Vegan Double Chocolate Peppermint Pop Tarts

Fudgy, indulgent, and rich chocolate peppermint pop tarts. This recipe is a must during the holiday season for all those chocolate lovers.

It’s peppermint season and one of my favorite flavor combination is peppermint and chocolate. What better way to celebrate that delicious duo than these Vegan Double Chocolate Peppermint Pop Tarts.

You’re going to want a warm beverage for this one. These *Double Chocolate Peppermint Pop Tarts* are incredibly fudgy, rich, and will simply melt in your mouth.

These Vegan Double Chocolate Peppermint Pop Tarts contain only simple, easy-to-find ingredients, are 100% vegan, and are seriously addicting (in the best way possible).

How to Make Vegan Double Chocolate Peppermint Pop Tarts:

Prepare the pastry crust

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt. Add cubed butter and cut into flour using your fingertips (in pinching motions) or a pastry cutter. Cut butter into flour until butter is evenly distributed and about pea-sized chunks (slightly larger chunks are ok).
2. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine milk with flour mixture until it’s too hard to mix with a spoon. Use your hands to bring the mixture together into a soft dough. If the dough is too dry, add a tbsp of non-dairy milk at a time. Form into a rough ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (preferably, 2 hours).

Make the filling 

1. While dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Over a double boiler on medium-low heat, add chocolate, vegan butter, coconut milk and sugar. Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and all ingredients are combined, about 2-3 minutes. Adjust heat as needed, to prevent chocolate from burning.
2. Take off the heat and whisk in peppermint extract. Allow filling to cool for about 30 minutes to set. This allows filling to thicken and be more spreadable.

Assemble the pop tarts 

1. Remove dough from fridge. Unwrap and cut dough into 2 equal portions. Wrap 1 portion and put back in fridge.
2. Roll 1 portion of dough into a 7.5 x 8.5″ rectangle, about ⅛” thick. I suggest rolling it out a bit larger than that and then cutting to 7.5 x 8.5″. Cut the dough into four rectangles. Use a ruler to help make this process easier and more precise.
3. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of 2 out of the four rectangles. Spread the filling around, leaving about ¼” space around the edges. Brush the edges with non-dairy milk, then place each empty rectangle on top of the one with filling. Use your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough on all sides.
4. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork, to prevent the sides from opening up while baking. Use the fork to poke holes in the center of the pop tart to allow steam to escape. Refrigerate the filled pop tarts while assembling the rest.
5. Repeat the last two steps with the other refrigerated portion of dough. Place the two completed pop tarts on the same baking sheet as the other filled ones. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. This chilling lets the pop tarts rest before baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
7. Brush each pop tart with non-dairy milk. Bake for 24-26 minutes until edges appear set. Remove from the oven and allow pop tarts to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before adding icing.

Make the icing

1. Whisk together all icing ingredients until smooth. Spoon and spread icing over the pop tarts. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint and enjoy!
2. Cover and store pop tarts at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

I have only tested these pop tarts with all-purpose flour. I can not tell you how it will turn out with a gluten-free substitution. Feel free to try it out and let me know the results! 🙂

What vegan butter do I use?

Any vegan butter works well! My personal favorites are Country Crock Plant Butter (I also found that’s the most affordable) and Earth Balance.

What’s dutch-processed cocoa powder?

According to King Arthur Baking, dutch-process cocoa powder is natural cocoa treated with an alkalizing agent to lessen its acidity. This process makes “Dutched” cocoa smoother tasting and darker in color.

Natural cocoa powder, the one you may be most familiar with, is simply unsweetened chocolate ground into powdered form. Typically, most of the chocolate’s cocoa butter is removed in order to keep the resulting cocoa free-flowing. 

I personally enjoy using dutch-process cocoa powder over natural because it gives the pop tarts a richer color.

If you have anymore questions/concerns, feel free to DM me on Instagram, @healthienut.

If you’re looking for more peppermint desserts, you’ll also love this Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, these Chewy White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, and these Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes.

Also, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!

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