Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
These easy, yet totally impressive homemade strawberry pop tarts are the perfect addition to your morning breakfast. Flaky pastry surrounds strawberry filling for a tender breakfast pastry that will disappear in a matter of minutes. Get ready to go completely berserk over this amazing homemade version of one of my childhood favorite treats!
Growing up, my parents kept our home relatively junk food- and sweets-free. We weren’t allowed to have the “cool” sugary cereals, no fruit rollups, no potato chips, no pop. So naturally, no Pop Tarts.
BUT! There was a steady supply of frosted brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts at grandma’s house, and they were always my breakfast of choice during weekend sleepovers. I hadn’t had them in probably decades and then got hit with a serious craving for them when I was pregnant with Joseph. They totally hit the spot, but they definitely weren’t as good as I remembered.
Enter: Homemade Pop Tarts!
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
Quite a long time ago, I tackled homemade pop tarts and in the process learned that they are not at all difficult to make, and they will absolutely, positively blow your mind.
The pastry crust is flaky and buttery, little pieces breaking and fluttering off when you take a bite. Each little pastry pillow is full of sweet strawberry filling, and then frosted with an optional simple vanilla sugar icing.
Prepare the Filling
Everyone seems to have an old favorite when it comes to pop tarts – strawberry or brown sugar cinnamon. For this homemade pop tart recipe, I provide you with instructions to make either or both!
Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
- Set aside until ready to assemble.
Strawberry Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.
- Combine the cornstarch water with strawberry jam in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Set aside until ready to assemble.
Pastry Crust
For homemade pop tarts, I used a flaky pastry crust. It’s flaky and buttery with little pieces breaking and fluttering off when you take a bite. To make this flaky pastry you will need:
- Flour: The base of the pastry dough, this flour gives structure to the flaky pastry.
- Sugar: Sweetens up the dough, just a bit.
- Salt: Adds a little flavor and balances out the sugar.
- Butte: Unsalted butter that is cold and cubed gives the pastry little pockets of butter that bake into the flakiest dough.
- Egg + Milk: Used to bind the dough together and provides a soft finish to the dough.
Make the Pastry
- Mix together dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour: Using a pastry blender, cut the butter until it is the size of peas and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it.
- Add wet ingredients: In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk and add to the dough. Mix together with a fork until everything is evenly moistened.
- Knead the dough: OIf necessary, knead until the dough comes together.
- Divide + store the dough: Divide the dough in half. If you are making the dough in advance, wrap each half in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you are making the pop tarts in one go, prepare to roll the dough.
How to Cut the Pastry Dough
- Thaw before rolling: If you made the dough in advance, allow it to come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling and cutting.
- Roll out the dough: Using a rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough to about ⅛-inch thick, in a 9½ by 12½-inch rectangle.
- Trim the edges: Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel, or bench scraper, trim the rectangle to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle.
- Slice into small rectangles: Cut the sheet of dough into nine 3×4-inch rectangles.
- Transfer the dough: Using a spatula, transfer the rectangles to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Filling + Sealing
- Make the egg wash: In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. Brush the egg wash on each of the rectangles.
- Fill the base: Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, leaving a 1/2 inch space around the edges.
- Cut the tops: Roll out and cut the second piece of dough in the exact same manner as you did the first.
- Cover the filling: One at a time, place the second rectangle of dough on top of the nine filled ones.
- Press the seams: Using your fingers, press around the seams of the dough to make sure they are sealed. Press the tines of a fork around the edges of the rectangles.
- Vent the dough: Prick the tops of the rectangles in multiple spots to allow steam to escape.
- Chill the pop tarts: Refrigerate the pan with the pastries, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Baking Homemade Pop Tarts
- Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the pastry: Bake the homemade pop tarts for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Cool and serve: Cool slightly before serving if you are not using icing on them. If you plan to ice the pop tarts, cool completely before icing.
