Strawberries are finally under $3/pound here in the Northeast and I’m taking full advantage! At my church’s small group, there’s a running joke whenever someone’s bringing snacks that if they don’t have the time or don’t have the culinary abilities to whip up something, they’ll bring Pop-Tarts. I decided it’s time to set a new gold standard of Pop-Tarts – homemade Pop-Tarts with the flakiest crust and a perfectly sweet & tart strawberry filling.
As a ’90s kid, my mom would always stock our pantry with Pop-Tarts as an afternoon snack, and my brothers would gobble them up. I just always lusted after Toaster Strudels (fun fact: I still haven’t had them!). At least from the TV commercials, Toaster Strudels look flakier, the filling looks like it’s got more body and viscosity. But since I’ve never had them, I don’t think I can say this is a homemade version of Toaster Strudels. But I think I’ve maintained the integrity of the look of the Pop-Tart, but elevated it with a buttery pastry crust and delicious jam filling.
Strawberry Pop-Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cold, unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup iced water
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbs milk
Strawberry jam filling
- 1 cup strawberry jam
- 1 tb cornstarch
- 1 tb water
Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbs milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkles
Method
- For the pastry dough: Using a food processor, pastry blender, or 2 forks, blend together flour, butter, and salt until it resembles small crumbs. Slowly add ice water, 1 tb at a time, until dough comes together. Transfer to a floured surface, knead a couple times until smooth. Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together strawberry jam filling. In another small bowl, mix together the egg wash.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out each pastry dough into large rectangles. Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut pastry dough to PopTart-sized rectangles (about 2″x3′). You should get 32 rectangles (and have some extra dough leftover). Set aside.
- On one side of the cut rectangular dough, put about a spoonful of jam mixture. Brush egg wash around the edges. Cover with another cut dough, crimping the edges to seal. Brush the top with egg wash. Repeat with remaining dough & filling.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Spoon over the cooled Pop-Tarts. Add the sprinkles and let the icing dry completely before serving.
Recipe notes
- To save time, you can use a premade frozen pie dough. Just make sure to thaw it before using.
- You can use any strawberry jam you like. However, because different strawberry jams will have different consistencies, you will need to play with the cornstarch and water ratio. You want it to be very easily spreadable, but not runny like juice. Think … apple sauce/baby food consistency.
- Want an easy homemade strawberry jam recipe? My 3-ingredient strawberry jam recipe comes together super fast and will give you plenty of leftovers for all your pb&j needs!
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