Maple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Yeah, I went there. I made my own pop tarts. And I strongly suggest you do, too. Now that we’re in ‘back to school’ mode, it seems only right that I make a breakfast treat that totally brings me back to my own childhood. I really loved these things when I was a kid – and I still do. I tweaked this recipe to add some maple goodness to these pop tarts to make them a little more appropriate for breakfast (who am I kidding?). Really, this is essentially a buttery, flaky pie crust stuffed with maple cinnamon sugar deliciousness. They’re pretty awesome, and a great Saturday morning baking project. Happy weekend!
Maple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Ingredients:
PASTRY
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1-1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup shortening, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup ice cold water (literally put ice cubes in it until you're ready to use it)
FILLING
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 tsp maple flavoring (if you don't have this you can also use good maple syrup and bump it up to 1/2 tsp)
- Egg wash: 1 large egg + 2 tsp milk
GLAZE
- 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp milk, plus more if needed
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp maple flavoring (again, you can use 1/2 tsp syrup if you don't have this)
Directions:
PASTRY
- Place the flour and salt into your food processor and pulse to combine
- Add in the cubed butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times until the butter/shortening looks like peas
- Slowly pour in the ice cold water (don't forget to take the cubes out and make sure you're at 1/2 cup)
- When the mixture comes together into a ball, it's done (if it doesn't come together, don't worry - just add more water 1 tbsp at a time while the food processor is running)
- Divide the dough into two balls and flatten each one into a disc - wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (this can also be done the day before)
FILLING
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and maple - blend well
GLAZE
- Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk cinnamon and maple -you want this mixture to be thick but not hard to spread
*Make this while the baked pop tarts are cooling
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER...
- Start by cutting out your pop tart pastry shape - take 1 disc out of the fridge at a time and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's 1/8" thick (it should be about a 9"x12" rectangle, trim the edges as needed)
- Cut the rectangle into thirds and then each third into three pieces (you want 9 rectangles total) - these are the bottoms of your pop tarts
- Place the rectangles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (they can be fairly close together because they won't spread much while baking) and return to the fridge
- Repeat with the remaining disc of dough - these will be your tops (place these in the fridge while you begin assembling)
- Brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the pop tart bottoms and then place a heaping tbsp of the cinnamon sugar mixture in the center and spread it evenly, leaving a 1/4" border around the edges
- Take the pop tart tops out of the fridge and brush them all with the egg wash, then place them egg wash side down on top of the cinnamon sugar mix
- Press down all around the edges with your fingertips to seal up the edges - then crimp the edges with a fork to get it really sealed up tight
- Poke holes along the top of the pop tarts to allow steam to escape while baking
- At this point, place the assembled pop tarts back in the fridge for an additional 20 mins -1 hour - preheat your oven to 350°F
- Once they've chilled, brush the tops of your pop tarts with the egg wash and bake for 22-28 mins or until they're golden brown - transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing
- Using a spoon or knife, glaze the pop tarts - then allow them to set (this is a difficult step!)
Store pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. To reheat, bake in a 350°F degree oven for 10 minutes. Baked pop-tarts freeze well, up to 3 months - thaw and reheat as directed before.
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction