Black Forest (Chocolate-Covered Cherry) Gluten Free Poptarts

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Everybody turn around while I do my little poptart victory dance……. Okay, now that that is out of the way I can tell you about them. Sorry, it’s just that I actually made poptarts without having them split open and spill their guts while baking (which is what usually happens to me).

And guess what? They are gluten-free and have no artificial colors. I used beets to color my homemade sugar sprinkles. Okay, so maybe I am getting a little obsessed with using beets as food coloring. But really, how cool is it that you can achieve almost any shade of pink or red and not worry about how unhealthy it is for your kids. I’m hooked on the beet thing. The next thing I want to try is beet root powder. I have heard that it is good for a darker shade of red. Maybe I can get some while I am in the States.

So, I finally jumped on the Black Forest wagon. Is it just me or is it becoming a new fad? It’s probably just me because I think it’s awesome.

Making these gluten-free was not the original plan. I actually started to make them and then realized that we were out of all-purpose flour so I went to plan b, oatmeal flour. Can you really make something just as good without wheat? Of course you can. You would never even know that these were gluten-free if no one told you. These are way better than real poptarts ever thought about being.

I’m going to be honest with you. I rarely measure anything. If it weren’t for the fact that I make most of my recipes for my blog I would never measure. Also, I hate writing recipes out. My family makes fun of me because I hate being watched too much while I am doing things. Not really just having people around, but when someone starts analyzing what I am doing it drives me crazy. So why do I do what I do? Because I love the other parts of it. Yes, I dread having to write out and explain everything and I am sure that you can tell I am not a good writer. The part I enjoy is creating. I love creating yummy food, making it look as good as it tastes, trying to take good pictures of it, and then sharing it with people who I love and seeing their reactions.

That is why I make myself get through all of the boring stuff, so I can get to the good stuff. Like making and sharing poptarts!

Black Forest (Chocolate-Covered Cherry) Gluten Free Poptarts

Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: about 20 poptarts

Black Forest (Chocolate-Covered Cherry) Gluten Free Poptarts

Ingredients

Filling:

3 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)
water

Chocolate Crust:

2 - 2 1/2 cups oatmeal flour
1 cup (2 sticks) ice cold butter
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
5-6 tablespoons ice cold water
cornstarch and additional oatmeal flour for counter top

Icing:

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
2 teapoons vanilla extract

Homemade Red Sugar Sprinkles:

1 cup raw sugar
a few drops of beet juice

Instructions

Place cherries and in a medium pot or saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Add lemon juice and turn heat to medium-high and cover. Simmer stirring occasionally until cherries are very soft, this could take up to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put butter, salt, and flour in food processor and pulse until fine. Add sugar, vanilla, and cocoa and pulse until combined. Add 4 tablespoons ice cold water and pulse until it starts to turn into a dough. Add more water until dough is no longer crumbly. Place dough on a plate and flatten into a disc. Cover and put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. Oh, and no need to wash the food processor bowl yet.
When cherries are soft, add sugar and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
While filling is cooling, spread an even ratio of oatmeal flour and cornstarch on a clean surface. Remove pastry dough from fridge and roll into a layer about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into rectangles about 4x6 inches.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Pour cherry filling into food processor and pulse until smooth. Add kirsch and pulse again. Now, spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling on the center of one side of each rectangle. Fold other side over filling and press edges together all the way around. Place each poptart on a parchment lined baking tray about 1/4 inch apart, they don't spread hardly at all. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges start to darken. Remove from oven and cool.
While poptarts are cooling, whisk all ingredients together for icing in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, stir beet juice into raw sugar a few drops at a time until you get a pretty red.
Spread icing on cooled poptarts and sprinkle with colored sugar. The sugar can be a little clumpy. I found the best way to sprinkle it on was to rub a little between your fingers over the poptarts. Allow frosting to dry and enjoy!

Notes

You can replace oatmeal flour with all-purpose flour in this recipe if you are not gluten-free.

http://gringalicious.com/black-forest-chocolate-covered-cherry-gluten-free-poptarts/