Full of nostalgia and made from scratch, these homemade pop tarts are so much better than the store-bought kind! Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pastry filled with a sweet strawberry jam filling then topped with icing and sprinkles, these will easily become your new favorite morning treat!
Alright folks, today we’re talking about these homemade pop tarts, and I’m so excited to share them with you. I grew up eating pop tarts, so I’m pretty familiar with the whole store-bought, pre-packaged breakfast pastry thing. And while I do in fact love a store-bought pop tart, I just need the world to know that homemade pop tarts are 10-million, no 10-trillion, times better. Like not even in the same ballpark. Holy smokes, I’m now in love with homemade pop tarts.
Tender, buttery, lightly sweet pastry encased around a sweet strawberry jam filling that’s topped with icing and sprinkles. AKA one of the better parts of childhood breakfasts. Let me tell you the star of the pop tart show here is the shortcrust pastry. It’s what makes these homemade pop tarts worth the effort. It’s perfectly tender and literally melts in your mouth. It’s perfect. And if you’re new to working with shortcrust pastry, I’ve got all sorts of helpful tips and tricks listed below!
For the filling, I went with a strawberry jam that’s thickened over the stovetop with a cornstarch slurry. I tried making these without thickening the jam, but unfortunately it all leaked out of the pastries in the oven. Preparing the filling over the stovetop is an easy step that ensures all your filling stays put, so be sure not to skip it! If strawberry isn’t your jam (pun intended), feel free to use whatever flavor you like!
Now, is it easier to buy pop tarts at the store? Of course. To tell you the honest truth, this is not one of my easier recipes. Making homemade pop tarts takes some time and attention to detail, but you can (and should) absolutely do it! I’ve made sure you have all my best tips and tricks, with lots of pictures, to help you succeed. Plus, making homemade pop tarts way more fun AND unbelievably more delicious. My best advice is to have fun. You’re making pop tarts after all!
Hope you guys love making and eating these as much I do! And I’m sorry if you, like myself, have a hard time ever buying the store-bought version ever again.
What you’ll need to make homemade pop tarts:
Flour: All-purpose flour provides the right amount of structure for our shortcrust pastry.
Powdered sugar: A little bit of sugar lightly sweetens the pastry dough. I prefer powdered sugar over granulated sugar because it gives the pastry a soft, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Kosher salt: For balance.
Butter: Butter adds flavor and moisture to the pastry dough. It also coats the flour to prevent excess gluten-formation, making the pastry dough extra crumbly and soft.
Egg yolk: One egg yolk helps bind the dough together, while also adding some extra richness and moisture. You’ll also need 1 extra egg for the egg wash.
Milk: Combined with the egg yolk, helps bind the dough together.
Cornstarch, water, and strawberry jam for the jam filling (feel free to use whatever flavor jam you like!).
Powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, food coloring (optional) for the icing. Plus sprinkles for decoration!
How to make homemade pop tarts:
As I said before, making homemade pop tarts isn’t quite as easy as whipping up a batch of cookies. But don’t be intimidated- you can do this! Before making this recipe, I recommend reading through this post in its entirety to get familiar with the recipe and my best tips and tricks. Things don’t have to look perfect to taste delicious. Remember, you’re making homemade pop tarts, so relax and have some fun!
Let’s start by making the shortcrust pastry dough!
To make the pastry dough, you’ll add flour, powdered sugar and a little kosher salt to the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse this a few times, until all the dry ingredients are combined. Then you’ll add in some COLD cubed butter and let the mixer run on low speed until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs. It’s important that the butter is cold!
Next, mix the egg yolk and milk together in a separate bowl or glass measuring cup. Drizzle this over the ingredients in the food processor. Then turn the processor back on low speed and mix until all the ingredients are moistened and a dough begins to form. The dough will be crumbly, but it should hold together when pressed. It should look like this:
Turn the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured surface. It’s going to look crumbly! Press together and knead by hand until a smooth dough forms. Be patient here! it will seem too crumbly at first, but it will come together! Once it comes together, stop working the dough — overworked dough = less tender pastry.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Try and make the thickness of each rectangle uniform- this makes it easier to roll out the dough into an even thickness later in the recipe!
