Homemade Pop-Tarts

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry dough

   In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 cup cold butter (cut into small cubes) and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter chunks remaining. Those chunks are what make the pastry flaky. Don't blend it smooth. In a small bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks with 1/4 cup ice water. Pour this into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together. It'll look shaggy and dry. That's fine. Press it together with your hands, divide in half, flatten each half into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. 2

   Mix the filling

   Stir 1/2 cup jam and 1 tsp cornstarch together in a small bowl. The cornstarch thickens the jam so it doesn't ooze out during baking and make a sticky mess on your baking sheet. You can use any flavor jam you want. Strawberry is classic but raspberry, blueberry, apricot, and even Nutella all work. For a brown sugar cinnamon version (the real MVP Pop-Tart flavor), mix 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tbsp softened butter into a paste.

3. 3

   Roll and cut

   Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll one dough rectangle on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick (roughly 10x14 inches). Trim the edges so they're straight, then cut into 8 rectangles, each about 3x5 inches. You can use a ruler and a pizza cutter for clean, even cuts. Repeat with the second dough piece so you have 16 rectangles total (8 tops and 8 bottoms). Re-roll scraps once if needed.

4. 4

   Fill and seal

   Place 8 rectangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of each, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all sides. Don't overfill or they'll burst open during baking. Brush the edges with beaten egg (egg wash). Place the remaining 8 rectangles on top. Use a fork to press and crimp all four edges shut. The fork crimping seals them and also gives you that classic Pop-Tart look. Poke the top of each one 3-4 times with the fork to let steam escape.

5. 5

   Bake

   Brush the tops with egg wash for a golden finish. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and flaky. The filling will be bubbling slightly where you poked the holes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Glaze and decorate

   While the pop-tarts cool, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla together until smooth and pourable. Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the top of each pop-tart, then immediately add sprinkles before the glaze sets. Let the glaze set for 10-15 minutes. Then eat one warm and experience what a Pop-Tart is actually supposed to taste like. The store-bought version will never hit the same again.

Nutrition

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