I love a good foodie challenges and my friends over at Progressive Nectar sure challenged me this week. As a member of their new community, Marinate, I received a box of ingredients to play with. This week our challenge was to use the following:
Gluten Free Flour
Blueberry Black Tea
Dried Blueberries
Throughout the week, my mind started to wonder with ways to use these ingredients. A cobbler crossed my mind, scones with blueberry black tea glaze, a fig newton style breakfast bar, and pop tarts.
The idea of pop tarts won the internal culinary battle and recipe development began.
Let me be honest and say, that these babies will take a bit of time to make, but the end result will be worth it!
Blueberry Pop Tarts - Infused With Blueberry Black Tea
Dough Ingredients:
1 cup of gluten free flour
¼ cup of water
¼ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of melted coconut oil
¼ teaspoon of sea salt
Dash or sprinkle of cinnamon
1 egg
TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until a dough ball is formed. To speed up the process a food processor can be used.
Once the dough is formed - place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out dough into about a ¼ of an inch thickness.
Or use a pastry mat - be sure to sprinkle a bit of flour to prevent sticking on both the mat and rolling pin.
Once you have rolled the dough square the edges with a knife and cut dough into a rectangular shape. Depending on how large you make your poptarts you will be able to have anywhere from 6 to 8 finished poptarts.
TO MAKE THE JAM FILLING:
This recipe can be universally used for any flavor you wish to make.
¼ cup of dried blueberries
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
¼ cup of maple syrup
½ cup of blueberry tea (brewed)
On the stove top combined brewed tea, dried blueberries, and maple syrup in a sauce pan or pot and bring to a light boil. Once the dried blueberries start to soften and begin releasing their juices added in chia seeds.
Reduce heat and continue to stir for about 15 - 20 minutes. To create a jam like consistency remove sauce pan or pot from heat and pour the mixture into a high-powered blender such as a vitamix and blend on a jam or paste-like consistency is reached.
Note: if you opt to use a different fruit/ flavor and do not wish to use a brewed tea for additional flavor substitute the tea for water. This jam is also wonderful for toast, english muffins, as a waffle or pancake topping.
THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS:
Once you have cut the dough into rectangular shapes - sprinkle a light dusting of cinnamon onto the dough before adding the filling.
Fill the “bottom” piece of dough with about 1 - 2 tablespoons of jam before placing the top on. Use a fork to crimp the edges like a traditional poptart and continue the assembly process for the remaining poptarts. Use a fork to poke holes into the top layer of the poptart before baking.
Once all of your poptarts are assembled gentle transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 350 degrees. If you wish you can frost the top of the poptarts you can do so once the poptarts have fully cooled.
Our poptarts were frosted with a combination of maple syrup, coconut oil, and a teaspoon or two of the brewed tea with a small amount of the dried blueberries. This step was trial and error and the ratios will depend on how many poptarts you make and how thick you would like the frosting.
Try using
1/4 cup of coconut oil in solid state
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1 -2 teaspoons of brewed tea
Combine all ingredients listed above to form a frosting type paste and add dried fruit if you wish or simply omit the dried fruit