Wrap the individual rectangles of dough tightly in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. (If you choose to chill them longer, let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so to soften a bit before rolling out!)
Next, let’s make the jam filling! First, stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to form a slurry. Add the slurry and jam to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stirring together as the jam loosens and the mixture becomes more liquid-y. Bring the jam mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Then pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool!
The next step is rolling out the dough and assembling the pop tarts (yay!). This is part of the recipe that can get a little tricky (but also the most fun), so be sure to read all my best tips and tricks in the next section of this post to help make this part a little easier! You’ve got this!
Roll our your chilled pastry dough!
Remove one portion of dough from the fridge, leaving the other portion in the fridge to stay cold (chilled pastry dough is easier to work with than warm pastry dough!). On a heavily floured work surface, roll the dough into a 10×13″ rectangle. Next, trim the edges to make a neat 9×12″ rectangle (I like to use a pizza cutter for this!). Now cut the rectangle into nine 3×4″ rectangles. Place the rectangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop that in the fridge to chill while you repeat the process of rolling out and cutting into nine rectangles with the second portion of dough.
Now for the really fun part. Lets assemble!
Brush the chilled rectangles on the baking sheet with egg wash, making sure you cover the dough all the way to the edges (the egg wash is the “glue” that helps the two rectangles stick together). Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the prepared jam filling onto the center of each rectangle. Like this:
Next, brush the remaining rectangles with egg wash and place them, wet side down, onto the rectangles with jam. Use your fingers to seal the two rectangles together by pressing around the edges of the filling all the way out to the edges of the dough. Then use a fork to crimp the edges!
Place the assembled pop tarts in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Before baking, brush the chilled pop tarts with more egg wash and prick them several times with a fork (this helps steam escape while they bake). Then admire how adorable your pop tarts are.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Your kitchen will also smell AMAZING. Allow the pop tarts to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until they’re cool to glaze them!
Let’s talk about dough:
This recipe uses a sweet shortcrust pastry dough. Shortcrust pastry is a tender, more crumbly pastry, which makes it the perfect choice for these homemade pop tarts. I sweeten the pastry with a bit of powdered sugar, which of course adds sweetness, but also contributes towards that melt-in-your-mouth texture. An egg yolk and some milk add extra richness and help bring the dough together. Shortcrust pastry isn’t flakey like pie pastry – it’s similar to a shortbread cookie. Crumbly, tender, lightly sweet, and (in my honest opinion) the best part about these pop tarts.
Shortcrust pastry dough is super easy to make, all you need is a large food processor, a handful of simple ingredients, and a little know-how.
Here are my best tips and tricks for working with the dough in this recipe. Ready? Let’s do this.
- RELAX. Making and rolling out any kind of pastry or pie dough takes practice! It’s okay if these don’t turn out picture-perfect. Homemade pop tarts taste great no matter how they look. So have some fun!
2. Be patient and work gently. When you initially turn the dough out from the food processor to your work surface, you might think it’s too crumbly. Don’t fear! Press and knead the dough together (working gently so as not to create a “tough” pastry), and it will eventually come together. Trust the process.
3. When shaping the freshly made dough into a rectangle, try and make it as uniformly thick as possible. This will make it easier to roll out into an even thickness. For this recipe, you’re shaping the dough into two rectangles, each 1-inch thick.
4. Keep the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Colder dough is less sticky and easier to roll out. With this in mind, work with one batch of dough at a time, keeping the dough you’re not actively working with in the fridge.
5. Flour your work surface. Most recipes say to “lightly” flour your work surface, but you’ll want to heavily flour your surface when working with this dough. This keeps the dough from sticking to your rolling pin and surface, and makes transferring the rectangle cut-outs from your surface to the baking sheet much easier. If the dough starts sticking to your surface or the rolling pin, simply dust a little more flour onto your surface and/or dough.
6. Be mindful of your technique when rolling the dough out. If you’re new to rolling out dough, here are some helpful tips:
- To ensure even thickness: Always roll from the center out, applying even pressure with each roll. Stop just short of the edge, being careful not to roll over the edges. As the size of the dough allows, rotate the dough 1/4 turn after each roll. I also like to flip the dough onto the other side every once in a while.
