Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

These Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts are nothing short of flaky, naturally sweet, and bursting with comforting spice flavors, both inside + out and topped with a beautiful Maple frosting. Complete homage to the classic childhood favorite, these pop tarts are a sure crowd-pleaser, especially for Apple lovers. The perfect bite for breakfast, brunch, or a nice in between snack. All Vegan ingredients and easy to make. Gluten-Free Version available.

Honestly, I can’t believe how quickly the summer is going by. We’re almost mid-way into August and before you know it—leaves will be falling and the air will become more crisp.

While it’s been rather HOT this year (I’m sure the same has been for many of you), I will in fact miss the bright sunny days once the season changes.

However, I don’t mind the not too hot and not too cold weather of the Fall season, so hey! Haha.

Looking for delicious Apple recipes for the Fall season? Try these Mini Salted Caramel Apple ‘Pie’ Galettes! When it comes to the perfect breakfast—-this Delicious French Toast + Caramelized Apples recipe is irresistibly good.

These Mini Salted Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bites are the epitome of the best dessert treat ever! 

A sweet and comforting recipe for homemade Apple Blueberry Hand Pies + Maple-Brown Sugar Glaze, wrapped in a buttery, flaky crust and stuffed gently with a spiced filling, these sweet treats are a sure favorite to anyone who dares to a take big bite.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of planning for Orchids + Sweet Tea, assessing the ultimate goal for this blog, and revamping a few old recipes, among other important to-dos.

Of course, I’ve been experimenting and developing new recipes, which I’m extremely excited to share with you guys in the coming days and weeks. Believe it or not, I’ve been coming up with ways to better my Food Photography, Styling, and creativity of recipes to ensure that what I put out meets your taste buds in the healthiest way possible (without compromising flavor!).

I’m so grateful for many of you who have been avid followers of this blog and welcome many of you who are new lovers of the recipes that I create! Without you all, this blog wouldn’t have meaning or purpose, so THANK YOU!

To see the awesome kitchen/baking tools that I often use, visit our online Store.

OK, so let’s talk about these pop tarts for a sec. I’ve been a TRUE POP TART FAN since I was a child growing up. My favorite kind was/is Strawberry Pop Tarts with the classic frosting and sprinkles.

However, my husband loves the Apple-Cinnamon kind, which gave me the inspiration to create these. Thankfully, I’ve grown to love these pop tarts after making them myself. The Apple-Cinnamon flavor along with the spices are so comforting and perfect for any season, but definitely for the upcoming Fall season!

If you love these pop tarts, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy these Homemade Blueberry Vegan Pop Tarts, which are bursting with blueberry flavor!

And don’t worry—Pop Tarts aren’t as hard to make or complicated as they look. You only need a handful of ingredients for both the crust and filling and I’ve come up with a few TIPS to ensure that you create perfect Pop Tarts:

TIP #1: MAKE YOUR FILLING FIRST!

Yes, I know. You’re probably wondering why I said this, however, when making your filling from scratch, it definitely helps to make your filling ahead of time so that it cools completely. Also, this gives you enough time to ensure that it comes out as perfect and thick as you’d like before having to use it in your recipe.

TIP #2: MORE PASTRY FLOUR = MORE FLAKINESS!

OK, so this one is a HUGE MUST, especially if you want to have an extremely flaky crust! Much like other pastries (i.e. Hand Pies, Pie Crusts, etc.), using pastry flour more heavily than All-Purpose Flour helps to create a nice outer-layer. Granted, cold cubed butter does help with this as well, however, I’ve discovered that adding pastry flour to the mix creates a better situation!

TIP #3: DIMENSIONS MATTER!

I must admit that in my previous attempt to make Pop Tarts, I randomly cut the squares, which obviously came out super uneven. However, with this recipe, I did a bit of research and found that cutting them 3” x 4” worked magic and made them so even and perfect! Also, keep in mind that when rolling out your dough, making sure that it’s at least 1/4” thick is super important. This ensures that your filling stays inside and everything doesn’t fall a part.

TIP #4: LET THEM COOL, COOL, COOL!

Now, if you’re anything like me then you’re probably just as impatient to try these goodies before they fully cool, so that means that you might also prematurely add the glaze and watch it melt off like a snowman in heat. Haha. BUT you must let your Pop Tarts FULLY cool (place them in a cool room or open window to speed things up!) before glazing them. No exceptions!

Now, let’s take a bite into this recipe, shall we?

For the Crust:

In a measuring cup, add the cold water and apple cider vinegar along with an ice cube and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, sea salt, cinnamon, and organic pure cane sugar, whisking them all together.

Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.

Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-water mixture (slowly + without the ice) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**

Now, shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it slightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

In the meantime, make the Apple Filling.

For the Filling:

In a saucepan, add the apples, juice of a lemon, organic pure cane sugar, vanilla, and water and cook on medium-high heat, stirring until they release their juices. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced considerably. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom. To thicken, add arrowroot mixture to sauce and stir until thickened.

Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. **NOTE: The consistency should look slightly runny, but thick and gooey.**

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface, rolling it out into a large rectangle (about 3 mm thick). Cut into small-medium rectangles (3″ wide and 4″ long), until all dough it used.

On all rectangular cuts, lightly brush vegan butter to ensure that they close together best! On one cut dough, add 1 Tbsp of the Apple-Cinnamon filling and carefully cover it with another rectangular piece, gently pressing the edges down. Using a fork, carefully “crimp” around the edges and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all pop tarts are made.

