any holes or tears in the dough, you can use the trimmed pieces like a bandage to mend it back together.
  • Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the dough into six rectangles roughly 5"x4" in size.
  • Gently transfer 3 of the rectangles onto the baking sheet, spacing them apart.
  • Spoon 1-2 tbsp of the cherry filling in the center of each rectangle. Be careful not to add too much filling, or else it will spill out.
  • Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash.
    Reserve the remaining egg wash for brushing the tops of the Pop Tarts.
  • Place the second piece of dough on top of the cherry filling, lightly pressing the edges down to adhere.
  • Use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough all around, sealing the edges together.
  • Repeat the above steps with the second ball of dough, so that you have 6 total Pop Tarts on the baking sheet.
    You can store the finished Pop Tarts in the fridge as you're working so that they don't get too warm at room temperature.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
    Store the Pop Tarts in the fridge as the oven preheats.
  • When the oven is ready, brush the tops of the Pop Tarts with additional egg wash, and lightly prick the tops with a fork so it can release steam as it bakes.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops and edges are golden brown. The tops may crack, which is ok! If you do the icing step, the cracks will get covered up with icing anyway.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with icing, if using.
Icing
  • In a small bowl bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, strawberry powder, and milk, until the icing is thick but no too runny.
    It may seem clumpy at first, but just keep mixing! You may need to add more or less milk to get the right consistency.
  • Spoon the icing on top of the cooled cherry Pop Tarts, and decorate with sprinkles! The icing will harden in just a few minutes.
  • See blog post for storage tips.

Notes

*You can make your own freeze dried strawberry powder by placing freeze dried strawberries in a food processor or blender, and blending until powdery.