Craving a sweet, comforting treat that fits your ketogenic lifestyle? Look no further than these keto toaster pastries! These homemade pastries feature a light, buttery, and flaky low-carb dough filled with a sugar-free filling. They're easy to make and perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
What are Keto Toaster Pastries?
Essentially, keto toaster pastries are gluten-free, low-carb versions of the classic Pop-Tarts. They consist of a buttery and flaky dough and filled with a sugar-free filling that you bake in the oven until golden. These pastries can be customized with various keto-friendly fillings and toppings, making them a versatile treat for anyone following a low-carb diet.
Ingredients for Keto Toaster Pastries
Here's a breakdown of the key ingredients you'll need:
- Almond flour and coconut flour: These two gluten-free keto flours work exceedingly well in combination to create a light and tender dough. Ground almonds are equivalent to regular almond flour. If you're using extra fine almond flour, you may need to adjust the amount of butter used.
- Powdered sweetener: Monk fruit sweetener blends, pure erythritol, or xylitol are all suitable options for sweetening the dough and frosting without adding sugar.
- Egg: You'll need one egg for the dough and one for an egg wash, which gives the pastries a beautiful shine.
- Vanilla extract and salt: Make sure the extract is sugar-free to keep the pastries keto-friendly.
- Filling: Raspberries (fresh or frozen) are a popular choice for the filling.
- Xanthan gum: This is essential for thickening the jam filling. Ground chia seeds can also be used as a substitute.
Making the Keto Toaster Pastry Dough
- Combine dry ingredients: Place the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and salt) in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the egg, butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to the food processor and pulse until a sticky batter forms. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Chill the dough: Scoop the dough into a mixing bowl and shape it into a ball. Wrap the ball in clingfilm or tin foil and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until chilled. This helps the dough to be less sticky and easier to roll.
Preparing the Sugar-Free Filling
- Cook the berries: Place the raspberries (or other berries of your choice) in a non-stick pan. Heat over medium heat until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Squash the raspberries with the back of a spatula. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Thicken the filling: Turn off the heat, add the xanthan gum (or ground chia seeds), and stir to combine.
- Cool the filling: Allow the raspberry jam to cool and thicken completely.
Assembling and Baking the Keto Toaster Pastries
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roll out the dough: Cut the dough in half. Take one piece and roll it between two sheets of greaseproof paper. Fold over the edges and re-roll to create a more rectangular shape.
- Cut the rectangles: Cut the edges off the dough and cut it into 4 rectangles. Repeat with the remaining ball of dough. Use any leftovers to form the last two rectangles. Depending on how thin you roll the dough, you should get about 10 rectangles.
- Prepare the baking tray: Place the rectangles on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush half of the rectangles with beaten egg wash.
- Add the filling: Split the filling into 5 portions and add it to the center of the non-egg-washed rectangles. Spread the filling slightly with the back of a spoon, leaving about 1cm of space around the edges.
- Top with dough: Add the egg-washed rectangles to the base with the filling.
- Freeze briefly: Place the assembled pastries in the freezer again for 10 minutes. This helps the dough to hold its shape and prevents it from sticking when you seal the edges.
- Seal the edges: Press the edges together with a fork to seal. Add 2-3 fork marks to the top of each pastry. This will let out any steam and prevent them from exploding during baking. Be careful not to press the fork all the way through the pastry, just the top layer.
- Bake: Cook for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool: Allow the pastries to cool on the baking tray.
Adding the Sugar-Free Icing
- Mix the icing: In a bowl, mix the powdered sweetener with a teaspoon of water (or almond milk/lemon juice) until smooth. Add more water (or almond milk/lemon juice) a few drops at a time until you reach your desired consistency (approximately 1 tablespoon).
- Ice the pastries: Ice the cooled keto pop tarts using the back of a spoon and allow the icing to set.
- Optional toppings: Sprinkle with freeze-dried raspberry powder or sugar-free sprinkles for added visual appeal and flavor.
Flavor Variations
- Strawberry pop tarts: Use sugar-free strawberry jam as a filling.
- Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts: Mix granulated sugar-free sweetener and cinnamon with melted butter for a warm and comforting filling.
- Cream cheese: Add a dollop of cream cheese under the jam filling for extra creaminess.
- Extra thick keto pastries: On top of the jam filling, add 2 fresh raspberries (or chopped strawberries/blueberries for other flavors) to create a bulging filling.
- Lemon Curd: Add some lemon curd to these pop tarts.
- Berries: If you are in the mood for raspberries or blackberries, they are also great filling options. Just swap the strawberries or blueberries for the raspberries or blackberries.
Storage and Reheating
- Storage: Low-carb pop tarts are best stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, freeze them for up to 3 months. It's recommended to freeze them without the icing and add it after thawing. Unfrosted pop tarts can be stored, covered, at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
- Reheating: Heat your pop tarts in the microwave or crisp them up in the oven (350°F/180°C for 5 minutes). It is not recommended to heat them in the toaster.
Tips for Success
- Patience is key: Making keto pop tarts requires patience, as it takes time to roll out, measure, and cut the dough.
- Keep the dough cold: The dough has to be cold, or it will become difficult to handle. If the dough becomes too warm, place it in the freezer for around 15 minutes to chill before continuing.
- Pre-make components: You can pre-make the crust and the filling to save time. The crust can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow it to rest on the counter until it's soft enough to handle before using.
- Sweetener choices: For the sweetener in the filling, a Monk Fruit Allulose Blend or pure allulose is recommended. Monk fruit and allulose both dissolve beautifully without an aftertaste. However, if using an erythritol-based sweetener, make sure it's powdered because erythritol doesn't dissolve as well as other sweeteners. For the frosting, any powdered keto sweetener will work.
- Don't over-toast: If reheating in a toaster, be careful not to over-toast them, as the crust is fragile and can break apart.
Can you eat Pop-Tarts on a keto diet?
Classic Pop-Tarts are very high in carbs and sugar and are not considered keto-friendly. Classic Pop-Tarts have about 68g of carbs per serving! But these Pop Tart Bars have 7.7g of carbs and 6.2g of fiber. So they have only 2.5g net carbs per bar. These Keto Pop Tart Bars have very few carbs and are a delicious alternative.
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