Gluten-Free Toaster Pastry with Sugar Pumpkin Filling

Name: Gluten-Free Toaster Pastry with Sugar Pumpkin Filling
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 sugar pumpkin (or 1 cup pumpkin puree); 2 cups Paleo flour; 3/4 cup coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt; 2/3 cup Nutiva shortening; 7–8 tablespoons ice water; 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, sliced into 1/2 tablespoon pieces; 1/4 cup coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

January 11, 2022 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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Pop-Tarts (a processed toaster pastry product) are one of the most popular processed foods. It makes sense: They’re ready in a flash and so tasty!

But have you looked at the ingredients list? For such a small product, Pop-Tarts have a massive list of unsavory ingredients.

The fantastic thing about this toaster pastry recipe is it’s fairly simple to make on your own — and you can add it my list of amazing pumpkin recipes. While the instructions here might seem a bit long, they’re not super-involved.

Best of all, once you get the hang of these and discover the wonder of gluten-free flours, you can have this toaster pastry snack ready for any occasion, chock-full of healthy ingredients.

Key Ingredients

Speaking of healthy ingredients, here are the main players in this gluten-free toaster pastry recipe:

Allspice: You may be wondering: What is allspice? While many think it’s a blend of spices, it’s actually just one spice that comes from the ground berries of a Jamaican plant. Full of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds, it’s a healthy spice that adds flavor while keeping sugar levels and calories in check.
Grass-fed butter: Butter is a staple in baking, and these toaster pastries are no exception. As always, make sure you use grass-fed butter to get the highest-quality choice of this healthy fat.
Coconut sugar: As a substitute to unhealthy, refined sugar, coconut sugar adds sweetness while keeping this recipe Paleo-friendly.
Paleo flour: Speaking of Paleo-friendly, you can’t make a pastry without flour, and this recipe uses gluten-free flour so it’s safe for any diet. Try my Paleo flour blend, or use gluten-free flours like coconut, sprouted corn, oat, rice, almond or tapioca flour, among others.
Sugar pumpkin: A smaller variety of pumpkin, sugar pumpkin makes for a great option for baking and provides the same pumpkin benefits you’re familiar with, such as providing a host of vitamins and antioxidants to support heart, gut and immune health.

Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get these pop tarts happening!

How to Make a Toaster Pastry

Start by prepping the pumpkin, also known as the toaster pastry filling. (You can also cheat and use one cup of pumpkin puree.) Turn the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease up a baking sheet.

Wash and remove the stem from your sugar pumpkin.

Slice that bad boy up vertically, and remove the seeds. Don’t toss them, though! Roast them for an on-the-go healthy snack later.

Place the de-seeded pumpkin halves on the waiting sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes or until you can stick a fork into the pumpkin with no trouble. Because time is valuable, while the yummy pumpkin filling is roasting, we’re going to prep the dough.

Start by whisking flour, coconut sugar and salt in a bowl. With a fork or pastry blender, start cutting in the butter until the entire mixture is crumbly.

Add in the ice water, just a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is formed.

Divvy up the dough in half, and roll each half into a ball. Wrap each in plastic wrap, and let it cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Time’s up! Remove and unwrap one ball of dough, smoothing out any cracks along the sides. Then, on a smooth surface that’s been dusted with flour, like a kitchen counter, roll the ball of dough into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle, with dough about 1/8 inch thick.

That’s right, these homemade toaster pastries are really starting to take shape!

If you’re picky about the edges, use a paring knife to get these looking clean, and give them a more “authentic” toaster pastry look. Cut the rectangle into three equal pieces, and then cut those into three pieces, leaving you with nine rectangles.

Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the rectangles on the baking sheet, refrigerating while you prep the rest of the dough.

Remove that second ball of dough that’s been hanging out in the fridge, and repeat the process. One of the balls will be the bottom of the toaster pastries, while the other will make up the top.

Once you’ve cut and made all your rectangles, let both sets hang in the refrigerator. It’s filling time!

By this point, your pumpkin should be roasted. Slide it out of the oven, but don’t turn turn it off just yet. Instead, lower the temperature to 350 F.

Let the pumpkin cool before doing your thing, as it will be hot!

Using a spoon, scoop out the pumpkin “meat,” and toss out the rinds. Then it’s time to bust out the food processor.

Combine the pumpkin filling, butter, coconut sugar, vanilla and all those yummy spices, and pulse till they’re mixed.

Once that’s ready, grab the waiting toaster pastry rectangles from the fridge. With a tablespoon, scoop a heap of the pumpkin mixture onto each bottom dough rectangle, leaving about a 1/4-inch border.

Next, place the second rectangles on top of each toaster pastry, and seal the edges down with a fork. Poke three teeny holes on each top to let air escape while these cook.

Finally, bake the toaster pastries for 45 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Let them cool for 20 minutes before sprinkling each with coconut sugar and serving!

They might more labor-intensive than those store-bought processed food versions, but these toaster pastries are so much healthier — you can actually feel good about serving them to your family! Once you get comfortable making them, you could also play around with the filling ingredients.

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