kitchen therapy: homemade pop tarts

Remy was sick through the weekend and most of the earlier part of the week, so when he was finally up for going back to preschool this morning, I might have done a little bit of a happy dance. Because I was glad he felt better, of course. And also because I needed a tiny break. Being covered in someone else's bodily fluids for the better part of five days is...taxing.

I set aside a little time for baking before I got started on work, because there really isn't anything more zen to me than a quiet kitchen and the smell of sugar and vanilla. Paula Deen was not invited to this party though, bless her heart--this pregnancy is not giving me much wiggle room nutrition-wise, so basically if I eat a little bit of junk, I feel a LOT like junk. So I decided to give a common pregnancy craving a healthier makeover, courtesy of Peas and Thank You's recipe for homemade pop tarts.

It sounds like an eye roll-inducing, fussy thing to make, but it's really not--the pastry dough comes together in the food processor in a couple of minutes, and rolling out and assembling the tarts is simple. Plus, this gave me a chance to use up some of the literally dozens of jars of jam I canned last summer when berries and peaches were in season. Blackberry jam went into these--a little taste of July in the middle of February.

I didn't have the whole wheat pastry flour that the recipe called for, and driving 30 minutes to the nearest store that carries it would have required putting on real pants (which, no.), so I substituted white whole wheat flour and everything worked out fine.


I also added a bit of lime juice to the icing, because I love the combination of berries and citrus. These have been tested in a toaster and as long as they're refrigerated or frozen, the leftover tarts warm up perfectly--the icing won't melt down into the toaster.

I'm already planning on making another double batch of these over the weekend and stashing them in the freezer for quick, healthier treats. Remy likes them too, although he's a little dubious about jam being hidden in something.

Cost-wise, these are actually cheaper per batch than the prepackaged, high fructose corn syrup-laden Pop Tarts, even if you use organic flour and sugar and the hoity-toity all-natural sprinkles. And cheaper still if you use home-canned jam--or just come get one of the six million jars in my basement.