I needed an excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner, and, well, you get the picture).

Homemade chocolate pop tarts started to resonate more with every minute that I thought about it.  Because I was tight on time with my holiday baking schedule, I decided to make a quick and easy puff pastry recipe that packed a fiery surprise.

Mexican chocolate was just the spicebomb needed to continue my sermon of why fresh ground spices are better than the alternative. I ground up ceylon cinnamon—thinner, flakier, easiest to hand grind—and chili de arbol which is easily substituted for guajillo or cayenne pepper. I added the cinnamon and chili to melted Taza Cacao Puro, the best Mexican chocolate, which is stone ground and full of beautiful, gritty texture. Then, I grated fresh nutmeg into my spicy chocolate concoction. This combo, along with a splash of our family’s homemade Mexican vanilla, allowed the homemade pop tarts to explode with flavor.

NOTE: unless you have a good face mask and eye protection, grinding your own chili will burn your nose and eyes. It is ok to use chili powder if you like your sense of smell and sight.

I jazzed up these simple, puffy chocolate pop tarts with some edible glitter, a chocolate drizzle, and star sprinkles to make them holiday party ready (even though this holiday party would just be me on my couch watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

Firecracker Mexican Chocolate Pop Tarts

Pop Tart Ingredients

• Puff pastry

• 10 oz. of pure Mexican chocolate, separated

  • 8 oz for filling

  • 2 oz for drizzle

• 4 oz. heavy cream

• 2 tsp of fresh ground cinnamon

• 1-2 tsp of fresh ground chili pepper (arbol, cayenne, or guajillo)

• 1 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg

• 1 tablespoon grated piloncillo, or dark brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon of Mexican Vanilla

• 1 egg for egg wash

• Sprinkles, edible glitter dust

Pop Tart Directions

Thaw frozen puff pastry according to package directions.

In a double boiler over low heat, melt 8 ounces of chocolate with 4 ounces of heavy cream. Mix spices in and stir until incorporated. Pour thick ganache onto parchment paper and cool in the fridge while you prepare the dough.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out puff pastry to ⅛ inch thickness and cut into 24 even rectangles.

Dollop a heaping tablespoon of chocolate onto 12 of the rectangles. Brush the edges with egg wash, and place another rectangle on top. Press the edges to seal and crimp with fork tines.

Brush the tops of pop tarts with an egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the puff pastry is dry.

While the pop tarts cool, melt the remaining 2 oz of Mexican chocolate in the double boiler over low heat. Drizzle over the top of the pop tarts and decorate with sprinkles.