Okay, y’all. . .I’ve got a great recipe for you today. These Homemade Pop-Tarts are easy and fun, the perfect project to work on with the kids in your life. There’s so versatile, too!
Can I Make Pop Tarts from Scratch?
This was the question I asked myself as I thought about my Mama’s yummy pie crust recipe. I’ve used it to make cobblers, pies, and even Pecan Pie Cookies. But, could I use it to make a childhood favorite. . .pop tarts?
I don’t know about you, but when I get an idea I have to give it a try. If I fail. . .oh well. If I succeed? Well, as a baker, a success in the kitchen produces a new-to-me recipe that I can pass on to all of you. That’s a win for all of us!
Thank goodness, this one turned out to be a winner. And I’ll be honest: I almost felt like a cheater for using canned pie filling, but who cares? I had reams of it in my pantry and needed to put some of it to good use.
I’ll tell you more about the process of making these yummy pocket pastries later on but let’s start by looking at the ingredients.
Homemade Pop Tarts Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry.
For the Pop Tarts
- all purpose flour
- Crisco shortening
- cup ice cold water
- granulated sugar
- salt
- pie filling (your choice)
- milk or heavy cream
- sanding sugar (optional, for sprinkling)
For the icing
- powdered sugar
- heavy cream
- vanilla extract
- food gel coloring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
As I mentioned above, these came together so easily. I can’t wait to bake them with my grandkids. We’re going to have so much fun coming up with different filling and toppings.
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Prepare a workspace. You’ll need a piece of wax paper, flour for dusting, a sharp knife or rectangular cutter, and rolling pin. (You might choose to use a pizza cutter in place of a knife or cookie cutter.)
Make the Dough
Place flour, salt, and sugar into a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening using a blending fork (or your hands) until you have a pea-like consistency. If you like, you can use a mixer or food processor for this process but it’s really not necessary.
Add the cold water, a little at a time, until pie dough comes together. (I used 1/3 cup for mine but sometimes I end up using the full half cup.)
Cover with plastic wrap (or place in ziplock bag) and refrigerate dough. (This is a great time to prep your work station if you haven’t already.)
Place chilled pastry dough on lightly floured surface.
Roll dough out until thin.
Cut into rectangles the size of pop tarts. I was fortunate to have a large rectangular cookie cutter, perfect for this job. If you don’t have one you might want to make a paper template because you’ll want every rectangle the same size.
This recipe should make at least 6 pop tarts but you probably won’t be able to cut out all of the rectangles at once. I did a couple at a time.
After you cut out a large rectangle, place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center.
Place another rectangle on top.
Gently press down the edges then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.
Make a slight crescent-shaped cut in the top crust.
Continue making rectangles until you’ve used up your dough.
Place filled pop tarts on parchment lined baking tray.
Add a light milk wash to the top of the pop tarts using a pastry brush. (Alternatively, you can use an egg wash.)
Add a sprinkling or sanding sugar (or raw sugar) on the ones you don’t plan to frost.
Place in preheated (400 degree) oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. (Start checking them at the fifteen-minute mark. Oven times may vary depending on the type of cookie sheet you use.)
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Make Your Icing
While pop tarts are baking and cooling, make your icing.
Combine powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir until there are no lumps.
If you prefer you can add a dot of food coloring. I went with light pink since I happened to be making cherry pop tarts.
Once pop tarts are cool enough to handle, you can ice them.
Immediately add sprinkles. (Optional)
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 – 3 days.
What to Expect from These Pop Tarts
I can sum them up in one word: Wow!
No kidding, y’all. Just. . .wow! They’re crisp, they’re sweet, they’re loaded with those tart, creamy cherries. They’re just wonderful, inside and out.
The addition of the icing on top? Well, it’s just lovely. And the crunch of that sugar against the flaky pastry crust? It’s sheer perfection.
This is truly the finest pop tart I’ve ever eaten in my life. I couldn’t help but think that my Mama would place her stamp of approval on this recipe, especially since it starts with her yummy pie crust.
One final thought: I bake a lot of sweet treats. A lot. But I can honestly say that this is one of my favorites I’ve made. . .ever. And that’s no exaggeration.
Variations on this Recipe
This pop tart recipe is so versatile! You can change up the inside and the outside. (Rainbow sprinkles, anyone?)
Obviously the primary changes for this one will involve the filling. Tart flavors can vary, based on what you have on hand. Here are some other canned pie fillings you might choose:
- apple
- blueberry
- blackberry
- strawberry
You could also choose from these options:
- pumpkin puree (with fall spices)
- mashed sweet potatoes (with cinnamon and nutmeg)
- peanut butter
- Nutella (hazelnut spread)
- brown sugar cinnamon filling with cinnamon glaze
- Strawberry jam or preserves
- raspberry jam or preserves
- Lemon curd (with lemon glaze, sprinkled with toasted coconut)
Savory options (Hint: If you go savory, skip the sugar and the icing.)
