I admit, as a kid, I actually loved Pop-Tarts. I know, I know, this might sound shocking since I generally avoid processed foods like that, but as a child, my parents let my brother and I indulge in treats like Pop Tarts every so often. And when we had the opportunity, boy, would I enjoy a Pop-Tart! My favorite was the brown-sugar, cinnamon or the smores flavors. They’re surely no balanced breakfast, but as a dessert, they were so satisfying!

I’ve had this hankering lately for nostalgic treats like that, so I wanted to re-create that classic Pop-Tart. I figured Pop-Tarts were a poor representation of the traditional hand-pie anyway, which dates back centuries!

Hand pies were originally hand-held pastries, filled with either sweet or savory fillings, such as apricot or different meats. But for some reason, this traditional baked good slipped away from the culinary scene and was neglected for years, until recently. It’s funny how food trends work – dishes from the past that elicited cringed noses yesterday suddenly become today’s buzz feed! Even after the famed Pop-Tart arrived on grocery store shelves, chefs have more recently re-invented these retro treats with a sophisticated, modern twist.

Purely out of my desire to unleash my inner child, I’ve re-created the Pop-Tart, or should I say hand pie, with a healthful, “Mandy-makeover.”

Instead of making a traditional pastry crust with wheat flour and butter, I made the dough entirely gluten-free and vegan. I used a blend of delicate buckwheat and brown rice flours, coconut oil, and vegan cream cheese, and I made the dough just like I would a traditional dough using a food processor bowl with a dough blade and ice-cold fats. Just like when baking with butter, it’s important that the coconut oil, cream cheese, and water are super chilled so that the dough forms together properly and so that the fats melt properly within the dough in the oven, creating that iconic crispy, flake. Once I made the dough, I chilled it and let it rest in the refrigerator.

Instead of opting for a brown-sugar cinnamon filling, I used one of my favorite Neat Nick Preserves spreads, the Figs & Honey. It makes for an exquisite grown-up version of a Pop-Tart, with its perfectly sticky texture and natural figgy sweetness; almost a cross between a Fig Newton, another childhood favorite of mine, and a Pop-Tart.

Then, I cut the dough into eight even pieces, rolled them out and spread a tablespoon of the Figs & Honey Preserves on four of the pieces and topped those pieces with the remaining dough pieces. I gently crimped the edges with a fork to seal the pies and create that cute pie-like design and texture. And, before popping the pies into the oven, I chilled them once more just so that they were firm and would bake evenly. I baked them for about 45 minutes at 350F and watched them closely throughout.

The buckwheat flour gives them an already-dark-brown color and they won’t brown too much in the oven, so keep a close eye on them so that the edges just turn slightly golden. Once they come out of the oven, be sure to allow the pies to cool so they can continue to crisp up. You can serve them at room temperature or re-warmed in the oven as a perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea!

Fig & Honey hand pies

(makes 4 hand pies)
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup brown rice flour
3 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil, ice cold
1 oz. Miyokos vegan plain cream cheese, ice cold
3-4 Tbsp. ice cold water
Pinch of salt
4 heaping Tbsp. Neat Nick Preserves Figs & Honey, divided

In the bowl of a food processor, attach the dough blade. Add the buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, and salt, and pulse a few times to blend together. Add in the cold coconut oil and vegan cream cheese. Pulse several times until little beads begin to form in the dough. Add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing the dough in between and scraping down the sides of the food processor bowl as needed. You may need to add more water if the texture is too dry, but you want to achieve a crumb that clumps together. Turn the dough out onto a working surface and gently form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, longer if needed.

Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat. Divide the dough into 8 even portions and roll each one into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out each of the 8 balls into oval or rectangle shapes on the silicon mat. Spread 1 Tbsp. of the Neat Nick Preserves Figs & Honey onto four of the rolled out dough pieces. Gently using a butter knife to help scrape up the remaining four pieces, peel up the dough pieces without the preserves and lay one on top of each of the dough pieces with the preserves. If some of the dough falls apart in transfer, gently reshape. Using the prongs of a fork, gently press down the all around the edges of each hand pie to seal the pies and create a delicate design. Chill the hand pies once more in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or to speed up the process, 10-15 minutes in the freezer). Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until the edges and tops begin to slightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The pies will continue to crisp as they cool. Serve room temperature or re-warmed in the oven with a cup of tea!