Homemade Pop Tarts

This recipe is an homage to childhood. Pop tarts toasted with butter used to be my favorite after-school snack when I was younger. Making pop tarts homemade rather than unwrapping them from foil somehow makes them seem more grownup and fancy. The crust is made using pastry dough and filled with a jam of choice, be it classic raspberry jam or or lemon curd.

This year my boyfriend decided that instead of a cake for his birthday he wanted these homemade pop tarts. The flaky pastry can be filled with any desired filling such as jams, brown sugar and cinnamon or nutella. For this batch I used strawberry jam for half and raspberry jam for the other.

Homemade Pop Tarts

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Pastry dough – The pastry dough is cut into squares and closed using the tines of a fork. This dough filled with butter makes for flakey pop tarts.
• Jam – While I typically use strawberry or raspberry jam in this recipe you can swap with any jam of choice.

How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts

For the pop tarts:

1. Make the dough. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough attachment add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. In a small bowl beat one of the eggs then add to the food processor mixture and pulse a few more times. Add the butter and water pulsing until the dough just comes together.
2. Knead the dough. Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured workspace and knead until the dough is smooth but there are still visible chunks of butter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Roll out the dough. Once it has chilled, divide the dough in half and roll each half out into a rectangle about ¼” thick. Cut each piece of dough into 8 rectangles about 3” x 4” in size. You may have to reroll the scraps to make 8.
4. Assemble pop tarts. Place 8 of the rectangles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Add a rounded teaspoon of jam into the center of each rectangle. Place a second rectangle of dough over the top and use your fingertips to press the edges of the dough together.
5. Close the dough. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges and make indents around the edges of the dough. Prick the top of each tart with the fork or using a knife so that steam can escape. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.
6. Heat oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
7. Bake the pop tarts. In a small bowl whisk the remaining egg and brush on the top of the pop tarts. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

1. Make the icing. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and milk until it is completely smooth and the consistency of glue. If using food coloring add it now and whisk to combine.
2. Decorate and serve. Spread the icing on top of each pop tart then add sprinkles if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this homemade pop tart recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Apple Cheddar Hand Pies
• Blackberry Sweet Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

Homemade Pop tarts

Print Pin

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Serves 8

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the pop tarts:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for rolling out the dough
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 2 eggs divided
• 1 cup 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½” chunks
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• ½ cup jam of choice

For the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons whole milk
• Food coloring optional
• Sprinkles for decoration

Instructions:

For the pop tarts:

• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough attachment add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. In a small bowl beat one of the eggs then add to the food processor mixture and pulse a few more times. Add the butter and water pulsing until the dough just comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured workspace and knead until the dough is smooth but there are still visible chunks of butter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Once it has chilled, divide the dough in half and roll each half out into a rectangle about ¼” thick. Cut each piece of dough into 8 rectangles about 3” x 4” in size. You may have to reroll the scraps to make 8.
• Place 8 of the rectangles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Add a rounded teaspoon of jam into the center of each rectangle. Place a second rectangle of dough over the top and use your fingertips to press the edges of the dough together.
• Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges and make indents around the edges of the dough. Prick the top of each tart with the fork or using a knife so that steam can escape. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
• In a small bowl whisk the remaining egg and brush on the top of the pop tarts. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

• In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar and milk until it is completely smooth and the consistency of glue. If using food coloring add it now and whisk to combine.
• Spread the icing on top of each pop tart then add sprinkles if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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