Tips for Glazing
When I originally shared these, they were not frosted, and while it’s not TOTALLY necessary, I think it really ratchets them up a few notches, so I’ve included both a vanilla icing for the strawberry pop tarts and a cinnamon icing for the brown sugar cinnamon ones. Feel free to eat them plain or slather some frosting on!
- Mix together the icing: In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Add cinnamon if you are making icing for the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts.
- Check the consistency: The icing should have a very thick, but still spreadable, consistency. If necessary, add a splash of milk at a time, until a spreadable consistency is reached.
- Ice the pop tarts: Spread a spoonful of icing over the top of each pastry and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes so the icing can set.
Serving Your Pop Tarts
If a pop tart or two won’t be enough to keep you full for the morning, here are a few other recipes you can serve with your pop tarts:
- Scrambled Eggs
- Breakfast Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
- Cheesy Sausage and Spinach Breakfast Casserole
- Sausage and Cheddar Bites
Making Ahead + Storing
- Make-Ahead Dough: You can save time in the morning by prepping the pastry dough up to 2 days in advance. Store pre-made dough in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
- Make-Ahead Baked Pop Tarts: Follow the recipe through baking and cool completely. Store uniced, baked pop tarts in an airtight container for up to 1 week. When you are ready to serve, ice and enjoy!
- Storing Iced Pop Tarts: Keep iced pop tarts in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Unbaked Pop Tarts: Prepare through step #6, then instead of placing the pan in the refrigerator, place in the freezer for up to 2 hours until completely frozen and firm. Transfer to an airtight ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed from frozen, allowing for an extra few minutes bake time.
- Freezing Baked Pop Tarts: Bake the pop tarts and allow to cool completely. Place the cooled pop tarts in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until completely frozen. Place in an airtight ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the toaster, toaster oven, oven, or microwave.
More Sweet Breakfast Pastry Treats
- Sticky Buns
- Danish Pastries
- Homemade Croissants
- Best-Ever Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Monkey Bread (From Scratch)
No toaster required! These homemade pop tarts with a generous heaping of vanilla glaze are perfectly crisp and flaky. Filled with sweet strawberry filling, these pop tarts are sure to go fast!
If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
These easy and delicious homemade pop tarts are the perfect way to start the day. Flaky pastry filled with either strawberry or brown sugar cinnamon filling and topped with icing makes these an irresisatable treat!
Ingredients
For the Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
For the Strawberry Filling
- ¾ cup (255 g) strawberry jam
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Pastry Crust
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
For the Plain Icing
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Icing
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
- Prepare the Strawberry Filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and then combine with the jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Make the Pastry Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it is the size of peas and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk and add to the dough. Mix together with a fork until everything is evenly moistened. Knead briefly on a floured surface, if necessary, until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough in half. (At this point you can wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. If you refrigerate the dough, let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling out.) Roll out one piece of dough to about ⅛-inch thick, in a 9½ by 12½ rectangle. Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel or bench scraper, trim the rectangle to 9×12 inches. Cut the sheet of dough into nine 3×4-inch rectangles. Using a spatula, transfer the rectangles to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Assemble the Pastries: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Brush the egg wash on each of the rectangles. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, leaving a ½-inch of space around the edges.
- Roll out and cut the second piece of dough in the exact same manner as you did the first. One at a time, place a second rectangle of dough on top of the nine assembled ones. Using your fingers, press around the seams of the dough to make sure they are sealed. Press the tines of a fork around the edges of the rectangles. Prick the tops of the rectangles in multiple spots to allow steam to escape.
- Refrigerate the pan with the pastries (you don’t need to cover them) for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the pastries for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving if not using an icing. If you plan to ice the pastries, cool them completely before doing so. Store pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Make the Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon (if using), and vanilla extract. The icing should have a very thick, but still spreadable, consistency. If necessary, add a splash of milk at a time, until that consistency is reached. Spread a spoonful of icing over top of each pastry and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes so the icing can set.
Notes
- Filling: Each filling recipes makes enough for a whole recipe (nine pastries). If you are planning to make a variety of fillings, you can scale them up or down as needed. Same goes for the icing recipes!
