By Margaux Laskey
Updated March 7, 2024
- Total Time
- About 2 hours, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour, plus 1 hour chilling
- Rating
- 4(169)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These adorable D.I.Y. Pop-Tarts are a bit more work than the original toaster pastries, which were created by Kellogg in the 1960s as a sort of all-in-one, portable toast and jam, but making them at home means you can customize the fillings and toppings to suit your fancy. You can use two rounds (about 14 ounces) of store-bought pie dough for the pastry, but this cream cheese version is easy to put together and even easier to work with. If it starts to get too soft while you’re rolling and cutting it, pop it into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes and try again. This recipe includes a quick berry jam for the filling, but you can use about ¾ cup store-bought jam, too. Peanut butter and jelly would be pretty great, as would chocolate-hazelnut spread. These keep well stored in an airtight container for about a week. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, they also freeze like a dream for up to 3 months.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 6ounces/170 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2tablespoons milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1egg
- 2cups fresh or frozen berries, roughly chopped
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 to 2tablespoons water, or lemon or lime juice, plus more as necessary
- 1tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 1cup/123 grams powdered sugar
- ¼cup milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1 to 2teaspoons lemon or lime juice (optional)
- Colorful sparkling sugar or sprinkles
For the Cream Cheese Dough
For the Quick Berry Jam (or Use About 3/4 Cup Thick Store-bought Jam)
For the Glaze (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
597 calories; 32 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 35 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 421 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Make the dough: Place cream cheese, butter, milk, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, mix together until uniform and smooth. (You shouldn't see chunks of cream cheese or butter.) Add flour and stir until dough comes together and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s dry and not coming together, add more milk or cream (in tiny amounts) as needed.
Step
2
Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 2 or 3 times. If dough seems sticky or wet, sprinkle on another few teaspoons of flour. When it’s ready, it should feel like fresh Play-Doh, not too sticky and not too dry with no dry, cracked edges or bits of flour remaining. Divide the dough in half and shape into two squares. Flatten them slightly and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Step
3
While the dough chills, make the jam: Put fruit in a medium saucepan over medium heat. After a minute or so, add sugar, to taste, and stir to combine. Add water or juice and stir to combine.
Step
4
Simmer (you may need to lower the heat) for 10 to 30 minutes, until the mixture has thickened nicely, adding more liquid if it starts to look too dry, and breaking up large chunks of fruit with a fork or the tip of a wooden spoon. When most of the liquid has evaporated (but the fruit is not sticking to the pan), remove from heat and stir in cornstarch mixture. It will clump together. Set aside to cool completely.
Step
5
When the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and unwrap. Place it on a lightly floured surface. (If it’s been in the refrigerator for more than an hour, you may need to let it soften a bit before rolling it out or, give it a few hearty whacks with a rolling pin to soften.)
Step
6
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Crack egg into a small bowl and whisk.
Step
7
Using a rolling pin or a wine bottle, roll each piece of dough into a 10-inch square about ⅛-inch thick. Trim the rough edges away with a knife to form a 9-inch square. Cut each piece of dough into three 3-inch by 9-inch strips, 6 total. (While assembling the tarts, you can bake the leftover pieces of dough for a treat. Brush them with a little of the whisked egg and sprinkle with sugar and sprinkles. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes.)
Step
8
Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of jam (or filling of choice) onto the middle of one end of each strip, leaving at least a ½-inch border of dough on three sides. Using a pastry brush or your fingertip, brush a rectangle of egg around the filling (this will act as glue). Fold the dry end over and crimp with a fork on all sides.
Step
9
Repeat with remaining dough strips. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork to let the steam escape while baking. Move the tarts to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before icing.
Step
10
Make the icing: Whisk powdered sugar, milk or cream and lemon or lime juice (if using) together. Add more liquid as needed; you want it to be pourable, but not so loose it’s transparent. Spread or drizzle over the top of each tart and scatter with sprinkles or colored sugar, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
169
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Cooking Notes
Foote
Double the recipe—it’s a lot of work for 6 pop tarts!
Deb
Do the butter and cream cheese need to be mixed with forks? Can’t this all be done in a stand mixer?
ageo
Brown sugar cinnamon! So good!
Natalie
I cut the dough strips in half to make 12 smaller Pop Tarts, and used the leftover crust to make a couple more. The dough was easy to work with, and the tarts tasted pretty good.
Natalie
I cut the dough strips in half to make 12 smaller pop tarts, and used the cut off dough scraps to make a couple more tarts. The dough was easy to work with and the tarts tasted pretty good.
Dfuser
Have now made these at least five times because they go so fast.First I made them with all-purpose flour, but I ran out and used bread flour. The dough was much easier to handle with bread flour, and just as tender when baked.Tasty as the baked scraps were, they were even better re-rolled as three more pastriesAre these my favorites? No. But they are miles better than the commercial kind, and my family can't get enough of them I had to bake them four days in a row just to get one!
Lois
This dough was a dream - easy to work with and very flaky result. Used my stand mixer with a very light touch to combine. Tasty tarts, will make again.
cat
These are fantastic. Margaux Laskey’s assembly instructions were perfect. Mine looked just like the recipe picture. The best tool for mixing the cream cheese pastry is a Danish dough whisk. I tried forks and a pastry cutter but they were unwieldy. Next time I’ll make strawberry-rhubarb jam for the filling.
Audrey E
Am I missing something? There seems to be a step missing in section 8. When do you put on the top crusts? And why do you have to leave one of the three edges dry and instead fold it over?
LG
SO good. Cut the 9x3” strips in half to 4.5x3” to make 12 instead of 6. Filled them with store bought apple butter and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar. Wowowow. Although next time I’d roll the dough out a bit thinner.
CP
Has anyone tried baking them from frozen? I am thinking of making a bigger batch to bake off when I feel like it.
Toneby
Can they go in the toaster?
Mary Ann
Can these actually be warmed in a toaster?
Cholla45
I think the frosting might melt off in a toaster. The frosting on commercial pop tarts is made with starch & corn syrup and who knows what else so that it resists melting when heated (briefly) in a toaster.
Deb
Do the butter and cream cheese need to be mixed with forks? Can’t this all be done in a stand mixer?
Diane
Hi, you could use a food processor on quick pulses until the butter & cream cheese are mealy in texture & then pulse until coming together.
Pat
I had a bit of extra pie dough - made the Salt Pluff Mud Pie which was delicious - and decided to use the leftover dough to make these pop tarts. OMG I LOVE these...made cinnamon & brown sugar and only got 3 but husband and I enjoyed every single mouthful. Great recipe(s)!!
UncEasy
Yes on double the recipe. It takes about twice as much cream as called for to get the dough to come together. I’ll use the kitchen aide next time. I added some turmeric, and made Jamaican patties with this dough, and it worked beautifully.
jamie
I found these easy and fun, actually! The dough is very forgiving. I put them in the fridge for half the time (30 minutes) and it just worked fine. I made them a tad smaller than stated to create a few more. Delicious and special!
Marjorie
Could these be made in ravioli pans ? I’d love to make mini bites.
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