What Giada De Laurentiis Uses To Put An Extra 'Pop' In Homemade Pop Tarts

Giada De Laurentiis knows how to jazz up a recipe, but the ingredient she uses for her homemade pop tarts may surprise you. Her pop tart recipe isn't replicating the store-bought Pop Tarts you may be thinking of, it's actually a chocolate and fruit truffle or tart-like dessert. She uses raspberries in hers, but you can substitute just about any fruit. What creates the "pop" aspect of this dessert is the popular candy known as Pop Rocks, which adds the perfect kick to this recipe. 

De Laurentiis' special pop tarts involve creating a chocolate ganache mixture using dark chocolate and heavy cream, which she then pours into mini muffin molds that are sprinkled with the Pop Rocks candy, and finishes it off with a raspberry on each. It's a simple recipe that offers a fun and unique twist. We're always going to listen to Giada De Laurentiis' cooking tips, and even though this one may seem a little offbeat, we're going to trust her that it's delicious.

There is scientific reasoning behind what makes Pop Rocks candy pop, which has to do with trapped carbon dioxide being released when melted. Because moisture causes the sugar to dissolve and the gas to release, thereby causing the popping effect, you may want to take an additional step before incorporating the candy. Ganache is quite runny and will be warm, so you might want to coat the Pop Rocks in some chocolate first and let it set to create a moisture barrier, and wait for the ganache to cool down a bit so the candy doesn't pop. The Pop Rocks not only add flavor, but the popping surprise is the best part of the candy.

In Giada De Laurentiis' recipe, she uses cherry-flavored Pop Rocks which offers the perfect chocolate-cherry combination. Pop Rocks has a variety of other flavors, such as strawberry or watermelon, that would make a great pairing with this dessert as well. Candy add-ins to desserts like brownies and tarts isn't a new phenomenon, and even Pop Rocks have been used as a topping for ice cream sandwiches or popcorn. De Laurentiis may have just opened the door a bit wider to using Pop Rocks to enhance just about any recipe.