- Make-Ahead Dough: You can save time in the morning by prepping the pastry dough up to 2 days in advance. Store pre-made dough in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
- Make-Ahead Baked Pop Tarts: Follow the recipe through baking and cool completely. Store uniced, baked pop tarts in an airtight container for up to 1 week. When you are ready to serve, ice and enjoy!
- Storing Iced Pop Tarts: Keep iced pop tarts in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Unbaked Pop Tarts: Prepare through step #6, then instead of placing the pan in the refrigerator, place in the freezer for up to 2 hours until completely frozen and firm. Transfer to an airtight ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed from frozen, allowing for an extra few minutes bake time.
- Freezing Baked Pop Tarts: Bake the pop tarts and allow to cool completely. Place the cooled pop tarts in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until completely frozen. Place in an airtight ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the toaster, toaster oven, oven, or microwave.
Calories: 408kcal, Carbohydrates: 76g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 91mg, Sodium: 292mg, Potassium: 91mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 47g, Vitamin A: 685IU, Vitamin C: 2.5mg, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 1.8mg
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Photography by Dee Frances
Delicious! Thank you for the detailed directions which were easy to follow.
Love your recipes, but your site is absolutely cancerous on mobile – which I use when actually cooking.
Far too many words and ads
You might want to take up proof reading
Unfortunately, these like most other “Pop-Tart” recipes, are great little hand pies, but they are not Pop-Tarts. Your recipe is for a flakey pie dough, not the short crust that define Pop-Tarts. Will continue search for a true Pop-Tart recipe.
Try Bravetart’s Poptarts – they’re in the Bravetart cookbook, but I’m sure you could find them online somewhere. They are as close to the real deal as I’ve seen.
I am so excited to try this recipe! Pop Tarts have been one of my favorite treats since I was a kid, but I’ve been trying to stay away from processed snacks. This homemade version is such a great alternative. Thank you for sharing!
Made these today and absolutely fell in love! They are now my family’s favorite. They were so creamy and delicious. The crust was amazing, so perfect!! They were too good! I can’t stop making your recipes, everything is amazing. This was by far the easiest and most successful recipe I have ever attempted. Thank you so much for sharing. Can’t wait for the next recipe you are going to share. Best wishes to you! You are doing such a great job.
So I’ve made these twice now using this recipe! The end product is quality AND alot less time than other recipes. I substituted the filling listed with our own homemade cherry jam which has big chunks of cherries and loved it. I used lemon extract instead of vanilla (my family loves citrus) also added 2 tbsp of cherry jam to the icing to make it pink and with cherry specks were pretty.
Anytime I make poptarts, ill continue to use this recipe!
Immediate house favorite. I have made these a few times with different variations. I prefer jam filled poptarts. My best version was with homemade jam from Trader Joe’s frozen berries. Still delicious though with a nice quality sore bought jam (I don’t add corn starch). I make mine poptarts a little smaller to portion them out more easily.
These are so delicious! I made mine with raspberry, wild blueberry and cherry filling,
I made these beauties last weekend for my pregnant daughter who craves pop tarts just as I did when I was expecting her. Like mother like daughter! They are now a family favorite. The dough was so flaky and light but held up well with the brown sugar filling. Delish!
I just tried your recipe with Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour. They were perfect and flaky!! I think I needed to add about a tsp more milk and that was the only difference. My celiac husband loved them!
This requires a significant time commitment. Make sure you allow at least 2 hours of lead time from beginning until you can taste the final product.
These were incredibly delicious! So much better than I ever expected!
I love this recipe, these are so good. This is the best crust I ever made. Thanks
Can you use non-dairy milk for this recipe? Like oat or almond?
Hi Emily, Yes, I don’t see why not.
I made both the cinnamon and strawberry last night. They were so delicious and a hit with my family and friends. The crust was amazing, so flaky!!! I’ll have to use it in other sweet and savory dishes. I did not like the taste of the strawberry filling as directed, a little too much cornstarch, so I added more jam.
