Homemade Heart Pop Tarts

>>> Click below for my all time favorite cookies sheets!  They are airbake and non stick and help these PopTarts turn out beautifully. >>>

 Airbake Cookie Sheet Set

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I never liked PopTarts as a kid. My brothers all did- I think cinnamon was a favorite and maybe the strawberry kind with white frosting and sprinkles. But my girls love PopTarts and sometimes get them as a treat when we’re in the car for awhile and stop to get gas or snacks. What I do love, however, is my Mom’s pie crust. I could eat it by the sheet. It’s my favorite part of every pie and we even make “pie crust cookies” with leftover dough (if there ever is any… I like the raw dough just as much!).

These homemade “PopTarts” are, however, one of my favorite breakfast treats. It’s easy to make them festive just by changing the shape of the cookie cutter and adding appropriately colored sprinkles. It’s easy to customize these to each of your family’s taste too simply by changing up the filling. Any flavored jam will work nicely as will fresh fruit, nutella, or just a heaping spoonful of chocolate chips. So delicious.

PopTart Dough (my favorite pie crust – the only pie crust recipe I use)

Mix flour and salt. Cut in Crisco with a fork until flour is just blended into pea sized chunks. Sprinkle with ice water 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss with fork until dough can be shaped into a ball.  If the ball forms before you have used the full 5 tbsp. of water that’s ok! You might not always need all the moisture depending on your climate and air where you live. Pittsburgh is pretty damp and wet most of the time so I don’t ever need more than 4 tbsp. Divide into 2 balls. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a large cookie cutter (I used a heart of course) to cut out shapes. Remember to cut out an even number of shapes so you have a top and bottom for each tart.

Filling ideas:

For ours, we used a homemade apple pie jam that was to die for.  A friend in Brandon’s office makes this stuff and it’s ridiculous. If you can’t find that (go ahead and cry a little) but just use any kind of jam or jelly that your family loves. Fresh blueberries sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice would be amazing as would nutella or peanut butter and bananas. I would avoid any fresh fruit that takes took long to soften in the oven because the tart crust will brown before the filling is soft. Pureed pumpkin would be great in here too, sweetened with a touch of cinnamon and sugar and maybe a dash of cream.

Once your tarts are spread with a bit of filling (be careful not to spread the filling too close to the edge!), cover with tart tops and use a fork to crimp the edges of each tart really well. This will keep your filling from leaking out. Cut a few little slits in the tops of each tart to let out the steam. Brush with butter or water or egg white and sprinkle with sugar- this isn’t absolutely necessary but it sweetens the dough just a touch and gives a light crunch to the outside of each homemade PopTart.

*Bake in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes or until dough is lightly golden brown.* (I blame Mommy brain for forgetting this major detail!!)

Icing:

I love just plain ol’ powdered sugar and water. I use about 1/2 cup of sugar to 2 tbsp. water. You could add vanilla or almond extract or even orange zest to jazz it up. Or be boring and leave it plain jane like we do. Can’t go wrong!

We’ll be making these again for Valentine’s Day breakfast because they’re so easy. There probably won’t be any leftover but if there are, you can store them in an airtight container for a few days.

Happy baking!

xo

-J