- Try to maintain a rectangular shape: Keep an eye on the shape of the dough as you roll, rolling from the center up/down/towards the corners as needed to keep the dough in a rectangular shape. Occasionally use the edge of your hands as needed to nudge the edges of the dough into shape.
7. Use a pizza cutter for easy cutting! I find this to be the best tool for cutting the dough into rectangles.
8. If the rectangle cut-outs stick to your work surface and get a little misshapen when removing them, don’t worry! Here’s what to do: Place the rectangle on a separate lightly floured area of your surface, and gently roll your rolling pin over the rectangle to smooth it back out. Use the edges of your hands to nudge the edges of the rectangle back into place.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Can I use a different flavor jam for the filling? Definitely! I chose strawberry jam for my homemade pop tarts, but feel free to use whatever flavor jam suits your fancy.
Can I skip the icing? Yes! To let you in on a little secret, I actually love these homemade pop tarts without the icing. Feel free to skip the icing for a more buttery, less-sweet option.
Homemade Pop Tarts
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Chilling time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 pop tarts 1x
- Category: Breakfast & Brunch, Pastries
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Description
Full of nostalgia and made from scratch, these homemade pop tarts are so much better than the store-bought kind! Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pastry filled with a sweet strawberry jam filling then topped with icing and sprinkles, these will easily become your new favorite morning treat!
Ingredients
For the pastry dough:
- 250 gm (2 cups, spoon and leveled) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 226 gm (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons milk
- For egg wash: 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon of water
For the jam filling:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 240 gm (3/4 cup) strawberry jam (or jam of choice)
For the icing:
- 120 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
- Food coloring, optional
- Sprinkles, for topping
Instructions
To make the pop tart pastries:
- Make the pastry dough. Add the flour, powdered sugar and kosher salt to the bowl of a large food processor and pulse until ingredients are combined. Next, add the butter to the bowl and turn the processor on low speed, mixing until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
- In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk and milk. Pour the egg mixture over the flour/butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just combined and the dough starts to come together — the dough will be crumbly, but should hold together when pressed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press together and knead by hand until a smooth dough forms, being careful not to overwork the dough (You might think the dough is too dry at first, but be patient! It will come together!). Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a rectangle, 1-inch thick. Wrap each rectangle tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight (for longer chill times let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out).
- Make the jam filling. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry and the jam to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stirring together as the jam warms and the mixture becomes a liquid. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Make the egg wash by combining 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water; set aside.
- Before rolling out your dough, I recommend scrolling up and reading my tips on working with short crust pastry before proceeding.
- Roll out the pastry dough. Remove one portion of dough from the fridge. On a heavily floured work surface, roll the dough into a 10×13″ rectangle, about 1/8″ thick. Trim the edges to create a neat 9×12″ rectangle. Next, cut the rectangle into nine, 3×4″ rectangles. Place each rectangle on the prepared baking sheet and place in the fridge to chill.
- Next, remove the second portion of dough from the fridge. Repeat the process of rolling out and cutting into rectangles, just as you did with the first portion of dough.
- Assemble the pop tarts. Brush the chilled rectangles on the baking sheet with egg wash, making sure to brush the entire surface, all the way to the edges. Divide the prepared jam between the rectangles, spooning about 1 tablespoon onto the center of each rectangle. Next, brush the remaining rectangles with egg wash (again brushing all the way to the edges), and place them, wet side down, onto the rectangles with jam. Use your fingers to seal the rectangles together, pressing around the edges of the filling and out to the edges of the rectangle. Next, use a fork to crimp the edges. Place the tarts in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake! Brush the chilled tarts with egg wash and prick the tops multiple times with a fork (this allows steam to escape when they’re in the oven).Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing:
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. If necessary, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you’ve reached a thick, drizzling consistency. Stir in food coloring, if using. Spoon the glaze over the cooled pop tarts. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
*Vanilla extract: If making white frosting and you want it to be pure white, use clear vanilla extract instead of regular vanilla.
Storage: Store leftover pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend reheating in the microwave or oven before eating!