The dough was so slack and sticky I couldn’t transfer it to the baking tray. I’m going refrigerate the dough and try again.
I was so wrong with this prior review. I’m sorry now that I wrote it. I’ve made these several times and after I got used to handling the dough, they are FANTASTIC. I’ve made them with blackberry, blueberry, and apricot fillings–all terrific.
We have fruit trees in our orchard and just made some Apricot Pie Jam tonight. I’m going to try using it in these pop tarts you’ve posted about. I’m’ hoping to find a way to lower the fat though, because I recently had gallbladder surgery and can’t eat anything high in fat. I know this will degrade the wonderful buttery taste but being able to eat it is better than not being able to eat it. Thank you so much for posting your recipe here for us to use. I’m looking forward to trying it!
God bless you.
Oh, I also wanted to say I’m looking forward to trying your cinnamon filling! I’m allergic to cinnamon, so I haven’t been able to have a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart in years! But I can make these with my spice substitute of allspice, ginger and cardamom and it will be almost as good, without the allergic reaction! :) So, thank you in advance!
Made these before and were so good I’ve come back to make them again! I’m having a lot of fun playing with flavors using locally made jams and jellies. So far I’ve made Strawberry Lime, Apple Cider, BEAR, Black Cherry, and Strawberry Rhubarb poptarts. Sooooo good! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us!!!
Can you use this dough for a pie?
Thank you
Just made these and they came out perfectly! We made the strawberry / vanilla icing version and can’t wait to try the brown sugar / cinnamon version next. Super easy to make and so incredibly flaky and tasty! I should have known that a fellow ‘burgh-er would make something this good!
I made this recipe! Exactly I as directions said! I wanted to have some cinnamon and brown sugar and others strawberry, so I did half a recipe of the brown sugar filling and half a recipe of the strawberry filling! This was way too much! I should’ve only done a quarter of a recipe of each and it would’ve been enough to have half brown sugar and half strawberry! They are currently in the fridge chilling, so I have not baked them yet to find out how they hold up! I’m looking forward to eating them!
These look really good. I have read through comments and see you recommend to reheat in a toaster oven, but would just a normal toaster work? You know the type you put bread in for toast.
Just made these! They are awesome, so flaky and full of flavor! My mouth is happy:)
Made these last night with Polaner All Fruit Raspberry Jam, The intent was to freeze them and have a pop tart for a daily breakfast snack this upcoming week. Ohemgee!!!! These were “slap yo momma good!” We all but inhaled them! I didn’t even get the chance to put the glaze on them!
I made these exactly by the recipe, I used cherry and blueberry filling. Absolutely delicious!! So good right out of the oven! They are light and flaky! Absolutely gonna save this recipe and make them again next week!
Thank you
Can you make the dough the night before and use the next morning? I wasn’t sure if it would work with the dough sitting overnight. Excited to try them!! My kids will be happy “mom said YES to a pop tart!!”
Hi Lindsey, Yes you definitely can. Hope you and the kids enjoy them! :)
Just made them this weekend … exactly as written (except had to refrigerate dough inbeteeen cutting & filling for 30 min) … SO good!!! Quadrupled the recipe and made 1/2 with apricot jam and 1/2 with strawberry jam.
Have you tried to freeze these at all? If so how did you reheat them? Or would you freeze then thaw and bake?
I see that you have replies to questions like this. You said maybe add a few minutes if frozen before being baked. How long would you put it in the oven to reheat if already cooked and then frozen?
Hi Katy, If you already baked them and then froze, maybe 5 to 10 minutes in the oven.
My son asked for homemade pop tarts this morning. I decided on your recipe because they looked light & flakey & we were not disappointed. Thank you for sharing!
At the refrigeration stage, could they be refrigerated for 24 hours and then baked?
Just saw where this has already been answered! I will freeze them!
It’s beautiful flaky!!!! I hope that I can share my result in this website.
