I have faint memories of being a child and envying the kids that packed pop tarts as their on-the-go breakfast for the bus ride.  At least in my mind, those looked like the best breakfast treats ever.  While my parents were not extreme health enthusiasts during my childhood, they did strive to provide healthy meals and snacks for us and thus pop tarts were not part of the family diet.  In my own mission for my children to have a healthy and wholesome way of eating, I try to limit the amount of processed food and sugars that they eat, but I also try to provide a reasonable amount of treats so that they aren’t left feeling deprived.  These Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries are one of our latest treats and are my healthier version of pop tarts.  Of course, they are wonderful straight out of the oven, but they conveniently reheat well in the toaster.

Rather than making my own chocolate hazelnut butter this time, I decided to keep things simple and used my favorite store-bought version, Justin’s.  It worked beautifully and helped with being able to finish these off fairly quickly.  To make this a bit healthier than a traditional pie pastry, I used spelt flour along with ground sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  The seeds add an element of nuttiness to the crust and the oils from the seeds decrease the usual amount of butter necessary for a crust pastry.

I had planned on adding a drizzle of melted chocolate on top, but in the end I decided a simple sprinkle of coarse salt and turbinado sugar was enough for me.  Do not skip this step- it makes a surprisingly big difference!  Go ahead and add a drizzle of melted chocolate though if you want to be extra fancy.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Toaster Pastries

• Yield: about 10 pastries

Ingredients

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/4 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• about 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut butter
• coarse finishing salt and turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Process until seeds are finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of ice water. With the food processor running, gradually add the vinegar and water. Process just until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured surface and finish kneading together by hand. Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to make a rectangle approximately 16- inches x 11-inches. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3-inch x 2 1/2-inch rectangles. You should have 20 rectangles.
5. Take one rectangle and spread 2 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut butter in the middle, leaving a border around the edges. Top with another rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges together. Repeat with the remaining 18 rectangles.
6. Sprinkle tops with a generous pinch coarse salt and turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges start to turn light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on tray and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

pastry crust adapted from [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Grains-Every-Day-Way/dp/0307336727/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417702863&sr=8-1&keywords=whole+grain+every+day”]Whole Grains Every Day Every Way[[/url]/i]