When I was a kid, I loved Pop-Tarts. My mom rarely bought them for us because of how unhealthy they are, but when I saw those babies in the pantry, I was pretty excited! My favorite was always strawberry, which is why I decided to make that version of these myself. I’m no health nut, but that might be because I don’t buy a lot of pre-packaged foods. The only things of that nature that I stock my pantry with on a regular basis are low-fat popcorn, rice cakes, pretzels, the occasional tortilla chips, and every once in a while, I’ll buy ice cream. I definitely get my calories in other ways, but it’s always through food that I’ve made myself. I just never feel satisfied after eating something out of a bag or a box, unless I’ve been out to the bar, of course, but everything tastes good then. Store-bought Pop-Tarts have so many ingredients it would make your head spin. Just a few of those ingredients are sugar, vegetable oil, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, niacinamide, tons of sodium, gelatin, and more! There are over 50 ingredients in a Pop-Tart, if you can believe it. These Pop-Tarts, however, only have 9 ingredients, which includes the frosting and the sprinkles. They can be made even more additive-free if you make your own jam, but that might have to be saved for another day. It’s pretty shocking to think a beloved childhood treat could possibly contain so many ingredients, especially so many that are so bad for you. Making your own homemade Pop-Tarts obviously isn’t essential, but it’s really fun to see a rustic version of that classic snack made right in your own kitchen with your own two hands.
I wanted to make something kind of special for dessert a few weeks ago, and I remembered that I had seen other food bloggers making their own homemade Pop-Tarts. They looked so cute and fun to make, so I figured I’d give it a try. What a good decision maker I turned out to be! The crust for these Pop-Tarts is infinitely better than the boxed version. It’s so flaky and buttery that it just melts in your mouth, and there is way more jam in these homemade treats than in the store bought ones. The frosting hardens nicely and adds a bit of a crunch to the to die for pastry crust. Your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing when you’re baking these, too. My husband and I were going crazy waiting for these to cool! I would like to play around with the dough a bit and see if I can find something that is a bit more like the original Pop-Tart, but for now, these are fantastic. And talk about impressive! If you show up with these in hand, your friends and family will be sure to beg you for more.
Your ingredients.
Cube the butter and the shortening (just a quick tip – I had a reader ask if there was another ingredient to use other than shortening because they found it to be unsavory, but not to worry! Crisco shortening is not made from animal products, it’s made from vegetable oil!) and add them to the flour and the salt. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball. I only used 2 tablespoons of water. Separate the dough into 2 balls.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut into strips with a pizza cutter, about 3 inches wide and 5 or 6 inches long. Place a teaspoon of jam (do NOT overfill these) in the middle of the lower part of the dough and fold over the top part. Close up the pastry with a fork on all sides and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Set the baking tray on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely (don’t try to remove the Pop-Tarts from the baking sheet while they’re still warm).
When cooled completely, combine the powdered sugar with the milk with a whisk until smooth and the consistency of syrup. I put mine in the fridge for about an hour to speed up the frosting’s hardening process.
Serve and enjoy!
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling out the dough)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup shortening, cubed
- ¼ cup butter, cubed and at room temperature (I mean it - if it's cold, it won't cut into the flour the right way)
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
- Filling:
- 2-3 tablespoons of jam (any flavor is fine)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons of milk
- sprinkles (any kind will do)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the flour and the salt in a large mixing bowl, then add in the cubed butter and shortening. Mix everything together with clean hands until the dough is crumbly. Add in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. I used a bit less than 2 tablespoons. If your dough gets too wet, add in a bit more flour to compensate.
- Separate the dough into two balls. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a square, to about ⅛ inch thickness (mine was a bit thinner than that). Cut out long strips about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. You might have to collect up scraps of unused dough and roll it out again to use up all of the dough.
- Take one pie crust rectangle and place 1 teaspoon of jam on top (do NOT use more than this, seriously). Fold the top part of the dough over on to the bottom part (see the above photos). Use a form to crimp the corners of the dough shut. Repeat with the rest of dough. Place the Pop-Tarts on a lined and greased baking sheet (I covered my baking sheet in tinfoil and sprayed it with non-stick spray) and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden and set.
