Chocolate-Filled Pop Tarts with Coffee Glaze inspired by Gilmore Girls
Of all the television shows I’ve watched this year, Gilmore Girls is by far the best discovery. I had seen the vibrant foliage title art in passing on Netflix, but never thought much about it. All I really knew about the show was that the two main characters spoke quickly. As the temperature started to drop and I craved watching something that felt cozy and autumnal, I gave the pilot episode a try. I was immediately hooked, humored, and enchanted.
Gilmore Girls centers around Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory, in a small, charming town in Connecticut. Lorelai and Rory are coffee- and Pop Tart-obsessed, which leads me to this Chocolate-Filled Pop Tart with Coffee Glaze recipe. It’s the combination of both things the Gilmore girls love and eat/drink often.
While making your own dough is totally an option, sometimes it's nice to just skip the mixing and rolling and jump straight to the good stuff (i.e. eating the thing). I think Lorelai would very much approve of the efficiency. I used puff pastry but the chocolate filling and coffee glaze are homemade. For avid Gilmore Girls fans, you might recognize that the pinch of nutmeg is a nod to Luke, who once added a bit to his coffee that Lorelai deemed “exceptional.” The result of this pop tart is a flaky and sweet snack with just enough caffeine to satisfy Lorelai. Enjoy with a side of Gilmore Girls!
Chocolate-Filled Pop Tarts with Coffee Glaze
Dough:
1 box of puff pastry
Chocolate Filling:
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup milk
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
A dash of cinnamon
Coffee Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
A pinch of nutmeg
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 tablespoon hot water
Method:
1. Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and thaw per the instructions on the box.
2. In a small saucepan, mix the cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Set over medium heat and stir until the chocolate is melted and the sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to the fridge to cool and continue thickening for about 30 minutes.
4. While the chocolate is cooling, cut the puff pastry into rectangles. I made mine mini, but you can make yours whatever size you prefer.
5. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
6. Place a tablespoon (or two if your pop tart size is larger) of the chilled chocolate filling on one half of the rectangles. Be sure to leave a ¼ inch border so you can seal up the pop tarts.
7. Brush the ¼ edges with water and lay the other half of the dough over the filling.
8. Seal the edges with a fork by pressing down along the edges with the tip of the fork.
9. Place the pop tarts on a parchment-lined sheet tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden. Some filling might still spill out.
11. While the pop tarts are baking, make the coffee glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, nutmeg, instant coffee, and water together until smooth.
12. Once the pop tarts are golden, let them cool before adding the coffee glaze.
13. Using a spoon, drizzle the coffee glaze over the cooled pop tarts and top with sprinkles. Allow the glaze to harden (about 10 minutes).