Homemade Pop-Tarts Recipe

Ingredients

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Filling

• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tsp all-purpose flour

Strawberry Filling

• ¾ cup strawberry jam
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Pastry Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

Vanilla Icing

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Icing

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make brown sugar filling — Whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Make strawberry filling — Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Combine with jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Make the crust — Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until pea-sized. Whisk egg and milk together, add to dough, and mix with a fork until evenly moistened.
4. Knead and divide — Briefly knead on a floured surface until the dough comes together. Divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or use immediately.
5. Roll and cut — Roll one piece of dough to ⅛-inch thick in a 9½ × 12½-inch rectangle. Trim to 9 × 12 inches, then cut into nine 3 × 4-inch rectangles. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Fill and seal — Whisk egg wash ingredients together. Brush egg wash on each rectangle. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of each, leaving a ½-inch border. Roll out and cut the second dough piece the same way. Place each second rectangle on top. Press edges to seal with fingers, then crimp with a fork. Prick tops in several spots.
7. Chill — Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes.
8. Bake — Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 25–30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before icing.
9. Make icing — Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla (and cinnamon if making cinnamon icing) until thick but spreadable. Spread over each pastry and let set at least 30 minutes.

Notes

• Filling yield — Each filling recipe makes enough for the full batch of nine. Scale up or down if making a variety.
• Make-ahead — Dough can be wrapped and refrigerated up to 2 days before rolling.
• Storage — Uniced pop tarts keep at room temperature for up to 1 week; iced, up to 3 days. Unbaked pop tarts freeze up to 3 months (bake from frozen, add a few extra minutes). Baked pop tarts freeze up to 3 months and reheat well in the toaster.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tags: #recipe #baking #dessert #breakfast #pastry #american