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Homemade S’mores Pastries (Pop Tart Copy Cat)

August 28, 2013


Does anyone have some tips on dealing with anger?  When I get angry, I feel it fill my body and I have no healthy way to let it out, so excuse me while I vent for way longer than necessary just a minute.  I went to a Thai restaurant and ordered a vegetarian dish with tofu.  After eating a small amount, I discovered a rogue piece of chicken in my meal.  Needless to say, vegetarian Kelly was not happy but the damage was done and any impending intestinal issues couldn’t be avoided.  The waitress asks if I wanted a box and I explained what happened and why I wasn’t happy.  She asked if I wanted it remade, so I told her I was basically afraid it would happen again.  Here I’ll point out that I was doing an amazing job of not yelling, crying, or making a scene of any sort, which for me is impressive.

Homemade S'mores Toaster Pastries

The waitress offered no apology, did nothing to assuage my fears that it was raining chicken in their kitchen, and still made me pay for 75% (!!!!!) of the meal.  Seriously, lady?  You might think “Restaurant policy, not her fault” which I would agree with if I hadn’t heard her telling the people in the back she thought I should pay because I suggested Josh take the leftovers in front of her.  Seriously? She’d rather perfectly good (though meat infected) food be thrown away than eaten by someone else?  I sat there for a solid fifteen minutes debating if I should leave her a tip, and ultimately left only 10% (and felt like a terrible person for it). If you eat meat, you probably don’t understand what the big deal is but at this point in my life, I haven’t eaten chicken in 13+ years and my body reacts terribly to it – even something that’s just touched chicken (especially a super liquid-y dish like this one) or has chicken broth.

Homemade S'mores Toaster Pastries

So.  Needless to say, I’m full of rage and wrote this long, angry post alongside a recipe that is nothing but happy. S’mores Pop Tarts were my favorite thing as a kid and I’ve been sad for well over a decade that they have gelatin.  I’ve been trying for at least that long to find a replacement and for the last 3 years to create one on my own.  I finally succeeded last weekend and have been doing a happy dance ever since.  Bonus:  they’re whole grain and can be made vegan.  I’ll be baking another batch and anger eating my way through them.  If anyone wants to send a massage my way to de-stress, I’ll send them these pastries in return 😉

Homemade S’mores Toaster Pastries
Author: 
 

Ingredients
  • 4 whole wheat graham cracker sheets processed into crumbs (~1/2 c)
  • ⅔ c white whole wheat flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 – 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil of choice
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ⅓ – ½ c marshmallow fluff (Vegans, see note below)
  • 20-ish chocolate chips
  • Extra chocolate for icing

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a baking sheet with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
  2. Mix the graham crackers, flour, salt, and sugar.
  3. Add the oil, water, and maple syrup. Stir to combine (will be crumbly).
  4. Pour the crumbly dough into a plastic bag and press together with your hands to form into a ball.
  5. Place the ball between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll out until thin. You may want to grease your wax paper if you have a tendency to tear dough.
  6. Cut the dough into 6 squares/rectangles of approximately the same size.
  7. Add a dollop of marshmallow fluff to half of the squares, sprinkle with chocolate chips, and top with a plain piece of dough. Press the sides together with a fork to seal – patch any tears with scraps of dough.
  8. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 – 10 minutes until the pastry has lightly browned edges.
  9. While cooling, microwave a small handful of chocolate chips and spread on the tops of the pastries.
  10. Eat the same day or freeze until use (heat from frozen in the oven or toaster oven until warm).

Notes
Vegans use ricemellow or other dairy/egg free marshmallow fluff. Many are accidentally vegan. Be sure to choose vegan graham crackers and chocolate, as well. For dairy eaters, I highly recommend using milk chocolate chips for a true S’mores taste.
You may get more than 3 pastries out of this recipe, depending on how large you make your pastries. Be careful handling the dough – it tears and sticks rather easily!
You can freeze the final product or freeze prior to baking. If freezing raw pastries, you’ll want them to thaw slightly prior to baking or your chocolate chips wont melt.

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23 Comments
    Christie - Food Done Light Sep 23, 2013

    Love, love, love! This recipe.
    Don’t feel guilty for a 10% tip. I don’t think I would have left her anything. They should take it just as seriously as if you had an allergy. That is horrible.

    Annie @ Natural Sweet Recipes Sep 06, 2013

    I’m so sorry about the restaurant incident! That’s so sad! I agree with Nicole, yoga is really relaxing but I like high intensity movements to quickly release frustrations. I also love Zumba and when I hear upbeat music and start moving, I practically forget what bothered me in the first place! But oh my gosh, these look soo good!! I love pop tarts and I’m pretty sure a taste of these would melt away any anger. I HAVE to make these!!!

      Kelly Sep 06, 2013

      Thanks, Annie.

    Reba- Not So Perfect Life Aug 30, 2013

    I loved pop tarts growing up, infact they were my nighttime snack in high school. They are off limit in my adult like but I need to try these 🙂

    cleaneatingveggiegirl Aug 28, 2013

    I cannot even stand how delicious these look! I used to love Smores Pop Tarts, but I bet that this homemade version is WAY better!

      Kelly Aug 29, 2013

      I haven’t had one in 13+++ years, but they definitely met all of my expectations 🙂

    cookingactress Aug 28, 2013

    gimmegimmegimmegimmmmmeeeeeeee

    and aw you poor thing!!! gotta hate a bad restaurant experience 🙁

    chow bella Aug 28, 2013

    That is so frustrating. You should not have had to pay at all! I, on the other hand, would pay handsomely for a plateful of these toaster pastries.

    Alex @ Cookie Dough Katzen Aug 28, 2013

    I think you have ever right to be mad. How frustrating, especially then to not even apologize. I say forget that and enjoy your delicious pastries! S’mores flavoring is the best!

    makingthymeforhealth Aug 28, 2013

    Oh my, Kelly. I am drooling! The one thing I miss about being a kid and eating unhealthy food are those darn Pop Tarts! Ugh, they’re so good. These look amazing. I really wish I had one right now!!

      Kelly Aug 28, 2013

      When I stopped eating meat, it was seriously the lack of vegetarian Pop Tarts that almost made me reconsider. Thanks Sarah, I’ll Fedex one over next time I make them :-p

      Kelly Aug 28, 2013

      Better make a double batch then 😉

    Em @ Love A Latte Aug 28, 2013

    Wow – I would be so upset too!!! They definitely should have given you that meal on the houes. That’s ridiculous. I’m so sorry and I hope you are feeling ok today. Smore poptarts were just about my favorite thing when I was little – this is so exciting that these can be made vegan!!!! I hope you have a much better day today.

      Kelly Aug 28, 2013

      Thanks, Em.

    Christine @ 24 Carrot Kitchen Aug 28, 2013

    Gosh, this reminds me of various situations I have been in. I was completely vegan for a period of time and found that not everyone honors it and it becomes difficult.

    I find that employees and owners are different and look at things differently. Generally, when this type of thing has happened to me, I write a nice letter to the owner, stating that I like the restaurant, but this is what happened, why it was upsetting and let the owner decide. In almost all cases, I receive an apology and restitution. Plus, you are doing the owner a favor by letting him know what is going on. They want to know and there can be better training and improvements. If the owner was the chef, then I don’t know what I would do, except not go back.

    Meanwhile, loving those toaster pastries!

      Kelly Aug 28, 2013

      I think I might say something. It’s the only Thai restaurant in town and one of the very, very few places that offers tofu or veggies in place of meat. Hopefully the owner is a littler nicer. thanks for the advice!

    Maureen | Orgasmic Chef Aug 28, 2013

    If you order a vegetarian dish and it comes out with meat, I don’t think you should pay for it.

    I’d eat an extra one of these toaster pastries if I were you.

      Kelly Aug 28, 2013

      I’ll definitely be eating a lot of these for my emotional pain and suffering 😉 Thanks