Strawberry Pop Tarts
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By now you’ve gathered that I hold my New Year’s Eve traditions very dear. But the rituals don’t end once the last shot glass is rinsed and the first sunrise of the year peeks through the curtains, oh no.
Our little crew has established a set of cardinal rules for New Year’s Day that we take just as seriously as the party itself.
They are as follows:
- You do not put on any clothing more respectable than sweats.
- You do not cook.
- Cartons of Italian and Thai delivery are to be inhaled from a horizontal position on the couch or the air mattress inflated in the middle of the living room specifically for the occasion.
- Naps are encouraged, as is the viewing of much bad television and old movies.
- And most importantly: you do not leave the house.
Even though we know this system to be perfectly constructed to maximize our recuperative efforts, last year we did the stupidest thing imaginable.
We broke all of these rules by attempting to go out for brunch. It was terrible.
We put on real clothes–jeans, coats, boots–to trudge through snow and found nothing but long lines of hungover Bostonians waiting at understaffed diners.
In desperation, we walked one block further to Flour Bakery for the only thing that might salvage the morning: strawberry pop tarts.
Have you ever had a homemade pop tart?
I mean, you know it’s going to be better than those boxed leaden bricks that pass for breakfast, but this–this was ethereal. It transcended pastry.
It must have been fate that got us out of the house that day, because though I was in hangover hell, I met my baked good soulmate at Flour.
Not only that, but I also realized I could make these with my own no-fail pie dough recipe, and they would be just as spectacular. (Not to mention simpler.)
This year, I planned ahead by making a batch of homemade strawberry pop tarts while I was prepping the New Year’s Eve meal.
Follow my lead and make these strawberry pop tarts a day in advance of your next sloth-a-thon.
The dough can be chilled for as little as one hour, but I find it best when refrigerated overnight.
And once assembled, the pastries need to bake and cool for about an hour before you can sink your teeth into them.
Though they’re beyond spectacular when nibbled warm, the tarts work extremely well as a room temperature snack to munch on while popping your third Bill Murray movie of the day into the DVD player.
I’m just saying, there are worse ways to start off a new year than with a mouthful of homemade pop tart.
Strawberry Pop Tarts
Homemade strawberry pop tarts are better than any out-of-the-box breakfast pastry, featuring flaky crust and sweet jam, icing, and sprinkles. Make them with classic strawberry filling or with any fruit flavor you want.
Ingredients
Pop Tarts
- 1 recipe perfect pie crust
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- approximately 6 ounces strawberry jam (about half a 12-ounce jar)
Icing
- 4 ounces (113 grams) confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles or sugar
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Make the dough according to recipe instructions.
- However, instead of dividing the dough into 2 discs, shape the 2 pieces into rectangles and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Assemble and bake the pop tarts:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of pie dough into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Use a pastry or pizza cutter and a ruler to slice the dough into 9 3x4-inch pieces.
- Transfer each piece to one of the prepared baking sheets.
- Brush the edges of each piece with egg wash.
- Scoop 2 teaspoons strawberry jam onto the center of each dough rectangle. If you are using a very thick jam and don't see any liquid weeping from it after you've placed it on the dough, you can add an additional teaspoon if desired. But don't push it if you've got a loose, jelly-like jam.
- Roll the remaining piece of dough as you did the first, cutting it into 9 more pieces.
- Place each of these on top of the ones on the baking sheet to cover the filling, then seal the edges closed by pressing with the tines of a fork.
- Poke the top crust a few times with the fork to vent.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until the edges of each pop tart start to brown slightly. You don't want to overbake them.
- Transfer the pop tarts to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Finish the pop tarts:
- Whisk the confectioner's sugar and milk together until a thick icing forms, then whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Spread the icing onto the cooled pop tarts with a pastry brush.
- Sprinkle generously with colorful sugar, nonpareils, or funfetti sprinkles.
- Allow the icing to harden, then eat with JOY.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 51mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
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Casey Barber
Casey Barber is the owner and founder of Good Food Stories LLC and a visual storyteller whose work often focuses on the intersection of food and culture. She is also the author of the cookbooks Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats, and she couldn’t get anything done without the help of her executive assistant cats, Bixby and Lenny. Her favorite color is obviously orange.
Y’know, I’ve never been a huge Pop Tart fan (the horror! please forgive me). But if it’s from Flour, I may be forced to reconsider. I met Joanne Chang at a signing a few weeks ago & she seems super-sweet, and not just because she works with sugar all day.
Debbie, I wasn’t a fan of pop tarts, either, but I can’t get enough of these! They should probably have a new name, because they’re miles beyond store-bought Pop Tarts.
Agreed with you guys. These seem nothing like the sickly sweet Pop-Tarts (or, shudder, “Toaster Strudels”) of my youth.
I’m going to have to try this one!
I’m a big fan of Joanne Chang too, especially her coconut macaroons. Never made the pop-tarts, but I hope to soon.
I hope one of those Bill Murray movies was Groundhog Day – it’s the best. Happy new year!
please tell me you had a cinnamon bun there too!
Oh my! I am one of those non-pop tart eaters, but I’m going to make these this weekend. I’m sitting here with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but I wish I had one of those pop tarts instead!
Homemade pop tarts? Whoa. I haven’t had a pop tart in years, but I seriously need to try these. Thank you. Thank you.
Must bookmark this … this very second.
Something tells me these are not your typical pop tarts.
Oh wow! I love this idea. And Flour is not far from me. But I’d rather make them at home from scratch – thanks for this recipe!
Umm, is it wrong that your New Year’s Day schedule is my standard weekend schedule?