WHAT???????  Homemade Pop Tarts?  Awesome… That was our reaction when we passed by the bin that housed these nifty cutters at William Sonoma this summer.   We spent the rest of the evening deliberating which flavor we loved best, and what flavors would be fun to try.  The good old brown sugar was a contender for sure, and smores too.  Sir Wes wants to see a savory play on Quiche and he tells me, “please add bacon”!  This pastry cutter is a childhood throwback for sure, but how can you go wrong with a “Poptart”?

While I have plenty of pie crust and pastry dough recipes, I like to consider the recipe given with the product.   With the logic that the company is the expert of their product, one would assume, the recipe they provide is a good one.  I adapt the method to suit my kitchen equipment and the flavors to fit my preferences.

The following recipe was adapted from William Sonoma.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 to 8 Tbs. ice water
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam 
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Colored sprinkles

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt and granulated sugar until combined. Add the butter and crumble with hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 Tbs. of the ice water and mix again with hands. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 tsp. at a time, mixing after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. 



Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 dough disc into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick. Using the outer ring of a toaster pastry press, cut out 8 pastries, rerolling the scraps as needed. Using a small offset spatula or a butter knife, spread 1 Tbs. of the jam onto each of 4 pieces of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Brush the edges with the beaten egg mixture. Top each with a plain piece of dough. Place the 2-piece press on top and press the inner ring down to seal the edges. Remove the mold. Transfer the pastries to a prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough disc. 


Position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 


Bake the toaster pastries until golden, about 30 minutes, reversing the positions of the baking sheets on the racks and rotating them from front to back halfway through the baking time. Let the pastries cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer the pastries to wire racks and let cool completely. 


In a bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until well combined. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle the icing onto the toaster pastries and shake sprinkles over top. Let the icing harden completely before serving. Makes 8 toaster pastries. 


I think these turned out perfectly, the dough was perfect.  I put them in the toaster oven the next morning to warm to serve.  I see many warm “Pop Tarts” in our future!  Chocolate Hazelnut, Heirloom Apples, Pumpkin Latte, ….plenty of options!