Yep, I went there. I’m not sure what it was about this recipe that appealed to me so much, but I think it was probably the nostalgia of it all – I’ve been eating Pop-Tarts since I was in elementary school, mostly I think because my Dad loves them. My favorites were always the chocolate, brown sugar and other candy-bar varieties, but Dad likes the cherry and strawberry, so Dad – these are for you.
If you’ve ever looked at the nutritional information on the side of one of those boxes, it’s immediately apparent that they’re definitely not a healthy breakfast choice. Not to burst your bubble, but this one isn’t much better. Its only redeeming quality is that it TASTES much better, and you control the ingredients so you can avoid preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup and chemical additives. But really, this is about the taste. Because it’s AMAZEBALLS.
The recipe yields 9 pop-tarts and it will take you about 30 minutes to get them prepared, 30 minutes in the fridge, and 20 minutes in the oven. Lots of work for something you can pull out of a box in your pantry, but so, so worth it. It has a tender, flaky crust and you can fill it however you wish. I used Strawberry today, but brown sugar and cinnamon, nutella, chocolate, raspberry, ooh-apple!!…they’d all be fabulous. I am icing mine with a cream cheese glaze, but you can also use a sprinkle of sugar, powdered sugar glaze, even serve them with ice cream!
Couple of things you should know about this one…the dough is easier to work with when it’s chilled due to the high butter content. Always keep your rolling pin and surface really well-floured. I would suggest making your filling first so it can cool while you prep your dough. If you have leftover crust after cutting your squares, roll them out and spread with butter, then cover with sugar and cinnamon and bake until golden brown. Delish. Finally, keep a close eye on it in the oven so it doesn’t burn. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover it with a sheet of foil until it’s done.
(While these were very, very good with strawberry filling, next time I’ll probably use apple or cherry. These are definitely pie-like so I think a pie-type filling would be more suited for them. I’m not a huge fan of strawberry jam, anyway. Try them and see what you think!)
Enjoy!
Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 eggs, divided
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 eggs, divided
2 tablespoons milk
Filling:
¾ cup strawberry jam (or whatever flavor you’d like)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberry jam, cornstarch and water until boiling, about two minutes. Use a small whisk and stir constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare the pastry.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands) cut the butter into the pastry until the butter is pea-sized and mixture holds together when you squeeze it. Whisk together milk and one of the eggs and add to flour/butter mixture and using a fork, combine until mixture comes together. Knead in bowl until dough comes together in a ball. Split dough in half and form into 3×5 squares.
Using a heavily floured rolling pin and work surface, roll dough out to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3×4 inch squares, re-rolling the dough as needed. Place squares onto large baking sheet to prepare for filling. Repeat with other half of dough. You should be able to get 18 pieces of 3×4 inch dough.
Whisk other egg and brush half of the pastry squares with it (These will be the bottom crusts). Spoon 2 tablespoons of cooled filling on the middle of the egg-brushed pastry squares. Cover with another pastry square, and use a fork to seal the edges. Poke holes in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape.
Put assembled pastries into the refrigerator for 30 minutes. While you are waiting, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Bake squares for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overbake.
Frost as desired. (I used cream cheese for these, next time I’ll use plain confectioners sugar for the glaze.)
For cream cheese glaze: 1 box cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Enjoy!
Yes! These are on my definitely make list!