Homemade Pop Tarts…Yes, really!
Yesterday my Mom told me, in confidence, that she had never tasted a Pop Tart.
What???
My Dad loves them – but only Brown Sugar & Cinnamon. The man does not eat fruit. He’ll eat jelly by the jar, but fresh fruit – never. He says the smell of watermelon makes him gag. He used to scold us and threaten violence if my sister and I – God Forbid – chewed a piece of Watermelon gum in the same car as he. But that’s beside the point.
Homemade Pop Tarts.
That was our challenge this month for “Pre Made Our Way”, hosted by Natalie at Oven Love.
Of course, I waited until the very last minute…just now. They weren’t the easiest thing in the world to make, I will admit – it’s much easier to just pop open a box of the store bought – but the taste is not comparable. Not even close. These are softer. Tastier. Dessert worthy, even.
I made mine with Double Berry Amish Jam (strawberry & raspberry) and semisweet chocolate. I didn’t ice them, only gave them a nice squeeze of chocolate syrup. Super Yum.
Here is my recipe for the dough. Have fun with it…fill them how you wish – you really can’t go wrong! You could even omit the sugar and add a couple of herbs…fill this puppy with cheese and pepperoni? Doesn’t that sound great?
Homemade Pop Tart Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Grated Lemon Zest
1/4 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
5 Tbsp. butter, softened
3-4 tbsp. cold water
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, zest and salt in a large bowl. Add shortening and butter and blend with pastry cutter (or your hands and a knife will work as well). Blend until coarse, with small bits of butter. Add lemon juice. Add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, dough forms a ball and can be rolled until .
2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle until roughly 1/8 thick. Cut into rectangles, making sure to have even numbers.
3. Add filling of choice to dough (only half of them, the other half will be the tops), then cover with another piece of dough. Crimp edges with fork and fingers. Place on Parchment lined baking sheet or Silpat and bake for 7-9 minutes. Top with icing if desired.
A big thanks to Natalie for hosting such a fun event! Go check out her site for a roundup of all the participants starting tomorrow! If you have a minute, tell me…what’s the best flavor of PopTarts? There are soooo many – what’s your favorite?
