Homemade Pop Tarts

Growing up, pop tarts were always a fun treat to eat. Store bought pop tarts tend to have bad reputations as unhealthy sugary treats that should not be fed to children for breakfast - I agree! However, when I came across this recipe for homemade pop tarts, I couldn't resist baking them for a school bake sale. Making the pop tarts was simple, and they resemble the store bought version perfectly, but taste way better! I made strawberry pop tarts with jam filling and apple cinnamon pop tarts with apple butter filling. The apple cinnamon pop tarts were my favorites!

HOMEMADE POP TARTS
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 sticks butter (cold)
6-8 tbsp. ice water
Strawberry Jam or Apple Butter for the filling
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Milk
Strawberry Extract or Cinnamon to flavor icing
Sprinkles!

Using a food processor, pastry blender, or forks, combine flour, salt, sugar, and butter. Once combined, the  mixture will turn more buttery in color and there will be no large pieces of butter remaining. Add water 1 tbsp. at a time until the dough holds together when pressed with hands, but is not sticky.

Chill the completed dough in the refrigerator. I never chill my pastry dough very long because I find it breaks easily when rolled out. However, I have little experience making pastry dough, and so this is a personal preference. The recipe I followed said to chill the dough overnight or for at least two hours - whatever works!

Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will rise a little when baking in the oven. Use a pastry wheel, or a cookie cutter to cut the dough into the desired shaped and sizes. Place dough cut outs onto a cookie sheet. Refrigerate each cookie sheet once it is filled up while the rest of the dough is being cut.

Spoon 1-2 tsp. of jam or apple butter on each cut out and spread. Be creative to come up with other possible fillings! Place a top piece of dough on each pastry, press the edges together, and use a fork to achieve a decorative crimped edge.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.

Combine powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency for icing is achieved. Add strawberry extract or cinnamon to flavor the icing. Icing coloring can be used to tint.

Spread icing on top of cooled pop tarts. Decorate with sprinkles.

Recipe inspirations from Bake at 350.

Enjoy!