Blueberry and Maca Pop Tarts

When you think of foods that you typically eat on a healthy, balanced, plant based diet... I'm willing to bet that you cycle through a million and one things before you get to pop tarts.

Whilst most of us hold fond memories of lazy childhood days spent munching away on these sickly sweet treats, it's fair to say that they are as far removed from a health food as you can possibly get. As kids we paid no attention to the nutritional label, but out of curiosity I recently took a look at what goes into the traditional blueberry pop tart recipe...

Ingredients: Blueberry Filling (Corn Syrup, Dextrose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Crackermeal, Modified Wheat Starch, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Dried Blueberries, Dried Grapes, Dried Apples, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Blueberry flavourss, Caramel colour, Soy Lecithin, Red No. 40, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Enriched Wheat Flour, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate)Corn Cereal, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Red No. 40, colour Added, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)Folic Acid

And this is a product that millions of kids eat for BREAKFAST every single day.

Scary, huh?

Whilst looking at this ingredient list wasn't a pretty sight, it DID act as fuel to my fire to create a healthified, plant based version of this classic treat.

I wanted to recreate the light + crisp pastry, the sweet blueberry filling and the creamy icing all with just a handful of ingredients I already had in my cupboard.

And I also wanted to add the energy boosting benefits of organic maca powder to make these perfect for beating those mid afternoon energy slumps!

Maca is amazing for you because maca contains mood boosting flavonoids that have been clinically proven to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and is also a well known libido booster for best results our maca powder is gelatinised, meaning it is easier to digest and contains 4X the nutrients of raw maca powder!

P.S: don’t panic! Gelatinised maca contains NO gelatine. Gelatinisation is a traditional cooking process that breaks down the tough starch molecules of the maca root.

If you are interested in learning more about Maca and the difference between gelatinised maca and raw maca, check out this blog post: A Big Maca Mistake.

Here's how to make them for yourself!

 

BLUEBERRY AND MACA POP TARTS

INGREDIENTS

    

For the pastry:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon organic maca powder
• Dash of almond milk

             

For the filling:

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp chia seeds

                 

For the icing:

• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of organic maca powder
• Almond milk

 

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 175C and line a tray with baking paper.

2. To make the pastry, start off by combining the coconut oil and maple syrup and mix together.

3. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

4. Pour in a tiny dash of milk to help bind the dough together. If you’re dough feels too wet/dry add in extra flour or milk as needed. Set aside.

5. For the filling, heat the blueberries over a medium-low heat and simmer until softened and you can mash them with the spoon. Stir through the maple syrup and chia seeds and set aside for 10 minutes to cool and thicken.

6. On a floured surface, roll out your dough nice and thinly and cut out 6-8 even rectangle shapes.

7. Lay half of these onto your baking tray and place a good spoonful of the berry mixture in the centre. Carefully place the other halves of the pastry cut outs over the top and seal around the edges by pressing a fork around the border.

8. Bake these in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, then allow to cool.

9. To make the icing, simply combine the peanut butter, maca and maple syrup, then splash in a little almond milk whilst mixing until you’re left with a smooth, pourable consistency. Drizzle this over the pop tarts and enjoy!

 

Looking for more tasty recipes? Check out this Raw Pumpkin Spiced Donuts recipe or these Chocolate Chunk Protein Muffins recipe!