Mine has layers and very crunchy.!!
Need to be patient to make this ( 2 days the pate in refrigerator)
But, it worth it!
Thanks for sharing!
Whenever I attempt to make pastry of any kind, I always figure out a way to ruin it. This was by far the easiest and most successful recipe I have ever attempted. I used a food processor for the dough and added a tiny bit more milk to it because it was a little dry. But everything else was spot on. The dough was flaky and buttery and exactly like a pop tart! I did the strawberry filling and nutella filling for others (which was pretty awesome).
I’m looking for an excuse to make these again….do I need an excuse? Is Tuesday a good excuse?
I just made these this weekend for New Year’s Eve and they were truly incredible. I made the two versions above and a third that was a goat cheese/fig combo. Everyone loved them all! Thanks so much for the recipe!
This dough recipe is the bomb! I used it for some chicken pot pie hand pies.
Can you use this dough you think for a Berry pie.
Thank you!
Yay glad you loved it! I think you could!
I made this dough for poptarts filled with pomegranate jam. This dough worked out really well! Even with excess working, the poptarts were flaky and light. Thanks!
Have you ever made these and frozen them for a quick out the door breakfast? I was thinking they would be a great Sunday morning breakfast before church.
Thanks!
Ok so didn’t see this has already been asked and answered! So sorry!
Mary
I’ve always called myself a terrible baker… and really, most things I bake turn out awful. But somehow every recipe of yours always turns out great. I’m eating this right now wondering how in the world I managed to make a delicious, flaky pop tart pastry when every pie crust I have made in my life has been a failure. Can I use this as pie crust??
I don’t have a pastry cutter so I used my cheese grater to grate the butter into the flour, and then I used a metal whisk to pound/whisk it into pebbles. Worked super fast and easy.
Awww I’m so thrilled you made and enjoyed these! I haven’t used this exact recipe as pie crust, but I definitely think it could work!
Do these freeze well? I’d love to make them on the weekend for easy week day breakfast. Maybe freeze in parchment paper and toast in a toaster oven?
Oops! It’s answered already! Thanks!
My husband loves pop tarts, me on the other hand? I never had them as a kid and trying them now? they just don’t do it for me, they make me feel like i’m eating cardboard with frosting.
But these gorgeous homemade ones absolutely have to happen!!! you have convinced me that i need to make these!
Thanks for sharing. If you were to freeze these, in which step would you do so? (For example, after assembling, but before baking; after baking but before icing; etc.)
Oops, I saw this same question addressed a bit earlier. Sorry!
Anyone who says they don’t love a good poptart is downright lying. These look SO, so good!
Honestly, nothing is better than homemade pop tarts!
I’ve been wanting to give homemade poptarts a try for years now! They’re one of my favorite guilty pleasures!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I also did not have my first pop tart until college, but my favorite flavor was definitely S’mores! Do you think that some marshmallow creme and chopped up chocolate chips would do the trick, or should I slightly melt the chocolate or make a quick, thick ganache first?
I think if you chopped up the chocolate fine enough it would melt without an issue!
Ahhhh . . . . homemade pop tarts! I don’t know how long I’ve been following your blog; feel like it’s been forever! But I missed this recipe the first time around. Growing up, we, too, never had “junk food” in the house. Everything was grown in the garden, frozen or canned for the winter. Even homemade baked goods were a rare treat. But ahhh!, Grandma’s house – that was all together different.
My son is a huge fan of brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, so this momma will be on your recipe VERY soon. I almost dismissed it thinking the dough would require an involvement of time, but after reading your recipe I see that you’re quite accurate in saying that it doesn’t, thanks to the lack of chilling time after mixing the dough. And my girls like the fruit pop tarts, so we’ve got a double win going on. I would even say these homemade pop tarts look even better than the store-bought variety because of that flakey dough.
Thanks for bringing this recipe back around!
