Pop Tart Pops

Hello all,

Can you believe I'm back at college already? Where on earth did my Spring Break go?! Sigh, well, back to real life I suppose. As real as college life is anyway.

Did I ever tell you what a smash hit the homemade pop tarts were? My boss was so happy with them that he heated his up in the microwave and actually ended up burning his mouth on it in excitement. So I wasn't surprised when another supervisor mentioned to me that our boss was really in the mood for pop tarts again. 'But I already did a post on pop tarts' I thought to myself.

'But this was important' she explained 'He won't accept the cinnamon challenge unless you give him more pop tarts.'

Cinnamon challenge you may ask? It's when you ingest an entire teaspoon of cinnamon by itself and try to swallow. Yes, I know, college students have weird ideas concerning entertainment. This is one of them.

But how could I say no to seeing that happen? So I thought to myself 'how do I switch up pop tarts to make it delicious for my coworkers and still new and exciting for my readers?'

Answer: Pop Tart POPS!

Like cake pops, only more pie-ish. I decided to stick with the classic strawberry which is always a favorite, along with a few Nutella-filled Pops for those daring eaters.

I used the basic pop tart pie crust from my previous post here with the only switch of using Nutella as a filling for some along with a chocolate frosting. Can I tell you though, between us, buy the premade pie crust. Seriously, just do it. Homemade is neat and all, but it gets finicky really quickly. and the pre-made is already rolled out to the right thickness and will save you a good deal of time.

 

Needless to say they are sure to be a huge hit at my job (where I believe I may slowly be giving everyone diabetes with all these treats). If you enjoy your co-workers' company as much as I do, maybe whip a few up for them, or if not, for some hungry housemates!

Oh, and as for the cinnamon challenge? I will try my best to get a video of every exciting second of it for you all to see. I know I can't wait. :)

Happy Baking!

Pop Tart Pops

1 homemade or store bought pie crust (recipe link here)
1 jar strawberry preserves or 1 jar Nutella
Popsicle sticks
Chocolate or Vanilla Glaze

1. Roll out Pie Crust to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into equally sized small rectangles. Place rectangles on parchment-lined cookie sheet and place one Popsicle stick in the center of each.

2. Scoop one teaspoon of filling over Popsicle stick and center of pie crust rectangle. Cover with another pie crust rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges all the way around.

3. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes or until golden.

4. Coat with frosting and sprinkles and enjoy!

Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

Hello there friends!

I know it's been so long - but I come bearing exciting news!

You can make pop-tarts at home!

This may/may not come as a shock to you, but the idea sounds pretty fantastic to me. My boss at work asked me to whip some up as a challenge to a fellow co-worker who claimed he could make them from scratch but had yet to do so (Pop Tart Showdown anyone?) He was even so nice as to pick up the major ingredients for me since I was snowed in this Saturday and kept from going the grocery store...

I guess someone really wants to try a homemade pop tart!

It turns out they are not too difficult to make (just a bit time consuming - so be prepared to be patient) and you can even pull a Sandra Lee and Semi-HomeMake it with pre-made pie crust. I opted for fresh pie crust since I had the time and I wanted to go all out for these babies. In retrospect, it would've saved me a good hour or two if I used the premade crust - if you plan on making alot of these (the recipe only yields about 7), I would suggest picking up a couple refrigerated doughs ahead of time.

So...not only is making your own pop tarts super fun (and impressive - seriously imagine telling your friends 'oh yeah I just whipped up some fresh, from-scratch pop tarts the other day...') it is also extremely versatile. Now that I know this works I can easily switch out the strawberry preserves for peach, blueberry, or even a brown sugar cinnamon filling! Possibilities = endless & delicious.

I hope you enjoy trying these out (if you have children this would be so much fun on a rainy Saturday) and be sure to keep an eye out for my next post on Nutella Brownies!

Happy Baking!

Homemade Pop Tarts Via Bake Me More

1 refrigerated pre-made pie crust OR 1 batch fresh pie crust (recipe follows)
1 medium jar strawberry preserves/jam (or any flavor of your choice!)
egg wash OR vanilla glaze
sprinkles (optional)

Homemade Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp cold water

1. Combine flour and salt. Add shortening and butter and cut into flour with pastry cutter or your fingers until consistency is coarse
2. Slowly add a tablespoon at a time of water until dough comes together and forms a ball

Vanilla Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (as needed)

1. Add powdered sugar to medium bowl. Add milk slowly (one tablespoon at a time) and combine until consistency becomes like very thick syrup.

Assemble Pop Tarts:
1. Roll out pie crust and cut into equal sized rectangles. Line out half the rectangles on a greased/lined cookie sheet
2. Spread a generous dollop of strawberry jam/preserves in center of rectange. Cover with another pie crust rectangle.
3. Use a fork to crimp edges all the way around. If not using glaze, brush lightly with egg wash
4. Bake at 450 for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown
5. Glaze and decorate if desired