If I were to speculate, I’ve probably eaten around 250 Pop-Tarts in my lifetime. And not the kind with the baby zebra on the box with no sugar added, whole fruit, wheat crust, and no frosting. WHO EATS A POP-TART SANS FROSTING? That’s what I wanna know.

No, the kind I consumed were of the brown sugar cinnamon, strawberry, cherry, or wild berry variety with the purple frosting with blue swishes across the front. My mom would toast two up, slather them in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and carry them downstairs to me, where I’d inhale bites between strokes of mascara and lip gloss before school. Now THAT’S how you eat a Pop-Tart, kids.

That is, unless you’ve turned a new leaf and no longer consume high fructose corn syrup, blue lake dye, and hydrogenated oils. See where I’m going with this?

Yes, healthy Pop-Tarts. That’s what we have here.

I’ve tried to make Pop-Tarts before with Greek yogurt or whole wheat flour in the crust to slash calories, but let’s be honest: They tasted like sand.

So this time, I wised up. I used Earth Balance and whole-wheat pastry flour and kept my fillings as simple as can be – pure fruit compote.

Friends, we have a winner.

These glories are vegan and fairly simple to throw together, requiring just 7 ingredients and about 45 minutes of your precious, precious time. After all, who would actually make Pop-Tarts if they took 5 hours to prepare? Not I, and neither should you. You deserve better than that. We deserve better than that.

You will love these Pop-Tarts.

The crust is flaky and buttery (despite using vegan butter).

The filling is tender, fruity and naturally sweet.

The raw sugar on top provides a delightful crunch.

And the optional vegan vanilla glaze sends me straight back to my childhood, sans GMOs.

Gah, life is good again, thanks to healthified Pop-Tarts.