Yessss! I sometimes get Pop Tart cravings, too, but they’re never as good as I expect. I haven’t made homemade ones in years, but now I want to do it again! These look awesome :)
Could I use refrigerated pie dough or puff pastry? Which would be better?
Hi Anne, You could! I think the pie dough would be a closer match to this dough.
Would like to know your thoughts on freezing these pop tarts?
Absolutely! You could freeze them assembled and unbaked, then bake them from frozen (add a couple minutes), or bake them, cool and then wrap and freeze. I wouldn’t freeze them with the frosting, though.
I’ve made these twice and had real problems rolling out the dough. It sticks so mine look really sloppy but taste good.
They look so good. Is it possible to make these with oat flour? My daughter cannot tolerate regular flour. TIA!!!
Hi Amy, I’ve never baked with oat flour, so I can’t give you a definitive answer, but if you’ve had luck substituting it for all-purpose, then I would definitely give it a try. Let me know how it turns out!
Michelle, can I make these ahead and freeze? If so, how would you reheat – assuming toaster? If not frozen, do you think they’d last a day or so without getting soggy? I usually bake the afternoon before giving my boyfriend treats to take into work the next day. Would love to send these…
Hi Wendy, Yes, you could freeze them. I would heat them in the oven or toaster oven. They would also be fine for a day or two after baking.
I just made these for valentine’s day. I used a heart cookie cutter and made them heart shaped. They turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe.
These looked sooo good, but when I tried to bake them, the butter seemed to melt right out of them, making them look kind of soggy. I’m going to try baking them some more..I hope they will turn out to look like your’s! I wonder what I did wrong…?
Hi Charlotte, Did you refrigerate the pan before baking? Making sure they are totally chilled before baking. That should help the butter not to melt, but rather create little steam pockets of pastry.
I’d love to make a big batch soon, I have four kids and usually quadruple recipes to always have extra for another day. My question is could I freeze these after baking so all that hard work lasts for more than an afternoon?!
Yes, absolutely!
How does the brown sugar-cinnamon filling get that gel like consistency? It says it is made of sugar, cinnamon, and flour, but the picture shows a goopy texture. Did you add milk or water?
Please reply to: ds_wesley28 (at) hotmail dot com
The brown sugar-cinnamon ones don’t have a gel-like consistency; the only ones that had photographs of the interior were the strawberry. I didn’t add milk or water; only the ingredients you see listed in the recipe above.
hi urgent question here!
is it possible to do up to the assembly step (with the crimping edges and all) and refrigerate it, say with cling wrap, then bake the following day?
Thanks :)
I made these as a Sunday morning treat for my family! They were just as delicious and flaky as I ad hoped! Thanks or sharing!
My husband wanted some “homemade” pop-tarts. We used this recipe on the 3rd batch and so far it’s the best flavor! I still have a problem with the them “bursting” in the oven even with pricking the top.
I made these this weekend and they were wonderful. The pastry was so forgiving. I had a few pieces I tore when I made the top part and it cooked up quite nicely anyway. The pastry is wonderful and flaky. I think I will use it for a pie next week.
Awesome post! I’m making homemade pop tarts today and doing a bit of research. I wish I could cut the rectangles as perfectly as you–dough is pretty tricky for me.
Alysha
This makes me so happy I can’t wait to make them… I’m going blueberry picking today and think that we will make a homemade blueberry jam and make this recipe with the boys this week. They recently just discovered pop tarts… thanks to a dear friend. I however refuse to buy any process foods like that. So every trip to the grocery store the past 2 weeks has had me with 2 whining boys who wanted a box of pop tarts…
I grew up eating pop tarts. I loved them as a kid, and I’m ashamed to admit that I ate them well into my 20’s and 30’s. I love to bake, and HOMEMADE is the rule of thumb at our house, so these are definitely going to be on my to bake list! Thanks for posting this. I didn’t realize there were so many people out there who grew up deprived of pop tarts.
I just made these. They came out Great. And were delicious.!
This looks divine, thank you for the recipe
I’ve got these in the oven right now- but mine look no where as neat as yours do. I need more practice rolling out dough I guess!
