Wood & Spoon

Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts

May 04, 2021

Y’all, I have been absent from the kitchen as of late. With dance recitals and t-ball games and end of school year programs upon us, it’s been a mental practice (and breath of fresh air) to release myself from the constant need to be bustling about the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, my kids love it; apparently, dinners comprised of carry-out and frozen pizzas are more desirable than the quinoa salads and roasted veggies they’ve grown up on so far. And no, my feelings aren’t hurt, why do you ask?

Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts by Wood and Spoon. These are cocoa powder pie dough pieces stuffed with more chocolate, crimped, baked, a drizzled with a cocoa icing. For faster pop-tarts, you can stuff these with any of your other favorite fillings too: marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, Nutella, or even jam! Learn how simple homemade chocolate pop-tarts are here on thewoodandspoon.com

With some newly freed up time (Sayonara, dishes!), I’ve enjoyed diving head-first into all the Mom activities, specifically the animal formally known as Little League Baseball. It’s our first year with a kid in organized sports, but I can already tell- I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid and am all in. Years ago, I rolled my eyes as my friends described their weeknight schedules- “THREE night games per week? Pfft. That’s for the birds.” Little did I know all that I was missing out on: Cheese fries, sticky bleachers, and the comedic gold that is 5-year-olds dog-piling their teammates to grab the baseball.

Already, I can see how parents get so into their kid’s sports. It’s thrilling to watch them learn and improve and do things you didn’t even know they could do, like slide into the plate or nail a triple, and at the same time, it’s equally fun to watch them do all sorts of stuff you did know they could do: draw pictures in the dirt of the outfield, trip over their shoelaces on the way to the dugout, or scream, “I GOTTA PEE!” as they cross home plate. And while the kids are learning and getting better with each game, we Moms are too. We’re yelling louder, cheering for the other kids by name, and even participating in passive aggressive banter with the umpire who is clearly friends with the Dads coaching the other team. What could be better than that?

Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts by Wood and Spoon. These are cocoa powder pie dough pieces stuffed with more chocolate, crimped, baked, a drizzled with a cocoa icing. For faster pop-tarts, you can stuff these with any of your other favorite fillings too: marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, Nutella, or even jam! Learn how simple homemade chocolate pop-tarts are here on thewoodandspoon.com
Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts by Wood and Spoon. These are cocoa powder pie dough pieces stuffed with more chocolate, crimped, baked, a drizzled with a cocoa icing. For faster pop-tarts, you can stuff these with any of your other favorite fillings too: marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, Nutella, or even jam! Learn how simple homemade chocolate pop-tarts are here on thewoodandspoon.com

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s always a tiny bit painful to watch your kid on days when everything seems to fall apart. It’s uncomfortable to hear the other parents be hard on their kids (or others parents, for that matter). And don’t even get me started on my new seasonal allergy regimen; between the pollen and the dirt, I don’t even know what’s in my eyes anymore. But all these things, hard days and messy relationships and runny noses included, are stretching points for my kid and me, and I think, ultimately, it’s really healthy to learn to work through those things.

Before we move on to the double chocolate pop-tarts, I’ll leave you with this *adorable* picture of George. He’s the youngest and second smallest kid on the team, but I can also say he’s the most happy and smiliest kid too, win or lose. Watching him play makes me so proud to be his parent, not because he’s the best player, but because I can see how big his heart is… even from my nosebleed seat on the sticky bleachers.

So why these double chocolate pop-tarts? Well, for one, my kids LOVE pop-tarts. I’ve been making them homemade ones for years, but more recently, they tried the OG store-bought ones, and they went nuts. Apparently all those preservatives and articifical flavors really add something special. But when I made these chocoetely homemade ones for the first time, the kids were all in. “Are those for us, Mom? Cant we eat them… for breakfast?!?” True story: any breakfast food that looks suspiciously like dessert is bound to be a winner in any toddler’s book.

Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts by Wood and Spoon. These are cocoa powder pie dough pieces stuffed with more chocolate, crimped, baked, a drizzled with a cocoa icing. For faster pop-tarts, you can stuff these with any of your other favorite fillings too: marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, Nutella, or even jam! Learn how simple homemade chocolate pop-tarts are here on thewoodandspoon.com

So why these double chocolate pop-tarts? Well, for one, my kids LOVE pop-tarts. I’ve been making them homemade ones for years, but more recently, they tried the OG store-bought ones, and they went nuts. Apparently all those preservatives and articifical flavors really add something special. But when I made these chocoetely homemade ones for the first time, the kids were all in. “Are those for us, Mom? Cant we eat them… for breakfast?!?” True story: any breakfast food that looks suspiciously like dessert is bound to be a winner in any toddler’s book.

