Homemade Fresh Strawberry Pop Tarts
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If you are a fan of this classic childhood treat, then you are bound to love the homemade version of strawberry pop tarts! These wonderful pop tarts are made with flaky, buttery pie crust and filled with homemade Strawberry Chamomile Jelly. You can easily make this super easy treat at home with aromatic strawberry preserves and the sweetest strawberry glaze. These little hand pies taste like pure magic with every bite.
what are pop tarts?
If you are unfamiliar with pop tarts, they are a premade breakfast option usually geared towards kids that you can purchase at the supermarket. These little tarts are essentially a hand pie, though they really do not hold up to what a homemade pie really tastes like. Store bought pop tarts lean more towards a cookie with a little dollop of artificially flavored goo in the middle.
Homemade pop tarts, however, while still sugary and certainly a dessert, are made with whole ingredients. The difference in flavor and texture is astounding!
gathering ingredients to make strawberry pop tarts:
To make your own homemade strawberry pop tarts, you will need a few key ingredients to get started. You can easily make everything that you need at home!
Pie Dough. I will always recommend making homemade pie dough, if possible! This recipe can also be made with store bought frozen pie dough, or puff pastry.
Strawberry Jelly. I love making pop tarts with jelly over jam as you can avoid any clumps or fruit or seeds. I used my Strawberry Chamomile Jelly, but store bought jelly works great too.
Powdered Sugar.
Strawberry Juice. I used homemade strawberry juice to flavor the icing.
Sprinkles.
TIPS FOR MAKING FLAKY PIE CRUST:
Making a golden flaky pie crust is a baker’s true delight! With these tips, you can learn how to make a pie crust that will leave your dinner guests oogling over your feast.
Use Cold Ingredients. The flakiness in pie crust comes from the large portion of cold butter that is worked into the flour. You are essentially laminating the dough, or creating layers of butter in the pastry, which causes it it rise without any leaveners like baking soda or baking powder. Make sure that your butter and water stay nice and cold while making the dough to prevent the butter from melting.
Don’t Overwork the Dough. As your dough comes together, you will eventually need to use your hands to press it all together. Try your best not to overknead the dough, or else you might risk warming the butter too much. Overworking the dough can also make the final crust more tough and chewy rather than flaky.
Chill the Dough. After just bringing the dough together, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop it into your refrigerator. Let it rest for at least 1 hour and up to 2 to 3 days. If you are pressed for time, you can place it in your freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes before beginning the next steps.
Don’t Over-flour the Work Surface. When it is time to roll out your pie crust, use minimal flour. Only coat the rolling pin with flour, too, rather than sprinkling it over the top of the dough. The more flour that you use, the more flour is soaked into the final dough, which alters the texture of the dough overall. If your dough is really stick, chill it longer!
how to make strawberry pop tarts:
Step One: Begin by making your pie dough. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs about the size of a pea. Then, stir in ice cold water until the dough comes together and is no longer crumbly. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before baking.
Step Two: This recipe makes 2 pie crusts, so you will start by rolling out one half of the dough into a 12 x 12-inch (30 x 30-cm) square. Cut the dough into 6 x 4-inch (15 x 10-cm) rectangles, re-rolling the dough as needed. This recipe will make about 10 tarts, or 20 rectangles for a top and bottom crust.
Step Three: Arrange the bottom halves of the tarts evenly between 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Then, place about 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of jelly in the center of each pastry.
Step Four: Place the top half of the pastry on top of the bottoms, and gently press around the edges with your finger. Crimp the edges of the tarts with the tines of a fork to seal them shut. Then, pierce 3 sets of holes in the center of the tarts to release steam while baking.
Step Five: Bake the tarts at 350° F (177° C) for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown in color. Let the pastries cool fully before icing.
Step Six: Drizzle the icing over the pastries and decorate with sprinkles while the icing is still wet. Let the icing harden before serving.
final thoughts:
Aren’t these little tarts so cute? I love the bright pink color the strawberry juice gives the icing without using any food coloring! I truly believe these homemade strawberry pop tarts are superior to the store bought version. What do you think? I hope you enjoy making this super easy breakfast treat at home and eating up this delicious flaky pastry with strawberry glaze.
xoxo Kayla
Homemade Fresh Strawberry Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup (312 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (15 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (232 g) salted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) cubes
- 4 to 5 tbsp (60 to 75 ml) ice cold water
- 4 oz (113 g) strawberry jelly or jam
- 1 egg + 1 tbsp (15 ml) water, for egg wash
- 2 cups (236 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 ml) strawberry juice
- Red or pink sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Begin by making the Pie Crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt until well combined, about 1 minute. Then, with a pastry blender or fork, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of a pea.
- Slowly add the water, about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, mixing it into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Ideally, 4 tablespoons (60 ml) works well. Bring the dough together with your hands, handling it as little as possible to prevent the butter from becoming too warm. Divide the dough into 2 equal sized pieces and wrap the halves in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C) and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set these aside for now.
- After chilling the dough, bring it out onto the counter and let it rest for about 10 minutes to slightly warm up.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to a 12 x 12-inch (30 x 30-cm) square. Trim off any rough edges and cut the square into 6 x 4-inch (15 x 10-cm) rectangles. Re-roll the dough as needed, and if it begins to warm up too much and become soft, pop it back into the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill again. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough until you have about 20 rectangles.
- Arrange half of the rectangles on the prepared baking sheets about 2-inches (5-cm) apart. At this point, your dough may have started to warm up so you can place the baking sheets into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes to chill them again.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash. Brush this on the edges of the pieces of dough that are on the baking sheets with the egg wash. Then, place about 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of jelly on the center of each piece of dough.
- With the other halves of dough, place them on top of the other halves to enclose the jelly inside. Press around the edges of each pastry with your finger. Then, with the tines of a fork, crimp around the edges of each tart to seal the pastry together. Finally, poke 3 sets of holes with the fork tines in the centers of each pie to allow steam to escape while baking.
- Bake the pies in the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the pans from the oven and let the pies rest on the baking sheets for another 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the pies to wire cooling racks to finish cooling fully before decorating.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and strawberry juice until it becomes thick and syrupy, like molasses. Spoon the icing onto the tops of the cooled tarts. While the icing is still wet, decorate them with sprinkles if desired.
- Serve the tarts at room temperature. You can store these pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. They also freeze well in freezer bags for about 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
410Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
