These gluten free pop tarts might not be the healthiest breakfast recipe, but in a poll of gluten free readers, pop tarts came up time and time again as one of the childhood treats they wish they could have again.
Put the plain gluten-free flour, sugar and cold, cubed butter in a bowl. Rub together until you have an even, clumpy crumb with no big lumps of butter.
Add the beaten egg and cut through with a cutlery knife until it is evenly combined and starts to comes together.
Gather into smooth ball, cover with cling film or wax cloth and chill in the fridge for 15 mins before use so that it is firm enough to work with.
Shape, fill and bake the pop tarts
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan / 350F).
Place the pastry dough between two sheets of baking parchment and use a rolling pin to roll out to roughly 20cmx30cm.
Neaten the edges with a sharp knife then cut into 8 equal rectangles. Test to see if you are able to lift a rectangle of dough. If it feels too crumbly, return to the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to firm up again.
Top four of the rectangles with 1 tablespoon of jam each.
Lay the remaining 4 rectangles on top. Use a fork to gently crimp and seal the edges of the pastry.
Transfer the tarts carefully onto a lined baking tray. If necessary, use your knife to tidy up the edges.
Brush lightly with milk, then make a small hole in the middle of each pie with the tip of a sharp knife. This is to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until just set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They are fragile when fresh out of the oven so use a palette knife or fish slice.
Decorate
Once the tarts are cool, put the icing sugar, golden syrup and water in a small bowl. Mix until you have a slightly runny paste.
Add a drop of red food colouring, if using, and stir to give an even pink shade.
Spoon the icing on top of the tarts.
Before the icing sets, decorate each pop tart with a pinch of sprinkles.
Leave to set and then enjoy!
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Notes
The pop tarts you know from the 90s and beyond may be known as "toaster pastries", but these ones are baked in the oven and I wouldn't recommend dropping them in your toaster!