I just made this recipe but I used strawberry cake filling and another with ham and cheese for my family and they are so in love! They think I’m the greatest! HeeHee…so I wanted to send you a THANK YOU for showing me how to make these pop tarts.
You are welcome! And I love the savory version with ham and cheese! Will definitely have to give that a try!
Hmm, wondering if you could use puff pastry in a pinch? bet ya can.
It’s great to hear all the fun comments about staying at “grandparents” house and getting to eat “fun stuff”, my grandkids LOVE to eat Lucky Charms at my house-no matter what else is there or made they want Lucky Charms-didn’t realize I was creating memories as I was stuffing them full of sugar.
Hi Vickie, You could definitely use puff pastry in a pinch!
And yes, you are definitely creating fond memories for your grandkids :) Enjoy!
How can I make these with “cajeta” fillling? Cajeta is a little bit thicker than condensed milk. What should I add to the cajeta so it won’t just run over the pop tarts? Thanks.
By the way, cajeta is a common and delicious Mexican sweet. Goat or cow milk is cooked very slowly with sugar to create a beautifully complex, thick syrup, much like caramel.
You have inspired me!
I’ve never tried peanut butter on my brown sugar and cinnamon poptarts (my fave)! That was delicious! Best, easiest, fastest, recipe to make poptarts taste more than just dry ever!
I’ll have to try the other recipe too. ;)
Has anyone tried freezing these & re-heating them in the toaster?
I loved pop-tarts when I was a kid! Love this grown-up version :)
These look fantastic!!!
My parents were the same way…they actually bought BRAN BUDS cereal! I remember my friend Kelly’s mom let them eat Pop Tarts AND Count Chocula…spending the night at HER house was the BEST!
I have always wanted to make homemade pop-tarts. What a great recipe!
homemade poptarts, are you kidding me??
I’m going to make these and see if my boyfriend proposes.
I made these on Sunday and they turned out perfect! I prefer the brown sugar and cinnamon to the jam, but we didn’t have good jam in the house. I also tried peanut butter and Nutella and those were superb! Next time I’ll follow the previous commenters advice and spread it versus glop it on. The dough was a bit fragile, but that’s the challenge of pastry, right?! I think my kids will be requesting these all the time now.
I’ve seen these a few times now but they still never fail to amaze me!!!
Well I need these last night in the wee hours of the morning when it was finally cool enough to think about baking.I used some strawberry jam from our CSA. Due to my complete and utter inability to roll any sort of dough out, I managed to make 1 monster pop-tart and 4 half-sized ones. They were delicious though, very buttery and sweet. I think I should have refrigerated them halfway through rolling out the dough though, because they were not very flaky. I think all the heat melted the butter faster than I expected.
My husband LOVES pop tarts. I will have to make these for him. Thanks for sharing!
I made these this morning and they were quite yummy. I used half white/half wholewheat flour and next time, would add another tbsp of sugar because the pastry dough wasn’t very sweet (although it did taste just like the real thing with the amount of sugar you have in this recipe now).
I used both fillers but for the jam, spread some cold cream cheese on to the top piece of dough (don’t glob it because it won’t melt and spread out like the jam will). So yummy! Found the brown sugar filling to be too dry and would probably add some cold butter to the mix next time.
Thanks for posting these!
These looks super yummy! My little girls would love these….as well as the hubby! I can’t wait to try them!
I’ve always wanted to try pop-tarts. Another thing to do when some good fruits come in season!
I have attempted pop tarts, twice. my dough was different. I am going to attempt yours, they look scrumptious!
What an awesome idea! And just think of all the preservatives you’re keeping out of your body by making this from scratch. I’m sure the parents would be proud.
Those look delicious. I’ve wanted to make these for a long time. Love how crispy your crust looks!
Pop tarts were never in my house when I was a kid, but I remember pleading with my mom to buy some for us. Now, I’m so glad she didn’t! I have made homemade ones before, though, which is really fun. I might have to make some again soon!
