Recipe: Vegan Pop Tarts with Apple Filling and Caramel Glaze

by Jasmine Sanborn One of the best parts about living in the Midwest is that seasons actually exist. I’m originally from Washington state and the seasons are basically rain, three weeks of summer, rain and colder rain. Therefore, I love to bake seasonally, and nothing speaks more to me in the fall than apples.

This weekend, my boyfriend missed his bus out of town, so in an effort to ease the pain (and celebrate an extra day together), I made a small batch of Pop Tarts filled with apples. Pop Tarts are one of my favorite snacks. I can’t even imagine the number of Pop Tarts I’ve eaten in my lifetime, but I am more than happy to admit these Pop Tarts might just be one of my new favorite things.

Apple Filling:

4-6 apples, cored and sliced into 1/4”-1/8” pieces

1 tablespoon of vegan butter (or margarine)

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 cup of cold water

1 cup of apple juice

2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or honey)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a skillet over high heat.

2. Add apples and toss to coat evenly in butter.

3. Reduce heat to medium and cover tightly.

4. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

5. Mix in juice, sugar and spices.

6. Increase heat to high and cook uncovered until the liquid reduces slightly (~2-5 minutes).

7. Move apples to a bowl and allow to cool fully.

Dough:

2 cups of flour

2/3 cup of vegan butter (or margarine)

2-5 tablespoons of cold water

A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Mix flour and salt in a bowl, then cut in butter with a fork until well-combined.

3. Using a tablespoon (or a soup spoon), drizzle cold water over the mixture and mix with a spoon until it begins to form a dough. It should be just moist enough to form into a ball, but not too sticky. If it gets too wet, add more flour.

4. Place dough onto a floured surface, shape into a disc, and then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle. If you don’t have a rolling pin, don’t worry. I don’t either. Instead, I used the bottle of apple juice that the recipe asked for.

5. Cut into whatever shape you’d like as long as they are equal sizes and carefully transfer each to a baking sheet. I cut mine into equal-sized rectangles.

6. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of the rectangles and leave a 1/4 inch border to seal the edges. Use your finger to dot water around the edges so two sides will stick together. Top with their matching half and then seal carefully by pushing down on (or crimping) the edges with the a work.

7. Poke a few holes and rub a tiny bit of vegan butter on top of each pop tart.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Let cool for a few minutes and then top with glaze (recipe below) if desired. I didn’t put any glaze on mine, but it definitely adds a little more sweetness to the pop tart.

Caramel Glaze:

3 tablespoons of vegan butter

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, heat margarine and brown sugar over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.

2. Stir and let the mixture boil for a minute or so. It should begin to turn a deep, rich color. When it does, that’s when you know it is ready to go.

3. Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the vanilla and stir.

4. Allow the mixture to cool for a moment and then add powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring between each addition.

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