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