Sometimes I stumble into a new recipe on accident. Whether it was out of necessity or simply on a whim. This creation came about based on those two factors.
I was just sipping my coffee one rainy Saturday morning, enjoying the sounds from the outside when it dawned on me, I have nothing to prepare for breakfast when my kids arise. I pondered and thought... I wish I had something toaster easy. Ding!! I’ll make pop tarts!! But alas, I didn’t have a box on hand, I did however have other ingredients tucked away in the pantry. I made the pastry which is just an adaption of my classic pie crust and cut out rectangles. Lucky me to have a cookie cutter on hand that was just the right size and shape. I made a brown sugar and cinnamon filling, filled, crimped, brushed with the only egg I had in the house and baked. 30 minutes later, golden perfection! I debated on the frosting, but with encouragement I went for it with a little vanilla sugar I happened to have on hand for the sprinkles! Delicious, delicious and my kids where thrilled 😊
I present to you Iced Brown Sugar Cinnamon “pop tarts”, homemade and as always, made with love.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Crust Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp salt 2 tsp granulated sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed 6 to 8 tbsp (or more) ice-cold water 1 large egg, beaten with a splash of water
Filling Ingredients:
1 cup light brown sugar, packed ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of salt ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 to 3 tbsp cold milk Sprinkles or sanding sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make the crust, in a large bowl add the flour, salt and sugar and stir to combine. Add cubed cold butter and toss directly into the flour mixture to coat. With your hands and fingers, work butter into flour, breaking apart until you have what looks like wet sand. Using your fingers, pinch the butter as you go. You will want most of the butter incorporated with some small “disks” remaining. Once this is achieved, add the ice water (not the ice) slowly. Start with 6 tablespoons and see where you are at with texture. Work water into dough slowly and begin to press, together. If your dough, continues to break apart when pressed, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to just start to stick together without sticking to your hands. Add water in small increments until this is achieved. Once the dough comes together, turn out onto a floured surface and knead a couple times by folding and rotating until it is a smooth dough round.
Flour a clean working surface lightly and roll dough out into an even, large rectangle or oval until it is 1/8 inch thick. With a knife or cookie cutter, cut 2 ½ x 3 ½ “ rectangles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Gather dough scraps, re-roll and cut, repeating the process until you have approximately 18 to 20 rectangles depending on the size. Note, you will need two rectangles for every one tart.
To make the filling, in a small bowl, add brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine. Place filling into a piping bag or use a large zip lock bag and cut the corner. Pipe filling into the center of only half of the precut rectangles, leaving the outer edge of the dough unfilled. Place second, unfilled crust layer on top of the filled layer. With a fork, crimp all sides of the tart, turning over and crimping the alternate side being sure to seal the filling tight. Gently prick the top of the crust 3 to 4 times to create a vent for the filling. Place tarts on a parchment lined baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.
Beat egg with a splash of water in a small dish and brush the tops of each assembled tart. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
While tarts are baking, make the icing by mixing confectioners’ sugar and milk until you have a thick, paste like consistency. Spread icing onto the center of each tart while still warm and add colorful sprinkles or sanding sugar before icing has set.
Enjoy warm and right away. Tarts can be stored in an airtight container and rewarmed in the toaster oven for that good nostalgic taste.
~Makes approximately eight to twelve tarts, size dependent.
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