Homemade Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts

Happy Fall everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted so I wanted to kick off October with this great recipe for homemade pop-tarts! This recipe turned out to be surprisingly easy and not as labor intensive as I thought it would be. Although it obviously is more labor intensive than just popping a pop-tart in the toaster, the rewards for home made can’t be beat! The pastry is flaky and buttery, just like a pie crust, which really kicked these up a notch in deliciousness. The inside is a simple mixture of cinnamon and sugar but once baked in the oven it transforms into a warm, soft filling. Once you have this recipe there’s no need to ever get store bought again! Fruit fillings, nutella/chocolate, and even savory cheese fillings can be substituted for the cinnamon sugar.* The possibilities for these tarts are pretty much endless!

Homemade Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
(Makes 9 pastries)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp (1 ounce) milk
  • 1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
  • 4 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Directions:

  1. For the filling: Whisk together 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and 4 teaspoons flour. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable.
  6. 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″. Set trimmings aside.** Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.
  7. Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart.
  8. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it.
  9. 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.
  10. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.
  11. Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
  12. 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.
  13. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
  14. Remove the tarts from the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

*Directions for alternate fillings:

Jam Filling:
Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (8 ounces) jam
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Directions:

  • Mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

Salted Chocolate Filling:

  • 9 tablespoons chocolate chips
  • pinch sea salt over each tablespoon

Nutella Filling:

  • 9 tablespoons Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut paste or 9 tablespoons of a delight of your choice, such as salted caramel or a nut paste.

Savory Filling:

Do not add the sugar in the dough and halve the salt. Fill with pesto, cheese, pine nuts or olives. Brush the tops with additional egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.

**Directions for the Trimmings:

  1. Sprinkle the dough trimmings with cinnamon-sugar.
  2. While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they’re golden brown.
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