Pop tarts are something that most people have as kids (or adults), but especially growing up. They are nostalgic and delicious – a sweet treat meant for breakfast. I personally always liked them cold, but I know a lot of people prefer them heated up. With that said, you get a lot of crust without a much filling, and the crust is actually pretty dry. So I decided to make my own.
These pop tarts have a flakey and buttery pie crust around a delicious filling, and finished with or without a glaze. I always liked the glazed ones more, but that’s your choice! I have also included a few filling options below, but my favorites were always brown sugar or jam. I also recently found a carrot cake spread from Trader Joe’s that is a delicious filling for these as well! If you want to add the glaze, you can do a plain glaze, or add some cinnamon (which is especially good with the brown sugar filling or carrot cake filling).
Homemade Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Pop Tart Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup ice water plus extra if needed
Brown Sugar Filling
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Other Filling Options – 1 Tablespoon of filling per tart
- Jam
- Nutella
- Carrot Cake Filling
- Etc…
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of milk
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon optional
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
Instructions
Pop Tart Dough
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt. Mix until combined
- Add softened butter, and squeeze in by hand until fully incorporated within the flour and salt.
- Add the ice water, slowly, until dough comes together. You may need slightly more if the dough is still too dry.
- Flatten dough into 2 separate discs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- If you have chilled the dough for longer than an hour, let it come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
- Place one disc of your dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is around 1/8″ thick. You will want your rectangle large enough to trim to 9×12″. Cut your rectangle in half horizontally (at the 4.5″ mark) then vertically every 4 inches. Making 8 – 4.5"×3″ squares.
- Place the rectangles onto a prepared baking sheet (with aluminum foil). Space them out evenly on the sheet tray.
- Prepare the egg wash by whisking the egg in a small bowl, and brush each rectangle with a light egg wash.
- For the brown sugar filling, mix the ingredients in a small bowl. Take your filling of choice, and place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each rectangle.
- Next, prepare the tops. Place the second disc of your dough on to a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is around 1/8″ thick. You will want your rectangle large enough to trim to 9×12″. Cut your rectangle in half horizontally (at the 4.5″ mark) then vertically every 4 inches. Making 8 – 4.5"×3″ squares.
- Place one rectangle on top of each prepared and filled rectangle, to "top" off the pop tart. Press the edges with your fingers lightly to seal the filling in. Using a fork, you can seal the edges with the edge of the fork to create the lined look. Poke each pop tart 3-4 times with the edge of the fork to let steam release as it bakes.
- Brush the top of each pop tart with the egg wash.
- Place the Pop Tarts in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until they are golden. Let cool slightly and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Glaze (optional)
- For the glaze, combine all ingredients, adding the milk slowly until you've reached the desired consistency. If you used a jam filling, I don't recommend adding the cinnamon, but that's up to you if you want the added spice.
- Carefully dip each of the pop tarts in the glaze, or place the glaze on top lightly with a spoon. Let the glaze set on the wire rack.
- Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, remember to tag me on Instagram @bread_andbreakfast, and use the hashtag #breadandbreakfast
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