Best Homemade Pop Tarts Recipes

HOMEMADE "POP TARTS" RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Cut puff pastry along fold lines and then in half, making 6 rectangular pieces.
• Coat edges of one section of pastry with egg wash (egg and milk whisked).
• Place desired amount of filling (we used equal parts of each jam) in the center and spread, leaving room on the edges.
• Then place a second piece of puff pastry on top, Push the edges of the two pastry pieces together with your fingers and then press with a fork to seal.
• Bake on wax paper at 190°C (375°F) for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
• For icing, mix all ingredients together. Add additional milk or sugar to achieve desired consistency. Apply to slightly cooked pastries.
• Enjoy!

HOMEMADE POP TARTS

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Work in the butter until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible.
• Mix the egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is mixed.
• Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 10 ounces.
• Shape each half into a rough 3" x 5" rectangle, smoothing the edges.
• Roll out immediately; or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• Make the filling:
• Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
• Assemble the tarts:
• If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes.
• Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9" x 12".
• (Laying a 9" x 13" pan atop the dough will give you an idea if you've rolled it large enough.).
• Trim off the edges; place the scraps on a baking sheet, and set them aside, along with the 9" x 12" rectangle of dough.
• Roll the second piece of dough just as you did the first.
• Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you've just rolled, to gently score it in thirds lengthwise and widthwise; you'll see nine 3" x 4" rectangles.
• Beat the egg, and brush it over the entire surface of the dough.
• Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each marked rectangle.
• Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides.
• Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle.
• Cut the dough evenly in between the filling mounds to make nine tarts.
• Press the cut edges with your fingers to seal, then press with a fork, to seal again.
• Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries.
• Refrigerate the tarts (they don't need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle the dough trimmings with cinnamon-sugar; these have nothing to do with your toaster pastries, but it's a shame to discard them, and they make a wonderful snack.
• While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they're golden brown.
• Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 25 to 35 minutes, until they're a light golden brown.
• Remove them from the oven, and allow them to cool on the pan.
• Variations: Instead of brown sugar and cinnamon, fill the tarts with a tablespoonful of chocolate chips.
• Or with jam filling: 3/4 cup (8 ounces) raspberry jam.
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water.
• To make the filling, mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

VEGAN HOMEMADE POP-TARTS®

Steps:

• Scoop tablespoons of shortening onto a plate and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and chill for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Crumble shortening into the flour mixture with your fingers until no large clumps remain. Add 1/2 cup ice water to the mixture, a little at a time, until dough reaches a shaggy consistency. Knead on the countertop a couple of times to combine. The dough should appear a little too dry.
• Place dough back into the bowl or a large container and cover with a lid. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into twelve 4x6-inch rectangles.
• Place about 1 1/2 tablespoon of strawberry jam in the center of 6 of the rectangles. Brush the edges with water and top with the other dough halves. Seal the edges of each tart with a fork. Trim the edges for neater tarts, if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are lightly browned, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Combine powdered sugar, almond milk, and food coloring in a bowl for icing. Drizzle icing over the cooled tarts.

JOANNE CHANG'S HOMEMADE POP-TARTS

Steps:

• FOR THE PATE BRISEE: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), mix together flour, sugar, and salt for 10 - 15 seconds, or until combined. Scatter butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you clump it and lumps of butter the size of pecans are visible throughout.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.
• Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface, then gather it together into a tight mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top of the mound and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter. Gather up the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. (Makes about 18 oz dough, enough for 8 pop-tarts or one 9-inch double-crust pie.).
• FOR THE POP-TARTS: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350°F Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Press each half into a rectangle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each half into a 14-by-11-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, lightly score 1 rectangle into eight 3 1/2-by-5 1/2-inch rectangles (about the size of an index card).
• Brush the top surface of the entire scored rectangle with the egg. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the jam in a mound in the center of each scored rectangle. Lay the second large dough rectangle directly on top of the first. Using fingertips, carefully press down all around each jam mound, so the pastry sheets adhere to each other.
• Using a knife, a pizza roller, or a fluted roller, and following the scored lines, cut the layered dough into 8 rectangles. Place the rectangles, well spaced, on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the tops of the pastries are evenly golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
• FOR THE GLAZE: While the pastries are cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and enough of the water to make a smooth, pourable glaze. You should have about 1/2 cup. (The glaze can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 week.).
• When the pastries have cooled for 30 minutes, brush the tops evenly with the glaze, then sprinkle with the rainbow sprinkles (if using). Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the glaze to set before serving. The pastries can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

HOMEMADE POP-TARTS

Steps:

• Roll out pie dough and cut into rectangles.
• Spread jam on half of them, leaving one-half inch or so on edges without jam.
• Cover with another rectange.
• Crimp edges with a fork.
• Bake until pie dough is done (follow instructions on package).
• Glaze with powdered sugar and milk or eat plain.

HOMEMADE POP TARTS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and coarse salt and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is the texture of coarse meal with some larger pea-sized pieces of butter. Add 6 tablespoons of the of ice water to the mixture and pulse just until the dough is evenly moistened. You should be able to squeeze a bit of the dough together and have it hold. Add up to two more tablespoons of water if necessary, but don't let the dough get too wet. Divided the dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap. Shape each half into a square, wrap well and chill for at least 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 8 1/2-inch-by- 12 1/2 inch rectangle. Trim 1/4 inch off each edge then cut the dough into 8 rectangles. Transfer the rectangles to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining disc of dough.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F Make an egg wash by beating 1 egg well. Brush the edges of half of the rectangles with the egg wash. Add 1 tablespoon of the jam to each of those rectangles and spread it out leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top each of these rectangles with another and use a fork to seal the edges. Cut three small slits in the top of each tart to vent steam.
• Transfer the tarts to two parchment-lined baking sheets and brush them with egg wash. Bake until deep golden brow, 20 to 24 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Add a bit more milk for a thinner glaze, if you like. Use a spoon to spread a bit of glaze on the top of each tart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and serve immediately or let the tarts stand at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 2 hours.