This is my second entry for the Secret Recipe Club. Secret recipe club is a great idea, and I am so happy to be apart of it. If you want to learn more (or join!) check out this page for more information. This month my assigned blogger was Angie from Big Bears Wife.
I chose this recipe because poptarts are one of the most iconic foods from my childhood. I have so many memories of poptarts. I used to love these things.
Once I was in high school I realized they were not nutritional, and I couldn’t afford to eat them often. But these overly sweet toaster pastries have been around since 1967 and I knew they weren’t going anywhere fast.
I accepted the not so nutritional pastries for what they are. And I knew there had to be some way I could still eat poptarts with out ingesting strange chemicals.
I have seen recipes here and there for homemade poptarts, but still had not taken the time to make some for myself. Once I saw Angie’s recipe I was so excited. I knew this was finally the push I needed to make the little toaster pastries at home.
Making homemade poptarts is much easier then it first appears. It is basically just a flakey pie crust like dough filled with jam. And as soon as I realized the possibilities for fillings were endless, I was even more excited. I dragged the BF to the store with me and told him to pick out which ever flavor jam he wanted.
As he walked back, jar in hand, I didn’t even think to check what he had picked out. But as soon as we got home and I was putting the food away, I noticed he picked out a bottle of currant jelly instead of jam. But I used it anyways. I figured I could mix the jam and jelly I had together and make an interesting fruit filling for the poptarts.
Lucky for me they turned out delicious. The dough was perfectly flakey, not too sweet, and the jam was a refreshing alternative to the pasty stuff you normally find stuffed inside.
While I found the pastries delicious, they seemed much more like hand held pies than poptarts. But trust me, that didn’t keep us from eating them all.
I chose to not use any sort of frosting or glaze on my poptarts, but if you want yours a little extra sweet you can give it a try!
Homemade Poptarts
Ingredients:
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp organic AP flour (and at least 2 more tbsp for rolling)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp organic sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) chilled unsalted organic butter, cut into cubes
- 4 tbsp ice cold water
- jam for filling
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Directions:
- Whisk together the 2 cups + 2 tbsp flour, salt, and sugar together.
- Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- One tablespoon at a time, sprinkle in the ice water. Toss until moist clumps form.
- Form a ball with the dough, and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, cover with saran wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough to a large rectangle, and cut into equal sized rectangles. You should get about 8 rectangles per disk of dough.
- Match each rectangle with an equal sized rectangle, and on half of the rectangles spoon the jam into the center. I used about 1 1/2 tbsp per pop tart.
- Top each rectangle with it’s match, and seal each edge with a fork. Using a knife (like I did) or a toothpick, poke a few holes in the top of each poptart.
- Wrap the poptarts in saran wrap, and freeze for minimum of 2 hours and maximum of a week.
- Once you are ready to bake the poptarts, preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment/silpat.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pans, then bake for an additional 15 minutes (or until golden brown).
- Serve warm or at room temperature. The poptarts will keep for 2-3 days – if they last that long!
About bigfatbaker
Your poptarts look wonderful! I also love them without the frosting, but some the pops I made I thought they looked better with the frosting and sprinkles haha. But isn’t it great that you can make so many flavors! Perfect for everyone! I’m so glad you liked them!
Ps. I’m now following you on twitter
I’m @bigbearswife
I loved the recipe! They were so fun to make, and eat. I am hoping to make some more soon with some different flavors.
That looks really easy! Sounds like a fun recipe to try when the kids are home for summer vacation.
They are so simple, it is perfect for kids to make on their own. You could have them use plastic cookie cutters and make fun shapes, and decorate as desired. I think the hardest part about this recipe is that you have to wait to bake them
Love the quick and easy pop tarts..will be baking them tomorrow as a surprise for my kids
Sounds great! I hope they love them
I still love pop tarts, but only the brown sugar cinnamon flavor, all their “fruit” ones are too sweet for me anymore. I am going to have to make my own brown sugar ones, yours look great, I love the size too!
Looks very complicated but well worth the effort
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These actually are pretty simple, just time consuming. You should give them a try!
Those store-bought pop-tarts got nothing on you. Yours look ten times better.
Great choice for SRC! I love this recipe. I will have to try it.
Yum Erin, these look SO flaky! I need to make these asap, thanks for sharing!
These look absolutely delicious. Got to try it.
Those look way tastier than a store-bought pop-tart.
Much flakier.
I think pop-tarts are more shortbread-like so they can stand the jostling in the box and in the toaster.
This is my first month in The Secret Recipe Club and it’s so much fun! I’m just loving all the new blogs and recipes I’m seeing. Such a fun recipe that you chose.
These look like fun to make, and hopefully better than the store bought. I may have to try these. Thanks for sharing and being part of the secret recipe club. My first time and I enjoyed it Andi
thewednesdaybaker.blogspot.com
Looks so delicious…
Ruchi
So easy and so much better for you than the store-bought version! YUM!
Yum… great choice for Secret Recipe Club! I have to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of store bought pop tarts, but I bet this version is SO much better! Looks great!
Yummy! this look delicious!
This looks amazing! I am a mom who tries to make everything from scratch-not just because it is healthier, but also to keep my kids busy in the kitchen with me (that way I know what my twins are doing!). This is a must try for our summer vacation! Thank you!
You are so very welcome. I hope they have fun, and enjoy them!
These look great, Erin! What beautiful, flaky pastry!
Oh my goodness. I think this recipe makes my YEAR!! This is going to be the first cooked dessert coming out of my oven when this raw cleanse I’m on is over. Thank you!!
Ooo a cleanse, that is something I need to do! Congrats on having the will power
These pop tarts are really good, but if you wanted to make them healthier you could cook down some fruit and use that as a filling.