Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe
Pop Tarts are one of our ultimate comfort foods. These homemade pop tarts aren’t just cute, they’re also really dang tasty and can be made in pretty much any fruit flavor!
A couple of months ago when my parents came over to my house to visit my mom gave me a gift. She had been to the grocery store on the way over and gave me a pair of Pop Tart Socks. I shrieked and was very excited waving around my pink Pop Tart socks as I crooned, “I Looooooove Pop Tarts.” To which my mom responded simply, “I know.”
When things got all sorts of weird with the Pandemic I found it difficult to find some of my favorite treats. And, apparently, during a Pandemic is the perfect time to be able to cook! Weaving toilet paper would have been particularly handy, as well, but that’s neither here nor there. Unable to find my very fave Cherry Poptarts I made my own simply because I can.
Today I’m sharing with you how to make your very own fruit-filled Homemade Pop Tarts. Full disclosure from the get-go, I haven’t tested making any non-fruit filled tarts like brown sugar or smores. I know Snoop Dogg would be disappointed as I have it on good authority that his favorite Pop Tart flavor is chocolate fudge, so apologies Snoop. By good authority I mean his cookbook, From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen, page 13, item 10.
Our Favorite Tools for this Recipe:
For these homemade pop tarts we used a food processor, baking sheet, rolling pin, and parchment paper. When making dough without a food processor, we love this pastry cutter.
Ingredients You Need to Make Pop Tarts :
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Table Salt
- Cold Butter
- Milk
- Egg
- Ice Cold Water
- Fruit Preserves
- Corn Starch
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Also called powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar.
- Sprinkles – Optional but dang cute.
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
Combine all dry ingredients into the bowl of your food processor. Add butter and pulse. Process the crust mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons of cold water, a little at a time, as needed. Continue to pulse until a dough forms. Once that dough will hold together (test with your fingers) divide it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
Remove dough from the fridge allowing it to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Flour your work surface and roll the dough to 1/8″ thick. Using a round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut 32 circles. Re-roll and cut the dough as needed.
In a small saucepan combine corn-starch, 1 tablespoon of water, and fruit preserves. Cook over medium heat until simmering. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, continually whisking as the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow to completely cool.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place 16 rounds onto the paper. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each circle.
Using a toothpick, prick small ventilation holes in the tops of the unused dough rounds. Place tops over the fruit layer and use a form around the edges to crimp each pop tart closed. Whisk together egg and milk and brush on top of each round.
Preheat oven to 350° and place pop tarts in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes. Bake chilled Pop Tarts for 20-30 minutes, checking after 15 or until golden brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Stir powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of milk together in a bowl. Add an additional tablespoon, if necessary, to form a smooth glaze. Spoon glaze over each cooled Pop Tart, then immediately add sprinkles, if desired.
Tips for Success!
- For this recipe, don’t let your butter sit out to soften. When making dough having cold butter is especially important for a nice flakey crust. For great crust don’t skip refrigerating the dough prior to rolling out.
- In general, try to handle the dough as little as possible. Overworking creates tough baked pastries.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
Make it Gluten Free – This recipe works very well with a cup for cup gluten free flour in place of all-purpose flour. We prefer King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
Make it Vegan – Substitute cold butter with cold vegetable shortening, like Butter-Flavored Crisco and substitute your favorite milk alternative. Use straight milk in place of egg wash just before baking.
Storage
Store homemade Pop Tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe
Ingredients
Pop Tart Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter cold
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
Filling:
- ¾ cup fruit preserves any flavor
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
To Make the Crust:
- Combine all dry ingredients into a food processor bowl. Add butter and pulse until a the texture resembles a coarse meal. Add cold water and continue to pulse. Stop once a dough that will hold together forms.
- Remove from food processor and divide the dough in half. Use these halves to make round dough discs. Cover in plastic wrap and allow to chill at least 30 minutes.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Flour your work surface and roll the dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut 32 circles using a round cookie cutter.
To Make the Filling:
- In a small saucepan combine cornstarch and water. Stir in fruit preserves.
- Over medium heat allow the fruit mixture to begin to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, continually whisking while the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool completely.
To Make the Pop Tarts:
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and place 16 of your round dough cutouts onto the paper. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling onto the each dough round, right in the center.
- Using a toothpick, prick small ventilation holes around the tops of the 16 unused douch cutouts. Place these 16 rounds on top of the dough rounds on the baking sheet. Use a fork around the edges to crimp each Pop Tart closed.
- Whisk together egg and milk and brush onto the top of each Pop Tart.
- Preheat your oven to 350° and place your Pop Tarts in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Bake chilled Pop Tarts for 20-30 minutes, checking after 15, or until golden brown. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of milk, adding an additional tablespoon if necessary to form a smooth glaze. Spoon glaze over each cooled Pop Tart, then immediately add sprinkles, if desired.
