My brown sugar cinnamon pop tart squares are easily one of my most popular recipes on my site right now! I've seen copycat pop tart bars going around on social media and simply had to give them a go myself. I wanted to make them vegan, gluten-free, & dairy-free, so that everyone can enjoy them. I will say, these are a SWEET treat and definitely not low in sugar. However, I'm a firm believer in balance and that sometimes sugar is worth it...especially in these! And they have much healthier and REAL ingredients as opposed to those in packaged pop tarts. Anywho, highly recommend giving these a try!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- coconut oil
- sugar
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- gluten-free flour
- strawberry jam
See recipe card for quantities.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days!
Vegan & Gluten-free Strawberry Pop Tart Squares
These pop tart squares are a fun, healthier, vegan, gluten-free, & dairy-free version of the childhood classic!
Ingredients
For the pastry dough:
- ¾ cup +1 ½ tablespoon softened coconut oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar can sub powdered sugar substitute!
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cup gluten-free flour I used the Namaste gf/nut-free flour from costco!
- 5-10 teaspoon water this will depend heavily on the gluten-free flour you use!
For the filling:
- ¾ cup strawberry jam can use homemade or storebought.
For the icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon water
- optional pink food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉ and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, cream together the coconut oil and sugar until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined.
- Mix in the flour. Add in your water 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a shortbread dough that sticks together and can be pressed into the pan. The amount of water will vary depending on which gluten-free flour you use. Every gluten-free flour seems to need a slightly different amount of water!
- Press half of the dough into the prepared pan.
- Spread your strawberry jam evenly over top of the dough.
- On a piece of parchment paper, press the remaining ½ of the dough into a flat square the size of your pan. Flip this large piece of dough over top of the jam and peel the parchment paper away. It's okay if it breaks a bit, just use your fingers to mend the dough together so that it completely covers the jam filling.
- Bake for about 34-37 minutes, or until golden brown. Time may vary depending on your oven. Let cool completely.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the icing ingredients, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a consistency you like. Add optional pink food coloring. Spread the icing over the cooled squares and allow to harden before slicing and enjoying!
Ian
What does the powdered sugar do? I'm wondering whether I can leave that out. I have a sugar allergy and would use coconut sugar as the main sugar, yet do not have a substitute with the powdered.
Cynthia
Can the GF flour be substituted with almond flour?
Kali Funk
Did you end up trying almond flour and can you share results if so?
Brittney
I did almond flour and it turned super soupy in the middle 🙁 no longer how long I baked it!
Lisa
Was super excited for these but they are entirely too sugary, to the point where I’m puckering my face 😵💫
Sami Smith
Hi Cynthia! Unfortunately, the gluten-free flour cannot be substituted with almond flour.
Sam
Can you attache nutritional info with your recipes please
Brittney
I did almond flour and it turned super soupy in the middle 🙁 no matter how long I baked it!
Sami Smith
Hi Brittney! Almond flour definitely won't work as a replacement in this recipe. I'm sorry!
Yolanda
So good!!!! I made it with greek yogurt instead of coconut oil and forgot to layer the jam under a layer of dough, which proved a bit of a challenge to do after, but it still turned out amazing! Everyone including my dad, who’s super picky, and my younger brother loved it!!!!!! Definitely making this again, because if it tasted this good with mistakes, i cant imagine how good it will taste when done correctly lol!
Sami Smith
Hi Yolanda! This makes me so happy to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed them:)
Sara
Can I use regular flour in these?
Kali M
Wondering the same thing?
Lara
I’m also wondering this!! I don’t want to risk wasting ingredients and throwing it out but I also don’t want to buy gluten free flour if I can sub with gluten flour.
Sami Smith
Hi Lara! You can definitely use regular flour in place of the gluten-free flour:)
Stephanie
I had such high hopes for these to be a great treat for my son with multiple allergies. Following the recipe exactly resulted in a very oily bar. I don’t have access to Namaste flour locally and used King Arthur, but I can’t imagine that swap would produce the mess we ended up with. Great idea though!
Stephanie
To clarify, I was using KA gluten free flour blend.
Gia DeSoto
That was my experience as well. I also had to bake them super long because they would firm up because it was like an oil pond in the middle. I saw someone subbed yogurt for the oil, might try again with that sub.