Once all are laid flat on the baking sheet, gently prick a set of holes on the tops using a fork.

Lightly brush all pop tart tops with melted vegan butter and bake in the oven 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and the filling begins to become bubbly and begins to slightly seep out.

Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes (10 minutes or so).

Once pop tarts have cooled completely, spoon 1-2 Tbsps of Maple Frosting (See Notes) atop each and sprinkle with vegan sprinkles. Let pop tarts sit for another 1-2 minutes so that frosting hardens. Enjoy.

Bon Appetite!

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Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts

These Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts are nothing short of flaky, naturally sweet, and bursting with comforting spice flavors, both inside + out and topped with a beautiful Maple frosting. Complete homage to the classic childhood favorite, these pop tarts are a sure crowd-pleaser, especially for Apple lovers. The perfect bite for breakfast, brunch, or a nice in between snack. All Vegan ingredients and easy to make. Gluten-Free Version available.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Keyword apple, apples, baked, breakfast, brunch, cinnamon, classic, dairy-free, easy, fall recipe, healthy, indulge, maple, pastry, plant-based, pop tarts, recipe, vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 8 Pop Tarts

Creator Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

Must-Haves:

Crust:

• 1 cup organic all-purpose flour  (I use Bob’s Red Mill; See Notes for GF version!)
• 1 1/2 cups organic pastry flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill; See Notes for GF version!)
• 2 Tbsps organic pure cane sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup vegan buttery sticks (cubed) OR vegan butter (That’s 2 sticks!)
• 1 cup ice cold water
• 2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling:

• 2 cups diced apples (That's about 2-3 medium Granny apples!)
• 1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp juice of a lemon
• 2-3 Tbsps Tbsps water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp Arrowroot powder + 2 Tbsps warm water (Add additional if needed)
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch of ground cardamom

Other:

• Maple Icing/Glaze (See Notes!)
• Vegan Rainbow Sprinkles

Instructions:

For the Crust:

1. In a measuring cup, add the cold water and apple cider vinegar along with an ice cube and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, sea salt, cinnamon, and organic pure cane sugar, whisking them all together.

3. Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.

4. Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-water mixture (slowly + without the ice) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 Tbsp of cold water at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**

5. Now, shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it slightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

6. In the meantime, make the Apple Filling.

For the Filling:

1. In a saucepan, add the apples, juice of a lemon, organic pure cane sugar, vanilla, and water and cook on medium-high heat, stirring until they release their juices. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced considerably. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom. To thicken, add arrowroot mixture to sauce and stir until thickened.

2. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. **NOTE: The consistency should look slightly runny, but thick and gooey.**

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface, rolling it out into a large rectangle (about 3 mm thick). Cut into small-medium rectangles (3″ wide and 4″ long), until all dough it used.

3. On all rectangular cuts, lightly brush vegan butter to ensure that they close together best! On one cut dough, add 1 Tbsp of the Apple-Cinnamon filling and carefully cover it with another rectangular piece, gently pressing the edges down. Using a fork, carefully “crimp” around the edges and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all pop tarts are made.

4. Once all are laid flat on the baking sheet, gently prick a set of holes on the tops using a fork.

5. Lightly brush all pop tart tops with melted vegan butter and bake in the oven 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and the filling begins to become bubbly and begins to slightly seep out.

6. Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes (10 minutes or so).

7. Once pop tarts have cooled completely, spoon 1-2 Tbsps of Maple Frosting (See Notes) atop each and sprinkle with vegan sprinkles. Let pop tarts sit for another 1-2 minutes so that frosting hardens. Enjoy.

8. Bon Appetite!

Tips | Notes:

FOR MAPLE GLAZE: Begin by adding 1/2 cup maple syrup to a small skillet on medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil. Whisk in 1 tsp vanilla extract and let boil for another minute or two before removing it from the heat. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a large bowl followed by the hot maple syrup-mixture, whisking them together until nice and smooth. **NOTE: The consistency should be velvety; if needed add more powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time.**

STORAGE: Leftover pop tarts can be stored in an airtight container for 1-3 days. To serve warm, heat in the microwave, or flat in a toaster oven. 

FREEZE: For longer storage–pop tarts can be stored in the freezer. After they have baked and are completely cooled, simply place your pop tarts onto a baking sheet (spaced apart) and freeze them for 2-3 hours. Once frozen, transfer them to a zip loc bag and reheat when ready to eat! 

FOOD PROCESSOR FOR CRUST: If using a food processor to incorporate water to flour/butter mixture, ONLY ADD 1/4 cup of water AT A TIME to your dough, keeping it on “pulse” to avoid the dough from breaking down too much and it becoming “watery”. With this method, you may not need the entire 1 cup of water.

TIPS FOR PERFECT POP TARTS: Be sure to read tips within the post!

FLOUR: If you don’t have Pastry Flour available, simply substitute for All-Purpose Flour.

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: To make these GF, simply substitute All-Purpose Flour with 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour (Bob’s Red Mill has a great one!) and the Pastry Flour with 1/2 cup coconut flour. If your GF Flour doesn’t have Xanthan Gum included, add 1tsp in recipe. Also, reduce vegan butter to 1 3/4 sticks instead of 2. Continue all other steps!

Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts.