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Crispy, sweet toasted tarts dripping in jam and icing.

That’s what I remember about eating traditional pop tarts. The crackle of packaging, sliding the pop tart out of the box and into a toaster.

Under the pressure of heat, these thin tarts would bake and melt, and the edges became just a little browned.

It was the perfect breakfast dessert.

Fast forward twenty years and now I can’t believe the ingredients I read on the back of a pop tart package. I won’t go into detail here, but suffice it to say that sugar was definitely the first ingredient, and most probably the middle, and the last.

There was nothing but sugar in that pastry. Oh, well, I suppose there was a little wheat. And dairy.

All things that I can’t/won’t eat anymore. Especially the sugar.

This week on my social media a friend of mine had a comment war going on her facebook. She had brought up the danger of regular sugar consumption, and one of her friend’s made the comment that “sweets won’t kill you.”

I literally laughed out loud.

Because sugar can definitely kill you.

In a recent study, intaking at least 21% of your calories from sugar can increase your chance of major heart disease by 38%.

That pop tart you just ate could almost double your chance of having heart disease. Certainly if that pop tart is the only bit of sugar you’ve had in the past week, then maybe not so much.

But the problem is that too many Americans are eating sugar as a large amount of their calories. Another study showed the average American intaking almost 20% of their daily calories from sugar.

No wonder why so many of us are changing our diets to Paleo or AIP. Our bodies are a wreck because of food we didn’t know was poisoning us. Some of us have genetic issues as well that are only exacerbated by food.

At any rate, that pop tart certainly isn’t looking too good right now. But before I tell you to throw sweets out the window, I think there’s something I should tell you. Sweets are occasional treats, and if not abused, can be a delightful addition to your regular diet.  And there are much better choices for sweeteners than sugar or high fructose corn syrup, though I might add that any sugar/sweetener acts the same in your body.

And, it’s easy to substitute sugar out of recipes for less damaging sweeteners, like raw honey or maple syrup. If substituting out sugar appeals to you, you might want to take a look at my conversion charts!

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to create an AIP compliant pop tart that allows for that rare treat without derailing you on whatever nutrient-dense diet you may be on. I prefer using my own fruit preserves (as I don’t add any sweeteners whatsoever), but St. Dalfour has an incredible line of preserves that are sweetened with fruit juices and date syrup. You should check them out if you’re in the need for an excellent jam/fruit preserve without the added sugar. I’ve tried the raspberry, strawberry, and wild blueberry. All were sweet, but not too sweet. They make a perfect addition to this AIP Pop Tart recipe.

Notice that I haven’t put any frosting on these pop tarts. I’m not fond of terribly sweet things, and the problems I have with insulin resistance make me react to sweets in a way I’d rather not repeat. Also, I’ve noticed that these pop tarts freeze and reheat better without a frosting on them!

If you’re new to baking AIP or even Paleo, you should be aware that this recipe uses Cassava Flour from Otto’s. Cassava flour is made from the root of the Cassava (a type of yucca root) and is approved for both Paleo and AIP diets!

You can purchase yours from Otto’s Naturals here. Or you can purchase on Amazon here.

AIP Pop Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups cassava flour
• 1 tbs gelatin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut butter (softened for ten seconds in  microwave)
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar-free fruit preserves/jam

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet/stone with parchment paper.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well with a fork.
3. In a small bowl add softened coconut butter, and using a hand mixer or your hands, cream coconut butter. Add maple syrup and water until completely combined.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a fork until you have a workable dough.
5. Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment until very thin, but still pliable.
6. Score the dough with a knife (I like to cut out a piece of parchment as a guide) into even rectangles or square (optional: use a cookie cutter of any size). My pop tarts were about 2 inches by 3 inches.
7. Remove one square from the parchment using a pancake spatula and place on pre-lined baking sheet.
8. Add one tablespoon of fruit preserves of jam to center of transferred square. Wet the edges of the square with water to help seal the top square.
9. Select another square and gently place it over the jam (this is your top square).
10. Gently press the edges of the pop tart to seal. I use a fork to imprint the edges after sealing.
11. Repeat steps 7-10 until all squares are done!
12. Bake for 2o minutes or until the edges are a nice, golden brown.

Enjoy!