Gluten Free Vegan Pop Tarts

Makes 16-20 pop tarts

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup Quick Oats
• 1/2 cup Boiling Water
• 4.5-5 cups Gluten Free Flour
• 2 tablespoons Date Sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons Monk Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups Cold Unsalted Vegan Butter
• 6 tablespoons Pumpkin or Apple Butter (or sub applesauce)
• 1-2 tablespoons Ice Water
• 1.5 teaspoons Almond Extract (optional)
• Jam, Preserve, Fruit Spread of Choice (Important that whatever you use is thick to keep it from seeping out of the dough!!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine oats with boiling water and set aside. Let cool.
2. In a stand mixer, whisk flour (start with 4.5 cups and add more if needed), sugars, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Slowly add cold vegan butter in small chunks to flour mixture and mix using the dough hook. Mix until butter is fully integrate and dough begins to form.
4. Add prepared oatmeal, pumpkin or apple butter, and ice water (without the ice). Mix well until it begins to ball. If too sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for at least 45 minutes or in the freezer for 15-20 minutes until cold all the way through. This step is important as it chills the butter and gives a crispy, crumbly texture to the tarts.
6. Preheat oven to 350F. Dust pastry mat or clean counter with flour and sprinkle flour on a rolling pin. Roll dough to an even 1/8 inch. Cut into even rectangles (I use an index card to set the size or you can use a rectangle cookie cutter). Be sure to make them uniform. You should get around 32-40 rectangles which is enough for 16-20 tarts.
7. Cover 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Transfer half of the rectangles to the cookie sheets. Top each rectangle with around 2 tablespoons of jam or preserve of choice, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
8. Dip finger and run around edges of each filling rectangle. Lay another rectangle on each filling rectangle and press down until the begin to merge. Take a fork to press around edges to seal rectangles together. Poke at least once or twice on the top with the fork to vent.
9. Bake for 22-26 minutes until lightly golden and begin to crisp.