Pop Tarts

Oh boy, was I a Pop-Tart kid or what?! My mom believed that if she allowed me to eat what I wanted (to an extent) I would tire of it and therefore not care for it anymore. This method worked like a charm for soda. My beverage of choice has been water for many years now, and I hardly ever drink any carbonated beverages.

One area where my mother's method failed was sugar. My mom let me have Pop-tarts, sugary cereal, candy, etc. Of course, I'm pretty sure there were restraints on my consumption but, still, I love sugar. My tastes have grown with me, but when I saw a recipe for homemade Pop-tarts on Smitten Kitchen, I, well, was smitten.

I remember vacations where I would eat a pop-tart for breakfast and a pop-tart for lunch. Just call me the Queen Child of Healthy Eating. Or not. Luckily, nutrition has prevailed.



These Pop-tarts were a fun project and came out delicious! The crust was flaky and buttery, and each filling popped right out of the tart! I made 4 tarts with a cinnamon and brown sugar filling, 4 with a nutella filling and 2 with a lemon-curd filling. I bet if you froze these after baking them, you could pop them in a toaster oven for a yummy, quick breakfast. Or dessert. I'll let you choose.

Homemade Pop-Tarts
From Smitten Kitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Pastry
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Cinnamon Filling (this is enough for 9 tarts, if you do less, I would halve it)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Nutella, lemon curd, jam, chocolate chips or any other filling you can think of!



Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.

Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately (see Warm Kitchen note below) or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.



Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.