Before I tell you how amazing these Homemade Pop Tarts are and how you'll never want to buy store-bought again, let me make one thing clear: These are not a copycat version of Pop Tarts. They are what a Pop Tart should be. They're not at all difficult to make either, and with endless possibilities for filling options, you can have fun with them. I don't particularly care for store-bought Pop Tarts at all (the "pastry" is too much like cardboard), and these are pretty much my new favorite treat. They also pack well. I wrapped the Cinnamon-Brown Sugar ones individually in waxed paper and sent them in Hubby's suitcase to China. I also have some Nutella ones all packed and ready to ship to my sister who is away at college out of state. She shares my affinity for all things Nutella.
From start to finish, you can have fresh, warm Homemade Pop Tarts on the table in just over an hour (30 minutes of which is chilling time). The most difficult part is choosing what you want to fill them with! I made 4 versions: Cinnamon-Brown Sugar, Blueberry, Rhubarb Raspberry, and Nutella. All were very delicious, and I can't say that I have a clear favorite.
You can make your own fruit filling by using homemade or store-bought jam and thickening it up a bit by simmering it with some cornstarch mixed with water (about a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a teaspoon or so of cold water to make a paste, then stir into ½ to ¾ cup of jam). If you don't want to use cornstarch, you can just simmer the jam until it has reduced and thickened a bit. For my fruit fillings, I used my Rhubarb Raspberry Jam, and Blueberry Syrup. I usually just simmer them for a little while and let them thicken on their own instead of using corn starch, although I have tried both ways and didn't notice a flavor difference.
Homemade Pop Tarts
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: About 10 Pop Tarts 1x
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 additional egg, beaten (for brushing on pastry)
Fillings of your choosing:
- Nutella
- Jam (Simmer 1 cup jam over medium heat until reduced to about ¾ cup. Allow to cool before using.)
- Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Filling (Stir together ½ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, food processor, fork, or your fingers until the butter is incorporated and is the size of small peas.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the whole egg and the milk. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, then bring the dough together and knead a few times by hand.
- Divide dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and set aside while you roll out the other half.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Try to roll it quite thin, but not so thin that it will fall apart when forming the pop tarts.
- Cut ten 3x5-inch rectangles of dough and arrange them on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets. (I happen to have a cutter the right size, but you could use a knife or a pizza cutter and an index card as a template.)
- Brush the rectangles of dough with the beaten egg. (This will be the inside of the pop tart. The egg wash helps the filling not to get the bottom crust soggy, and also helps to seal the top and bottom pieces of pastry together.) Do not discard the rest of the egg wash yet.
- Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each egg-brushed rectangle, leaving about ½-inch border.
- Roll out remaining dough and cut 10 more 3x5-inch rectangles. Gently lay a dough rectangle on top of each of the filled rectangles, pressing around the edges with your fingers to seal in the filling.
- Crimp the edges of each pastry with a fork.
- Brush the tops of each pastry with the rest of the beaten egg.
- Using a toothpick, poke several holes in the top of each pop tart to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Refrigerate assembled pop tarts for 30 minutes (or place in freezer for 10-15 minutes if you're in a rush).
- While the pop tarts are chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Notes:
Do not re-heat in a toaster. For best results, heat on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until warm.
Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
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