To make these double chocolate pop-tarts we start with a homemade pie dough. I altered my favorite pie dough recipe, adding a smidge of cocoa powder to create a chocolate pie dough. It’s the perfect offset for the sweetened filling and icing that is to come. After a quick chill in the fridge, we are ready to roll out the pie dough and prepare the filling. The filling for these double chocolate pop-tarts is a melted concoction of butter, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Small dollops of the cooled filling is added to the rolled out pastry squares before they’re topped with more dough, crimped, and popped in the freezer for a final chill. After baking, the pop-tarts are frosted with a simple powdered sugar and cocoa powder frosting. Bon Appetit!

Give these double chocolate pop-tarts a try in the coming days and let me know what you think! And feel free to try out your own alternatives fillings: Nutella, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, or even homemade jam! Happy Thursday and Happy Baking!

If you like these double chocolate pop-tarts you should try:

Blueberry Lemon Pop-Tarts
Raspberry Champagne Pop-tarts
Chocolate Chess Pie
Chocolate Pudding Pie
Chocolate Espresso Tarts

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Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts

Double Chocolate Pop-Tarts by Wood and Spoon. These are cocoa powder pie dough pieces stuffed with more chocolate, crimped, baked, a drizzled with a cocoa icing. For faster pop-tarts, you can stuff these with any of your other favorite fillings too: marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, Nutella, or even jam! Learn how simple homemade chocolate pop-tarts are here on thewoodandspoon.com

These double chocolate pop-tarts feature a cocoa powder pie dough, a double chocolate filling, and a simple chocolate sugar glaze!

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 240
  • Yield: 6 Large Pop-tarts
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 1–2/3 cups (230 gm) all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50 gm) vegetable shortening 
  • 6 tablespoons (85 gm) unsalted butter, cold
  • Approximately 6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

  • ½ cup (85 gm) semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, chopped
  • ¼ cup (30 gm) powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the icing:

  • ½ cup (60 gm) powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (regular or dark is fine. See notes)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1–1/2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. To prepare the pop-tarts, begin with the dough. In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, cocoa powder, and sugar. Using a pastry cutter or the backs of two forks, cut the shortening and butter into the dry ingredients until integrated evenly with pea-sized clumps throughout. Spoon in about 5 tablespoons of ice cold water and begin to gently stir the mixture into a shaggy dough. I usually end up adding about 7 tablespoons of ice water, but add as you go until the dough can be worked together into a ball. Pat out into a flat round disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until chilled. 
  2. In the meantime, make the filling. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Stir regularly until the chips and butter have melted down into a smooth mixture. Do not overheat or the chocolate will seize. Whisk in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and place in the fridge to cool to a thick, spreadable peanut butter consistency. If it gets too thick you can gently reheat. We basically just need it thick enough to dollop into the pop-tarts. Don’t let it firm up completely though or you may break your dough.
  3. When ready to assemble your pop-tarts, use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into an 8” wide rectangle that is about 1/8” thick. Use a ruler and a sharp knife to trim out pieces that are 3-1/2” x 4-1/2”. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Gather up dough scraps and work them into a ball to roll out again. Trim any additional pieces if you can. You should wind up with about 12 rectangles of dough. Dollop 2 tablespoons of the thickened filling into the center of half of the pieces and then use the back of a spoon to spread it out slightly, leaving a 1” border around the perimeter of the tarts. Use a pastry brush or a wet finger to trace an outline of water around the edges of those pieces- this will help the second piece of dough to stick well. Place a second piece of dough on top of each of the filled pieces and use the back of a floured fork to crimp the edges. Place the pan in the freezer to firm up for at least an hour. 
  4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and use your crimping fork to vent the tarts on top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the top and edges of the pastries are set. Set aside to cool completely while you make your glaze.
  5. To prepare the glaze, combine all of the ingredients and whisk together. The icing should be thick enough to stay on top of the pop-tart. Add additional sugar to thicken or water to thin. Pipe or spoon the glaze on top. 

Notes

  • I used dark cocoa powder for my glaze and made a second batch of lighter glaze with regularly cocoa powder for the drizzle. Both work great and this is totally optional! 

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