With the dark mornings and nights descending on us all, we think everyone needs a bit of an extra boost at this time of year.  And when it comes to a boost, what can possibly beat a chocolate boost so we’re delighted to have linked up with Kat from the brilliant blog – The Loopy Whisk who has totally blown us away with this devastatingly delicious dessert. 

With a fab flaky chocolate pie crust, a decadent MIA chocolate fudge filling and a fluffy marshmallow meringue frosting, we agree with Kat, that it’s impossible not to love these Hot Chocolate Pop Tarts.    

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8 pop tarts

Ingredients

For chocolate fudge filling:

1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder

1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar

1/4 cup (60 mL) milk

Pinch of salt

3 1/2 oz (100 g) chopped dark chocolate, divided

1/3 stick (40 g) unsalted butter

For chocolate pie dough:

1 cup cold water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 cups (250 g) gluten free flour

1/4 cup (25 g) coconut flour

1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp (25 g) white sugar

1 3/4 sticks (200 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into – 1/2 inch cubes

For marshmallow meringue frosting:

2 egg whites

3/8 cup (75 g) white sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

You will also need:

1 egg – whisked for egg wash

MIA chocolate shavings for decoration

Method

For chocolate fudge filling:

1. In a saucepan, mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, milk, salt and half of the chopped chocolate. Heat until the chocolate has melted and you get a smooth mixture.
2. Remove from heat and add in the butter and the rest of the chopped chocolate. Mix everything together until the butter and chocolate have melted.
3. Set aside. The chocolate fudge filling will firm up slightly while cooling.

For chocolate pie dough:

1. In a cup, mix together cold water and apple cider vinegar, and place them into the freezer until needed.
2. Sift together the gluten free flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, salt and sugar.
3. Add the butter and toss it in the flour until all butter pieces are covered with it. Using your hands, pinch together the butter pieces and flour until you get a mix of fine pea-sized pieces and larger thumb-sized pieces.
4. Add the ice cold water-vinegar mixture, 2 tbsp at a time, and mix the pie dough with a fork until it comes together. You will need 14 – 16 tbsp of water.
5. The dough at the end should be slightly more damp/wet than typical pie crust because gluten free flour tends to absorb more moisture during baking, so we want to counteract that.
6. Shape the chocolate pie dough roughly into a rectangle (if needed, knead it slightly – but don’t overwork it!), wrap it into cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Assembling the chocolate pop tarts:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line a baking sheet with baking/greaseproof paper.
2. Roll out the chilled pie dough about 2 mm thick and cut out 3 x 4 inch rectangles. You should get 16 rectangles (makes 8 pop tarts).
3. Egg wash the edges of half of the rectangles and spoon a heaped tablespoon of the chocolate fudge filling into the centre of each one. Spread the filling slightly but leave at least 3/4 inch room around the edge.
4. Prick the centres of the other 8 rectangles with a toothpick. Place these rectangles over the filling, seal the edges with your fingers and “crimp” the edges with a fork.
5. Bake the pop tarts in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for 20 – 22 minutes.
6. Allow to cool slightly.

For marshmallow meringue frosting:

1. Mix all the marshmallow meringue frosting ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and set the bowl above a pot of simmering water.
2. Heat the meringue mixture with constant stirring until it reaches 140 ºF (60 ºC) and the sugar has melted.
3. Transfer the heated meringue mixture into a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and whisk the mixture for 5 – 7 minutes, until it reaches room temperature and forms glossy peaks. Do not over-whisk as you can lose some of the fluffiness.
4. Swirl a generous dollop of the marshmallow meringue on top of each pop tart and decorate with chocolate shavings and sprinkles.

Storage:

1. The hot chocolate pop tarts keep well in a closed container in a cool dry place for 3 – 4 days