Homemade Pop-Tarts
Pastry Dough
Step 1
Whisk 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, 4 tsp. granulated sugar, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl to combine. Toss 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter in dry ingredients to coat, then working quickly, grate cold butter on the large holes of a box grater into the bowl. Toss grated butter to coat, then, using your fingers, work butter into dry ingredients, smashing until the largest pieces are about the size of a lentil.
Step 2
Tossing constantly with a fork, drizzle in ⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp. ice-cold water, then using your hands, lightly toss the mixture several times to distribute water evenly. Knead dough in the bowl with your hands until it comes together into a smooth mass with no spots of dry flour remaining. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap and pat into a ½”-thick square. Wrap tightly, pressing out air, then roll over dough with a rolling pin in both directions, forcing it into the corners of the wrapping to make a tightly compacted square. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 36 hours ahead.
Filling
Step 3
Preheat oven to 250°. Combine two 10-oz. packages frozen strawberries, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 pinch kosher salt, and 3 Tbsp. water in a large saucepan and cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovering and stirring occasionally, until berries are softened, about 5–8 minutes. Remove from heat and purée with a hand blender, leaving a bit of texture if you like (or transfer to a standard blender and blend, then return to the saucepan). Return to a simmer, uncovered, and cook, stirring often with a heatproof rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of pan, until filling is thick enough that you can see the bottom of the pot for a second when you scrape the spatula across, 10–15 minutes.
Step 4
Scrape filling onto a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone mat and spread into a thin, even layer. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes with spatula, until it becomes a thick paste that holds its shape (it should resemble tomato paste), 45–60 minutes. Let cool, then transfer filling to a small bowl and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired.
Do ahead: Filling can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
Sprinkles
Step 5
Whisk 1 large egg white and 1 pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl until foamy. Add 2 cups powdered sugar a little bit at a time, whisking constantly and vigorously until you have a thick, smooth, opaque white icing (depending on the size of your egg white, you might not need all the sugar). Divide icing among 5 small bowls and, working one at a time, add food coloring 1 drop at a time, stirring with a spoon, until you have the desired color. Repeat until you have all 5 sprinkle colors: orange, red, pink, green, and yellow. Using an offset spatula, spread each color icing in an even strip across a sheet of parchment paper, making as thin a layer as possible. Slide parchment paper onto a baking sheet and let sit at room temperature until icing has dried and hardened completely, at least 12 hours.
Step 6
Peel icing off parchment paper and break into smaller pieces with your hands. Place the pieces inside a resealable plastic bag and seal, pressing out any air. Beat the bag lightly with a rolling pin to pulverize the icing into tiny sprinkles. Transfer sprinkles to a fine mesh sieve and shake to remove any tiny, dust-like particles; discard. Pass sprinkles through a colander or slotted spoon, reserving the pieces that fall through and returning any larger pieces that don’t to the bag and breaking up further with rolling pin. Repeat the double-sifting process until you have very small, relatively uniform sprinkles. Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and store at room temperature until you’re ready to assemble the pastries.
Do Ahead: Sprinkles can be made 1 week ahead.
Assembly
Step 7
Preheat oven to 300°. Line an 18×13″ baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap dough and cut in half. Re-wrap one half and return to the refrigerator. Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14×10″ rectangle. Transfer to lined baking sheet.
Step 8
Using a ruler, lightly score straight lines on the dough to make a 3×3 grid (you should have 9 rectangles, each measuring about 4½” long and 3¼” wide (don’t cut all the way through the pastry). Using the ruler, measure and lightly score another set of lines ¼” from the inside of each rectangle (think of it as making a slightly smaller rectangle inside each of the 9 rectangles. Chill dough until firm, 10–15 minutes.
Step 9
Remove scored dough from refrigerator and divide cooled filling among rectangles (about a slightly heaping tablespoonful each). Using a small offset spatula or spoon, spread filling in an even layer so it fills up to the lines of the smaller rectangles (you’re leaving the ¼” border exposed). Transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Roll out second piece of pastry into a 14×10″ rectangle the same way as the first, then prick it all over with a fork.
Step 10
Separate 1 large egg, placing egg yolk into small bowl and egg white into medium bowl. Beat egg yolk to blend. Remove pastry with filling from refrigerator and brush egg yolk over pastry, working around filling. Drape second piece of pastry over the top, aligning the slabs and pressing out any air pockets. Press firmly around the filling to seal pastry (take care to avoid smooshing the filling) and crimp if desired. Use a bench scraper or pastry cutter to cut between rectangles to make nine 4½x3¼” pastries; discard any scraps. Space pastries evenly on baking sheet. Chill until pastry is firm, 10–15 minutes.
Step 11
Bake pastries until golden underneath and puffed but still pale on top, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.
Step 12
Add 1 pinch of kosher salt to reserved egg white and whisk until foamy. Add 2 cups powdered sugar a little bit at a time, whisking constantly and vigorously until you have a smooth, opaque white icing that falls off the whisk in a slowly dissolving ribbon (depending on the size of your egg white, you might not need all the sugar). Fill a disposable pastry bag or a resealable plastic bag with about 2 Tbsp. icing and snip a very small opening from the end or a bottom corner. Pipe thin, even rectangles of icing on the surface of each pop-tart, leaving about ¼” border. Transfer any icing left in bag back to the bowl, then whisk in ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice and ½ tsp. vanilla extract. Whisk in water a few drops at a time if needed to make the icing a bit more fluid but still thick and opaque. Working with one pop-tart at a time, drizzle about 1 tsp. icing inside the icing rectangles and use your finger or a toothpick to cover entire icing rectangle in a thin, even layer (add more icing if needed). You should have a smooth, even application of white icing. Before the icing starts to set, top pastries generously with sprinkles. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour to let the icing set before serving.
Do Ahead: Homemade Pop-Tarts can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. After icing has had 24 hours to set, you can reheat in a 300° oven (or toaster oven) until warmed through, 5–8 minutes.
Editor’s note: Head this way for more great hand pie recipes from our friends at Epicurious →