- BBQ chicken
- Pepperoni and mozzarella with a splash of pizza sauce
If you want to use cold butter in place of shortening you can, of course. But shortening does lend itself to a lighter, flakier crust. You can choose salted or unsalted butter in your pie crust dough. . .your choice.
If you’re not in the mood to make a homemade crust you can always use store bought roll-out pie crust or even puff pastry.
No matter how you mix them up, you’ll be so glad you did! This is one of those easy recipes you’ll make again and again, and you’ll definitely enjoy its versatility. You’re going to love making these easy homemade pop tarts!
Other Pies and Cobblers from Out of the Box Baking
If you like these little pocket pies you’re sure to love our other pies and cobblers. You can use my favorite pie crust recipe (Mama’s recipe, found in these pop tarts) with every single pie or cobbler.
Here are a few fan favorites.
Easy Coconut Cream Pie: In this post I’m going to show you how to make my very favorite pie of all time: Coconut Cream Pie. It’s lush, rich, sweet, and loaded with coconutty goodness! Perfect for special occasions or any day of the week!
Easy Blackberry Pie with Decorative Pie Crust: If you’re looking for a luscious pie with both fantastic flavor and a memorable look, you’ve come to the right place! This blackberry pie is delicious and beautiful.
Fudgy Pecan Pie: In this post I’m going to share a luscious pecan pie recipe that incorporates an extra ingredient sure to make you swoon. . .chocolate!
Old-Fashioned Cobbler with Homemade Pie Crust: If you’re looking for a luscious cobbler with that crisp homemade crust you grew up eating, you’ve come to the right place. This easy recipe calls for canned pie filling but a crust so flaky and delicious you’ll swear you’re sitting around grandma’s table eating it.
That’s it for this post, friends! Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the recipe for these delicious homemade pop tarts!
See this recipe at
Busy Monday
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Homemade Pop Tarts
Okay, y'all. . .I've got a great recipe for you today. These Homemade Pop-Tarts are easy and fun, the perfect project to work on with the kids in your life. There's so versatile, too!
Ingredients
- Homemade Pop Tarts Ingredients
- For the Pop Tarts
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup Crisco shortening
- 1/3 cup ice cold water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pie filling (your choice)
- 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 - 2 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional, for sprinkling)
- For the icing
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- food gel coloring (optional)
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
As I mentioned above, these came together so easily. I can't wait to bake them with my grandkids. We're going to have so much fun coming up with different filling and toppings.
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Prepare a workspace. You'll need a piece of wax paper, flour for dusting, a sharp knife or rectangular cutter, and rolling pin.
Make the Dough
Place flour, salt, and sugar into a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening using a blending fork (or your hands) until you have a pea-like consistency. If you like, you can use a mixer for this process but it's really not necessary.
Add the cold water, a little at a time, until dough comes together. (I used 1/3 cup for mine but sometimes I end up using the full half cup.)
Refrigerate dough. (This is a great time to prep your work station if you haven't already.)
Place chilled dough on floured wax paper and roll out until thin. Cut into rectangles the size of pop tarts. I was fortunate to have a large rectangular cookie cutter, perfect for this job. If you don't have one you might want to make a paper template because you'll want every rectangle the same size.
This recipe should make at least 6 pop tarts but you probably won't be able to cut out all of the rectangles at once. I did a couple at a time.
After you cut out the rectangles, place a heaping tablespoon of filling onto half of them.
Use the rest of the rectangles to make the tops.
Gently press down the edges then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.
Make a slight crescent-shaped cut in the top crust.
Add a light milk wash to the top of the pop tarts.
Add a sprinkling or sanding sugar (or raw sugar) on the ones you don't plan to frost.
Place filled pop tarts on parchment lined baking sheet.
Place in preheated (400 degree) oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. (Start checking them at the fifteen-minute mark. Oven times may vary depending on the type of cookie sheet you use.)
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Make the Icing
While pop tarts are baking and cooling, make your icing.
Combine powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and stir until there are no lumps.
If you prefer you can add a dot of food coloring. I went with light pink since I happened to be making cherry pop tarts.
Once pop tarts are cool enough to handle, you can ice them.
Immediately add sprinkles. (Optional)
Susan Mercurio
Sunday 25th of August 2024
I could tell that you didn't dampen the edges of the pastry for the Pop Tarts before you pressed them with a fork because they leaked. I suggest that you include that step and then your Pop Tarts won't leak the filling.
Egg Free Baking Recipes - Out of the Box Baking
Monday 23rd of January 2023
[…] Homemade Pop Tarts: Okay, y’all. . .I’ve got a great recipe for you today. These Homemade Pop-Tarts are easy and fun, the perfect project to work on with the kids in your life. There’s so versatile, too! […]