These home made pocket pies are reminiscent of Kellog’s Pop Tarts, but more nutritious, and in my opinion, tastier.

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 +1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1+1/2 cups oat flour
• 1/4 cup unhydrogenated palm kernel oil (also called vegetable ghee) or actual ghee
• 1 teaspoon finely crushed gray salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or cooking ash
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk

Filling:

• 1/2 cup dried fruit, preferably raisins, prunes, apricots, or gooseberries
• hot water for soaking the fruit
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• a pinch each of nutmeg and clove

Instructions:

1. The night before baking, mix the flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut the ghee into the flour mixtures until it crumbly like a coarse meal.
3. Gradually pinch and press in the milk with your hands until a dough starts to form.
4. Sprinkle your counter with more oat flour.
5. Knead the dough on the floured surface until you can feel that the oat flour is starting to give up some of its sticky starch.
6. Put the ball of dough into a plastic bag, and let it ferment overnight or up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
7. The next day, soak the fruit in hot water for an hour or two until the fruit swells and becomes soft.
8. Crush your almonds well, but not so mashed that they become almond butter.
9. Drain the fruit, and then puree it with the almonds and spices with a hand blender or in the food processor.
10. Take out your dough, and divide it in half.
11. Roll both halves out on a floured surface, to about 1/4 inch or around 1/2 cm. thickness.
12. Mark square or rectangular sections on what will be the bottom side of the pocket pies.
13. Poke holes with a fork in what will be the top side.
14. Spread the fruit mixture inside the bottom sections, leaving about a centimeter around the edges.
15. Cover this with the top layer of dough, and then cut out the sections.
16. With a fork or a dough edging tool, press along the edges to be sure they’re fused together.  Do it as if you were making an incredibly big ravioli.
17. Heat your oven to about 35o degrees Farenheit.
18. Grease a large cookie sheet pan.
19. Place each pastry in the pan using a spatula, taking care not to tear the bottoms.  I like to use a piece of thin cardboard for this.  The edges should not be touching.
20. Brush each one with a little melted butter.
21. Bake them for half an hour or more if you prefer them a little more browned.
22. For “frosting”, just drizzle some honey over them, or use sesame halvah spread.

DO NOT put these in the toaster.  You can freeze them, but reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds or in a toaster oven.