VeganMoFo V: Dirty POP Tarts

Wanna know why I love MoFo so much?  It forces me out of my own comfort zone and allows me creative projects I'd never attempt otherwise.  I think MoFo is also a great time for when you happen upon an epic fail like I did tonight.

My plan was to make a decent filling for my gingerbread pop tarts.  The problem?  They were far too sweet originally.  With all the sugar, I seriously crashed last year after eating a little bit of one.  My idea was to have 4 variations and see which was best.

apple-pear and lingonberry

I did some googling and discovered Kellogg's actually had a limited edition gingerbread flavor, but it was filled with frosting and topped with cinnamon sugar.  I opted to go with cinnamon sugar and try some fruity fillings.

First up was apple-pear.  I sauteed the fruit, added a small amount of sugar, pinch of cinnamon, and vanilla.  It was okay.  Not really out-of-this-world awesome.  My bias runs deep, though, because I generally think apple is a boring flavor.  Love apples.  Not so much apple filled baked goods.  The other flavor I went with was lingonberry jam because lingonberries taste like cranberries to me, which pairs perfectly with ginger.  It was a winning combination!  Tart, sweet, and very holiday tasting.  My favorite of the batch.

pop tart monstrosity.  just look at that speculoos viscera.

Next, I really wanted to get crazy.  I thought it would be hilarious if one holiday flavor consumed another.  In actuality, it was so not funny.  Upon tasting it...never again!  The speculoos just becomes this thick, goopy thing in the middle of the pop tart.  Pictured above is a straight up speculoos one and the other has some chocolate chips thrown in.  Brrr.

I think the biggest problem was I messed up on the dough, and I'm not sure where.  I made it super fast, used a different kind of margarine, and I'm not entirely sure I followed the directions completely.  Muahahaha.  This was doomed from the start.

Oh, well.  You live and learn.  My lesson today was that lingonberry jam or any tart jam goes perfectly with this crust.  Hopefully, I'll get everything right when I make these again.

Tomorrow: I have a wicked awesome cabbage recipe to share.  For now, I'm starting my weekend.  Until next time...