- Remove the Pop-Tarts from the oven and place the entire baking sheet on a cooling rack; don't try to remove them from the baking sheet until they're completely cooled. When they're cool, place the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in about ½ tablespoon of milk at a time, until the icing is a thick consistency, like syrup. Use a spoon to pour the icing over the Pop-Tarts (you can also use a knife or a spatula). Sprinkle the sprinkles over the wet frosting and allow to set (I put mine in the fridge for about an hour to speed this process up. Enjoy! Makes 5-6 Pop-Tarts. Stores well in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week.
Oh my gosh, these look SO good!
Celeste: Thank you!
Celeste,
These look incredible. I’m going to definitely try them out myself. However, while you only listed the ingredients that you USED in them, each of those ingredients has ingredients, giving you a lot more than seven. Kellogg’s doesn’t have the liberty of saying “PopTarts include butter, jelly, flavoring, flour, and water.” They have to list the ingredients of each of their ingredients. But good work on this recipe!
Eric: My name is Sydney, but you’re totally right! I guess I should have clarified and talked more about additives and chemicals and stuff like that.
These look delicious!
Thanks for visiting my blog and for the kind comment.
Dimah: Thanks! And you have a lovely site!
I love pop tarts! Thanks for the recipe! I will def try it out! Great alternative to the usual eggs + bacon breakfast!
RLV: It is indeed! Thanks for visiting my site.
mmmmmm I need to make these for my boyfriend’s girls. They are poptart-aholics. Ya know, I bet these would be delish with nutella inside!
Misfit: I agree! I was also thinking s’mores or cinnamon. Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
You’re a genius.
Joanna: You are!
The pastry part looks so delicate and delicious!
Jen: It was! I wasn’t expecting it at all, so it was a nice surprise!
Oh my lord, we’re dying for one of these right this second! They look AMAZING.
Beauty: Thank you! I hope you’ll try them out!
Hi Sydney,
Morgan’s grandma here!!!!! Morgan is always raving about your cooking and after seeing your recipe for the pop-tarts I can see why. I can’t wait to try them. You’ve done a beautiful job with your website and I’ll look forward to following your foray into the world of famous chefs. Watch out Paula Dean!!!!!
As you may have heard Stacey and I are coming to New York June 3rd to 10th. Hopefully we’ll be able to see you and your husband at some point during our stay.
Continued Happy Cooking,
Sandra
Sandra: Thank you for the kind words! That’s just the kind of thing that keeps me updating this blog! Morgan did tell Kramer and me that you’ll both be coming to NYC – we’ll definitely have to get together!
I love your site and have made several of your recipes since discovering it last year sometime. Definitely going to have to try this one. My favorites were the chocolate ones, or the S’mores. I’m already thinking of how to make those versions. Yummy!!! Thanks for your creativity.
PS – congrats on your marriage! Your recipes have already improved mine – the chicken with carmelized onions just about put my husband over the moon.
Elizabeth: Thank you so much! I hope you make the s’mores ones; those are next on my list!
I was never fond of tarts so this probably isn’t a huge surprise to read that these look waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than those boxed ones.
~ingrid
Ingrid: You have better taste than me, haha, because when my husband and I were at his father’s house a few months ago and saw some Pop-Tarts in the pantry, we just had to have one!
These pop-tarts look yummy! Good job!
Memoria: Thank you!
I tried to make these tonight and have a couple hunches as to how to make them more sassy the next time I attempt. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Bunnyryle: Let me know how your improvements go! Thanks for visiting the site.
I think I love you for posting this recipe. My favourite Pop-Tarts are the cinnamon brown sugar but these come in a close second.
Katy: I’m planning to try making the brown sugar ones next time, too, so if I do, I’ll post them!
Who would have thought about making these homemade! Looks wonderful!
Richard: Thank you kindly!
WOW these look great!!!! I just found your blog ,love it.I just wish you had a printer friendly button , I’m pretty new to this whole computer thing & don’t know how to print with out it yet ,I really am trying to learn ! So anyway great blog & great recipes ..
Tina: Thanks! And it’s in development! Until then, you can just highlight the recipe with your mouse, hit CTRL and C (or APPLE + C if you’re on a Mac), then open up a text file (Word, Text Pad, etc.) and hit CTRL and V (or APPLE + V if you’re on a Mac).
