Do you ever have those light bulb moments—the ones that seem too idiotic to share out loud. Yeah, I had one of those this weekend. While making pop tarts. Remember the a-ha moment when you realized that U-Haul just wasn’t a company name? It literally means “you haul it”. And remember the a-ha moment when you realized that Pop Tarts are really just tarts. Tarts?! Yeah, that happened this weekend. And I don’t even care where the word “pop” came from. Popular? That’s not even cool.
Now that we all know my IQ, or lack there of—homemade pop tarts are quite easy to make. You make some tart dough. Roll it out. Add some yummy jam. (I used my to-die-for farmer’s market black raspberry jam.) Put another rectangle of tart dough on top. Press, press, press. Egg wash. Sprinkle sugar. And bake. Now, why buy those popular tarts when you can have homemade pop tarts. I’m still miffed I got duped by Kellogg’s. Pop Tarts?! Who knew? Kellogg’s–1; Melissa–0.
I’ll give myself 3 points in the flavor category just because I can, bumping Kellogg’s to the back. These tarts are awesome. No lie. They’re not too sweet. They melt in your mouth. And the younger pop tart loving crowd loves em. Proof—we had this little high-energy guy over, and he loved them enough to sit still and pose for a picture. His older brother helped me make them while trying to teach me how to speak spanish. It’s gonna take making hundreds of pop tarts before I catch on. Case in point: Pop Tarts.
How can you deny this sweet face? Please tell me you’ll try one.
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. almond flour
Jam (the best you can get your hands on)
Turbinado
Instructions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until well combined. Add half of egg, reserving other half for later, and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
In a medium bowl, combine all flours. With the mixer on low speed, add flours all at once; mix until well combined.
Turn dough out onto work surface and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.
Once dough is ready, preheat oven to 350°.
Place dough on a floured work surface and roll out to 1/8-inch thick. (Here’s the tricky part. The dough needs to be warm enough to manipulate but cold enough to hold it’s shape. Frequent, but quick trips, to the freezer are necessary.) Cut out 10 even rectangles, about 3″x4″ each.
Place 5 tart rectangles on a baking sheet. Fill with jam, about 1 heaping tablespoon per tart, leaving half an inch clearing space around the outer edge of the rectangle. Carefully place tart rectangle on top and press with a fork around the edges to seal. Trim away any extraneous dough. Repeat. If dough begins to crack, dip finger in water and smooth. Works like magic. Brush tarts with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado.
Transfer to a freezer for 10 minutes. (This helps the dough to hold its shape.)
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving. Reserve leftovers in an air tight container.
This blog is made possible by your support (thank you), select brand partnerships, advertisements, and affiliate links to items I love and use. READ MORE >
I was just hit by an overwhelming urge to eat a pop tart. Although, I don’t buy them for a number of reasons….and I thought, hey, I bet I could MAKE them, and then I saw the Parade blip about copy cat cookie recipes (that I heard about via the cupcake project) and clicked your fig newton recipe and then found the poptart one. *sigh* this is wonderful! I was wondering, though, if you knew….if I were to make these en masse how they would transfer from being frozen solid to baking? Just add more time? Or would you change the baking temperature at all?
I’ve never tried baking them frozen. I seem to get mixed results when I baking frozen dough. You could also try freezing them after baking and then toast to reheat. Now I want to try it!
Adorable! The pop tarts, the little guy, and you! I know exactly what you mean by those silly a-ha moments. I always thought the pop in pop tarts came from how they popped out of the toaster 🙂
That’s probably what the pop means! Another a-ha 🙂 Oh boy, I need to get with it! I tried to get my husband to try toasting it, but he wouldn’t do it. Too nervous to ruin a homemade pop tart.
I have made “tarts” before for the kids, but when they baked all the jam ran all over the pan?? What can solve that, my edges were sealed before baking….?
Hmmm… my only thoughts are dough could be too thick, making it too heavy, or too much filling, or filling too close to the edge of the rectangle. I try to err on the side of less filling. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough, but it turned out perfect. Hope this helps!
I was just hit by an overwhelming urge to eat a pop tart. Although, I don’t buy them for a number of reasons….and I thought, hey, I bet I could MAKE them, and then I saw the Parade blip about copy cat cookie recipes (that I heard about via the cupcake project) and clicked your fig newton recipe and then found the poptart one. *sigh* this is wonderful! I was wondering, though, if you knew….if I were to make these en masse how they would transfer from being frozen solid to baking? Just add more time? Or would you change the baking temperature at all?
I’ve never tried baking them frozen. I seem to get mixed results when I baking frozen dough. You could also try freezing them after baking and then toast to reheat. Now I want to try it!
Great idea! have you ever frozen your poptarts after they were cooked?
I haven’t. But I’m thinking that’s a good way to go. I’m gonna have to try it now!
Can you make it sans the almond paste? My Son has a nut allergy. 😮
Poor guy! You can make it without. Just replace with flour.
I love his glasses! 🙂
Mmmm!!! In your face Kelloggs! These look wonderful and I love all the filling! That was always my biggest complaint with pop-tarts.
I love this idea of making your own pop tarts! What a cute kid!
Delicious!
Adorable! The pop tarts, the little guy, and you! I know exactly what you mean by those silly a-ha moments. I always thought the pop in pop tarts came from how they popped out of the toaster 🙂
That’s probably what the pop means! Another a-ha 🙂 Oh boy, I need to get with it! I tried to get my husband to try toasting it, but he wouldn’t do it. Too nervous to ruin a homemade pop tart.
I have made “tarts” before for the kids, but when they baked all the jam ran all over the pan?? What can solve that, my edges were sealed before baking….?
Thanks!
Hmmm… my only thoughts are dough could be too thick, making it too heavy, or too much filling, or filling too close to the edge of the rectangle. I try to err on the side of less filling. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough, but it turned out perfect. Hope this helps!