Homemade Pop-Tarts: Redux
Little hands grasp the edge of the counter. Tiny arms struggle to pull eager eyes up into view of the toaster. The red glow emanating from the chrome box bathes the counter and cabinets in warmth. The black dial on the side slowly spins, counting down the seconds, letting out a quite click every so often.
Cachunk! The contraption inside the toaster wrenches about, throwing the little scorched pies into the air. Both rectangular dough vessels for sweet, bubbly filling land on a bare waiting plate.
Impatient feet sprint towards a chair, already scooted back from the table; a hop carries them and their owner onto the chair. I sit on my legs, a temporary booster chair of sorts.
Crumbs fly left and right as audible masticating fills the kitchen air. Filling drops on pristine white clothes. Dirty hands are cleaned on recently ironed shorts.
“All done!” I run off and play with legos.
Two and a half years ago I posted a recipe for homemade Pop-Tarts, adapted from the deligutfully talented Deb of Smitten Kitchen, and today I’ve decided to revisit the post. To tell you the truth my family has been hounding me for the last two plus years to make these suckers. I can’t tell you why I didn’t – they are perhaps one of the easiest desserts out there. Recently I did though and I fell in love all over again.
Last time I included Deb’s pastry dough and filling (brown sugar & cinnamon) but this time I’m including a few of my own pie doughs and a few extra filling ideas! Let’s face it. The only thing better than Pop-Tarts are the plethora of flavors. The best part about homemade Pop-Tarts is that you can use just about any dough or any filling you’d like. Because of this I’ve decided to include general instructions for how to assemble and cook them. I’ve then included a list of dough, filling and topping options.
Homemade Pop-Tarts n
y 9 homemade Pop-Tarts
d Easyt 1 hour
o Tools:
Rolling Pin
Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Toothpicki Ingredients:
2 unbaked pie crusts, your choice
9 ounces filling, your choice
Egg wash9 ounces topping, your choice
n Instructions:
1. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Prepare the doughs, filling and topping ahead of time and set aside.
2. Roll out the pie crusts out to make two 9 inch by 12 inch rectangles.
2. Cut both dough rectangles into 9 equal rectangles, each 4 inches by 3 inches.
3. Equally space 9 small rectangles out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (these are the bottoms of the homemade Pop-Tarts).
4. Brush the tops of the dough slices with the egg wash.
5. Leaving 1/4 inch edge around each base bare, spread about 1 ounce filling into the center of each dough slice.
5. Top each filling-topped dough slice with the remaining nine dough slices. Press the edges down tightly to ensure the homemade Pop-Tart is sealed shut.
6. Using a toothpick, seal the edges further by making indentions around the outside of each homemade Pop-Tart, caking care not to press all the way through the dough to the pan.
7. Poke a few holes in the top of each homemade Pop-Tart and refrigerate them for 30 minutes before baking.
8. Bake the chilled homemade Pop-Tarts in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool.
r Store homemade Pop-Tarts store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days. Depending on the topping used, they can be reheated in the toaster.
a Mix and match your favorite doughs, fillings and toppings.
Doughs
While you can use almost any dough, you’ll want to stick to pie or tart doughs, or doughs that are firmer and wont lose their shape when baked. Here are a few options:
Flaky Pie Dough
Pecan Pie Dough
Cinnamon Pie Dough
Whole Wheat Brown Sugar Crust
Sweet Vanilla Oat Dough
Cinnamon Cornmeal Dough
Fillings
While you can use almost any filling, you’ll want to make sure that the filling is on the thick side of the spectum as it could leak out of the homemade Pop-Tart or make reheating impossible in a toaster.
Jams: When using homemade or store bought jams, I suggest adding 1/2 ounce of cornstarch to help thicken the mixture during baking.
Grape Jelly
Strawberry Jam
Strawberry Kiwi Jam
Custards & Cremes: Make sure you use creams and custards that can be cooked again.
Fillings:
Thyme Lemon Filling
Tart Lemon Filling
Caramel Pecan Filling
Toppings
A royal icing is the most common topping, though beware, once you add a topping like that you wont be able to reheat the homemade Pop-Tarts in the microwave.
Enjoy!
You had me at homemade pop-tarts. I am making these ASAP!
Russel this is an awesome post and thanks for the redux and thanks to your family members who hounded you for them to inspire this!
caramel pecan filling? I am SO in!
Oh my! I love the sound of this, and I love the variety that goes with it!
Aha! Looks very yummy!! :D
Homemade pop tarts are so infinitely better than store bough, that they have ascended to an all new level of deliciousness. I have renamed them flat pies in my head. Delicious flat pies.
Love the versatility! I can only imagine the deliciousness of pecan pie dough with caramel pecan filling…
My gosh, I see my childhood memories, flashing before my eyes. I am going make them from now on. Nothing beats home-made. My brother loves them too. Especially if it’s cookies and cream. Love that we could almost use any dough. Never knew, and now if I ever have any left over dough, I know I could turn them into. xoxo
These have been on my list to make for a while. Thanks for inspiring me yet again!
Ah, man, I have wanted to make homemade pop tarts for so long. I lived on them as a kid. These are beautiful!
Memories!
I was never a big fan of the store bought poptarts but home made ones sound pretty good! I will have to try these for sure! :)
I’ve made hand pies before but never pop tarts! Need to jump on this gravy train. Plus, earl grey custard?? swoon.
Mmm…I’m dreaming of a caramel pecan filled pop tart.
Pop tarts are such a guilty pleasure for me and the idea of that caramel pecan filling? Amazing.
I have to say the store bought pop tarts have never appealed to me, but if you handed me a batch of these homemade ones, I’d try every flavor!
Hugs to you Russell! We have a rule about “junk-food” like pop-tarts and candy bars, that if you have to have it, it has to be made from scratch.
You are the hero of the day!!
I’m a HUGE pop tart fan, I would love to make my own!! thanks for the recipe!!
I am loving these!!
I’m not a fan of regular Pop-Tarts, but I just swooned a little at the thought of one filled with Earl Grey Custard…
Uh-mazing! I’ve never really liked real pop tarts but I love homemade ones and your fillings sound incredible!
New to your site and I love it — pictures… I don’t know if I am looking at art, new recipes, or reading a good novel. It just a comfty cozy place to visit with all my favorite things!
This is a great post that just drives home the idea that any store bought food can be homemade and be just as if not more delicious. Pop tarts are a great idea, and the other day I just saw a recipe online for a homemade Twinkie! Loving the creativity with this
Yesterday we made some with chocolate chips. More dessert than breakfast. Such fun and much better than the store bought kind.
Wow, what a great canvas for the limitless fillings you can put in these. Beautiful work here, Russell, and thanks for the recipe!
Homemade poptarts are the bees knees my friend! They are just so much better than the store bough variety.
homemade poptarts?! you’re my hero.
I don’t know why I haven’t thought of doing this myself.. My husband LOVES pop-tarts but I hate to buy them because they are expensive for what they are.. and they all have corn syrup…. :) I am totally going to try this and surprise him with them! Thanks for the recipe.
Yum, these pop tarts look delicious! They’re so expensive to buy down under so I may give these a go instead!