These look wonderful and much better than normal pop tarts! I was horrified to disocver a few years ago that pop tarts contain gelatin – why?? At least they do in the UK. Your version looks yummy
Katie: It’s probably for the frosting or the “jam” filling. Thanks for stopping by!
Sydney, Thank-You for taking the time to explain how to print to me .I really need a computer class!! LOL!!! Again GREAT blog!!
Tina: Any time! Thank you very much!
Oh my goodness, these look amazing! You can’t buy pop-tarts here any more (except in import shops, epp!) so these are bringing back all my memories of the pop-tart craze that happened when I was eight. Pop-tarts were here one day and gone the next.
Definitely going to make these, thanks!
Taz: I can’t believe you can’t buy Pop-Tarts where you are; what a travesty! I hope you enjoy these ones!
You are brilliant! These look so good….but if I made them I would eat them alllll…and then I wouldn’t feel very good. I love this post!
Kirsten: I almost did! Thank you!
I love you!! lol These are amazing!! I can’t wait to try these!! I have always loved pop tarts, but like you there’s too many ingredients and WAY too unhealthy. I’m going to try these this weekend!
Leah: Let me know how it goes!
I love these! They look totally delicious!
Kathleen: Thank you very much!
First thing I will make when I get out of this dorm room, for sure.
Danielle: That’s a great plan!
[…] Recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath […]
Even without the glaze, I’m more than satisfied.
TasteHongKong: True, but the glaze is just a little something special! Thanks for stopping by!
Ah! I had a massive pop tart craving last night. These look tremendously cute. You have a great blog here…
Angela: As did i! Thank you.
Love the sugar sprinkles on top!!!!! Good looking tarts
Kitchen Butterfly: Thank you! I liked the sprinkles too.
These do look delicious! I am also in the camp of “shortening is unsavory” but not because of animal products. It’s hydrogenated oil, which we avoid like the plague. If you want to substitute something healthy for shortening, you can use coconut oil. It’s more expensive but it has healthy fats in it and is natural. It’s one of the only oils that is solid at room temperature (its melting point is just a bit over that, so it melts to the touch) so it performs like hydrogenated (solid) oils in recipes.
A Magical Childhood: I’m very interested to try this coconut oil that you speak of, unless of course it’s outrageously expensive, hah. I’m a recently graduated 21 year old, so I don’t quite know if coconut oil is in my budget yet! One day!
First of all, I love your blog! The food always looks delicious and simple.
When I saw these I knew I just had to make them. My friend and I did a vegan version of it with passion fruit butter inside. They turned out amazing! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hayley: Passion fruit butter sounds like a dream!
[…] out the DIY Pop Tarts from Crepes of Wrath. Saw these on a friend’s blog and can’t wait to try them. Brings […]
I am going to have to give these a try asap. Like you, I loved pop-tarts as a kid, but the ingredient list is way too daunting to justify eating them. Can not wait to give them a try! Thanks!
Jessica G: I hope you like them as much as I did!
I’m all about healthy as you seem to be, I hate pre-processed foods, and I’m very interested in even making my own bread. (The store-bought stuff is loaded with chemicals to extend it’s shelf life.) So you mentioned this at the top but even the added sprinkles have unnecessary chemicals in them.
Still a great post tho and I’ll be making a copy for my files. Thanks a bunch.
I stumbled here and you deserve a thumbs-up so you’re getting one from me!
Phil: I definitely agree that I could have done more to make the Pop-Tarts more au naturel, but I just did the best I could with what I had while still maintaining the iconic look of the original Pop-Tart. I’m glad you like it nonetheless and I appreciate the stumble! Thank you so, so much!
My Favorite were the brown sugar and cinnamon pop-tarts.
So I put a cinnamon roll filling in:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
tsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp I can’t believe it’s a fake butter spread.
Al: That sounds delicious!
I am so excited to try these! Here I’ve been toting pop-tarts back in my suitcase from the states every time I visit home. Looks like next time I’ll have room for an extra pair of shoes instead!
