Go Back Email Link
+ servings
Print

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-tarts

Even better than the real thing! These Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-tarts are completely homemade and seriously delicious. If your a fan of the original pop-tart, be prepared to be blown away by these.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings 9 servings
Calories

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoon milk

Filling

  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Egg wash

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Glaze

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Make the dough: whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the cold cubed butter and cut in using a pastry cutter or forks. Do this until it forms pea-sized crumbles. Whisk together the egg and milk and add it to the dough, mixing until it clumps together.
  • Roll out the dough on a floured surface or on a piece of parchment paper. The dough should come together easily and should not feel too sticky. Form the dough into a ball and then divide in half. Using your hands, shape/flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for AT LEAST 2 hours.
  • Make the pop-tarts: take 1 of the doughs from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (this helps with rolling it out). Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 9x12 inch rectangle (about ⅛ inch thick). Cut your dough into the pop-tart shapes, about 3x4 inch rectangles (these will be the bottoms of your pop-tarts). I used a ruler and a pizza cutter to do this, but it doesn't need to be perfect! You will end up with about 9 total rectangles for the pop-tarts. If you need to re-roll the dough and cut it again, you can do so.
  • Place each of the 9 rectangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The pop-tarts will not spread in the oven much, so you may place them near one another. Place the baking sheet in the fridge.
    Repeat the steps above with the 2nd disc of dough. These 9 rectangles will be the tops of your pop-tarts. Place this baking sheet into the refrigerator as well, as you make the brown sugar cinnamon filling (below).
  • Make the filling: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg wash (egg and milk). Remove the 1st baking pan from the fridge (the one that has been in there longer) and brush the egg wash over the entire surface of each pastry. Place 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar filling in the middle of each pastry, using the measuring spoon to spread out the filling. Leave about a ¼ inch of space around the edges.
    Take the second baking sheet of rectangles out of the fridge and brush with egg wash, then place each rectangle on top of the filling-topped rectangles – egg wash side down. Use your fingertips to press firmly around the outside, sealing the dough well on all sides. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork, to prevent the sides from opening as the pop-tarts bake. Use a toothpick to poke 8-10 holes on the tops of each of your pop-tarts.
  • Refrigerate the filled pop-tarts for at least 20 minutes (up to 1 hour). This helps with the baking process and firms up your dough before the hit the oven (since it's gotten a little warm since being out of the fridge). Preheat your oven to 350° while they chill.
  • Bake: Once your pop-tarts are done chilling, take them out of the fridge and brush the tops with more egg wash (for that nice golden color). Bake for 22-26 minutes (rotating the pan half-way through baking) until golden brown. Let pop-tarts cool on pan for about 5-8 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Make the glaze: whisk all of the glaze ingredients together in a bowl until it reaches a spreadable consistency. You want a thick glaze, but not too thick that it is hard to spread (add a teaspoon of milk if too thick). You also don't want it to be too thin that it runs right off the top. Use a spoon or knife to glaze each pop-tart. The glaze starts to harden about an hour after (if you can wait that long lol).
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or the fridge for a week. To reheat, bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes or in the microwave using 15-30 second intervals until warm.

Notes

  • Freezing: Baked and unglazed pop-tarts freeze well, up to 3 months. Defrost and then re-heat with the steps above.