Gee, you couldn’t have made these more appealing if you tried. I want one now! :-)
What a fun treat! We never had poptarts growing up either – I think I didn’t have my first one until college. These look 100x better and addicting!
No-fun treat home here, as well! ;) But, I snuck them in whenever I could! Love these. So flaky! Would like to try these with some of the fruit I got today!
How fun! I would love to do this on a lazy morning with kids (…if I had them). Maybe my husband would humor me… :)
I made these once, but they didn’t look as flaky and good as yours. I’ll have to try this recipe!
Hi Michelle, I just recently discovered your blog and am enjoying it very much! Your home made “Pop Tarts” look wonderful! I’m definitely going to try making these soon. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
I just couldn’t pass up another YUMMM! comment on this post. I’ve never had pop tarts (actually they were not around way back when), but these look absolutely terrific. I will have to try this recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
WOW – these do put the store bought ones to shame. They look incredible.
These look more like toaster strudels, which I love.
I might try making them with a strawberry and cream cheese filling… Yum
Those look so much better then the junk in the store! yum!
I’ve seen these popping up everywhere, I should try them! Fun recipe!
Looks delish! There’s a new restaurant here in DC, Ted’s Bulletin, that is serving house-made Pop Tarts with their own strawberry jam. They are pretty popular, but I must say, yours look better!
I’d eat these over store-bought pop-tarts any day !
These look so warm and the crust looks flaky and perfect. Very nice:)
These look so good and easy to make. I want to try these babies out!
Mmmmm I’m drooling, this looks amazing!!
No junk food at my house growing up either. As a result, I’ve been known to have a box stashed in my desk at work! These will be made at my house this weekend. Brown sugar and cinnamon was my favorite too!
I have the same comment as Jeanne… my mom would never let me have these, I had them at friend’s houses too. We will have to give these a try as I don’t let my kids have poptarts either!
Looks fabulous
These have always been on my list to bake. Those are two great flavors to try!
I was never allowed to eat Pop-Tarts as a kid, either. I’d always love to eat them at my friends’ houses though! I’ll have to try making them myself. Your strawberry Pop-Tarts look amazing, but the Nutella filling sounds just as good too!
Nice!! I made these a couple months ago, but yours are sooo much prettier than mine. I think I need to try the strawberry ones :)
Used pop-tarts to get my kids through our recent road trip from TX to MD and back! As a sometimes food, they were a hit! Would love to rustle up a batch of these with my boys, maybe using Nutella as a filling or some of Meemaw’s Strawberry Jam that she sent home with us, hmmmmm. . . . sounds fun and delicious!
Nutella filling… That is a brilliant idea!
I’ve been seeing pop tarts popping up all over my reader lately. I l-o-v-e-d pop tarts growing up and these have definitely been on my list since the first time I saw them. I gotta say though, the flakiness of your crust looks amazing. Like a cross between a toaster strudel and pop-tart!
OMG! I so want to make peach and apricot ones. These look so yummy – TFS!
Is there a way to make this dough with half whole wheat flour and half white flour without making it too chewy or dense?
Jonica, I just made these with half white/half whole wheat flours and it worked out great. I found the dough to be a bit sticky (although not sure if that had anything to do with the w/w flour…) so I just used plenty of flour when rolling out the dough. Tasted just fine!
Awesome! I totally want to make these. I might have to try and make them with Blueberry.
Oh, and then I’d probably have to frost them and put sprinkles on top. LOL
I’ve seen these around the blog world, and have been wanting to try them. What a great idea to have each child create their own!
Thanks for your recipe.
YUMM!!
looks so yummy! I love strawberries!
have a nice day!
Paula
These look amazing! I am seriously drooling as I read… Definitely going on my to-make list. Thanks for a great looking recipe!
That crust looks so golden and delicious. I’ve only eaten storebought pop tarts once in my whole life but I can imagine they’d pale in comparison to these. Yum.