I’m so excited to have stumbled across this. Every time I go back stateside for a visit I come back with pop-tarts in my suitcase. Next time it looks as if I’ll have room for a new pair of shoes!
Stella: Glad that I could help you out! haha.
These are insane! I’m in love. I can’t wait to send this recipe to my mom because my dad is obsessed with Pop Tarts.
Adrienne: I hope that your dad likes them!
[…] wants to make homemade pop tarts this weekend? Me, […]
Where did you get the flour en español? It was quite humorous.
Chris: Just from my local grocery store. I live in a Latin neighborhood.
Seriously? Pop Tarts?
Barry: Seriously.
I am so going to try this recepy with marshmallow creme or with chocolate-mint fudge!!! thanks !!
Emilio: That sounds dangerously delightful!
Yummy, yummy! These look so good.
Allison: Thank you very much!
Just made these! They look SO delicious, I can’t wait for the icing to harden so I can eat them!
And Al, those cinnamon sugar pop tarts sound GREAT. I must try that next time.
Daniela: I hope that you enjoyed eating them!
Can you just do 1/2 cup of butter? Why do you need butter and shortening? I usually just substitute butter for shortening anyhow because I never have it on hand.
Lisa: The reason is that butter has a lower melting temperature than shortening (I use all vegetable shortening), so the shortening helps the crust to hold up during baking. I used half and half so I have the best of both worlds: taste and texture. I really can’t say if the dough will work without the shortening, as I haven’t tried it myself, and the dough is already pretty delicate, so I have a feeling that it won’t be as firm when made with all butter, but they might be fine and there’s no better way to learn than to just do it!
YES! Quarantine have decided to ban Pop-Tarts from coming into Australia. Just wondering if anyone would know what alterations would have to be made to make chocolate fudge ones? Not sure how I’d make the filling. Thanks!
Krystal: I’m not sure either, to be honest, and so I don’t want to give you a recipe for something that I haven’t tried. Smitten Kitchen has some good ideas, though! http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/homemade-pop-tarts/
ooohh! I might have to try these! my mom never let us have poptarts either!
Zahra: Now you can!
[…] Breakfast Filed under: experiment by rockstarknits — Leave a comment October 26, 2010 Almost every morning I end up making one of two breakfasts. I either have a) cereal or b) eggs and bacon. I wanted to add something quick and simple to my morning routine for the upcoming gray and dreary cold months. So I went searching for something cheap and simple and I stumbled upon this: […]
[…] pop-tarts anyone? They certainly look […]
these look great. I’ve been recently thinking of working out a recipe just like this (frosted poptarts are not vegetarian and the unfrosted are to rich in sugar for my style) Thanks a lot for these. Now the most fun will be deciding what I want to fill em with.
Joshua Garlic: I hope that you can decide on a flavor – I know it’s tough!
I’ve never been really pleased with the ingredients of Pop-Tarts, and even though I occasionally get them, I can’t really justify the expense nowadays. I’ve managed to convince him that bread with cream cheese and jam spread on it and folded in half was a sufficient substitute. My son will be so very grateful to you after I bake these up for him this weekend.
Tasha: I hope that he helps you make them!
These are absolutely delicious! I made this recipe for my girls for breakfast and they just loved them! Thanks for sharing
Mom’s Menu Planner: I’m glad they loved them!
[…] Recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath […]
I think these are wonderful, I got the link from a friend and can’t wait to try them!!!
My question is though…Can you freeze them? Or store them somehow and for how long if you make several?
Thanks
I have 3 boys and if I only make a handful they all be gone! LOL
Cheri: Wow! Three boys must be quite a handful! They can definitely stored in the freezer for 2-3 months in an airtight container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap.
Awesome, thanks
These look so fun. My kids are wanting me to try them and I found you on a web search. I picked your site because I absolutely LOVE the name of your site.
I can’t wait to surf around and see what other delicious goodies you have in store for me.
Marie: Thank you so much! I hope you keep coming back!
Hey Sydney,
I just made your Pop tarts for P.J. this morning, they are absolutely fabulous! P.J. wants me to make them every morning!
@Stacey: You’re quite the mom for making those for him for breakfast!
[…] adapted from Genesis of a Cook Homemade Pop-Tarts | Crepes of Wrath […]