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Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts

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Homemade Strawberry Poptarts

Homemade Strawberry pop-tarts – Flaky pastry filled with homemade strawberry jam or your favorite pie filling.

We’ve all talked about how great it was to grow up in our own generation, and maybe we’ve learned some of the differences between the Baby Boomers, Generation X’ers and Millennials.  But I grew up in the pop-tart generation.  Along with my brothers and sister, we grew up eating pop-tarts for breakfast and we each had a favorite flavor, which worked out great so we didn’t have to fight over them.  I always liked the plain blueberry pop-tarts and my brothers loved the brown sugar cinnamon, but I would eat them in a pinch.  Some people jumped ship and went on to Toaster Strudel.  I guess they were enticed by the squeeze your own icing thing.

Pop-tarts were great to carry in the car on the way to school, as an after school treat or as a seriously bad dinner.  I was feeling a bit nostalgic and decided to make my own homemade strawberry pop-tarts!  You know they’re really just hand pies made with jam instead of pie filling – but I’m here to tell you, they went fast and were enjoyed by all!

Homemade Strawberry PopTarts

I used my favorite pie crust recipe and some of our Easy Small-Batch Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier to make these strawberry pop-tarts.

I had a blast making these cute little pockets of strawberry goodness and loved how easy they were to share!  My children ate pop-tarts as kids so I think they got a kick out of these.  Who wouldn’t love flaky pastry crust filled with homemade jam from fresh picked strawberries?

 

 

Homemade Strawberry Poptarts

Remember the strawberry pop-tarts with with icing and sprinkles?

Yes I went there too – but didn’t try to put it in the toaster.  These are preservative and artificial color free with all natural flavors so I don’t think they would do as well in the toaster.

 

Homemade Strawberry Poptarts

I see a Nutella or blueberry filled pop-tarts in our near future. This would have been a great post for Throw Back Thursday!

 

Homemade Strawberry Poptarts!

 

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A stack of homemade pop-tarts with strawberry jam

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5 from 7 votes

Homemade Strawberry PopTarts

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Yield: 12 tarts
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Homemade hand pies - a flaky pastry filled with homemade strawberry jam

Ingredients

For the pastry crust:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces (1 stick)
  • 6 tablespoons shortening
  • 6 tablespoons ice cold water
  • 1 large egg mixed with 2 tablespoons milk

For the filling:

  • ¾ cup strawberry jam (see notes for link) or your favorite flavor
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

  • To make the dough combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cold water and pulse just until the dough starts to hold together. Don't over process.
  • Gather the dough together and divide in half. Form each half into a disc. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  • To make the filling combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water in a small sauce pan. Whisk until smooth. Add the jam and heat over medium until it comes to a boil. Simmer stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool until ready to use.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to rest 10-15 minutes. Lightly flour a clean work surface and dust the dough with flour. Roll the dough to about 1/8" thick large enough to cut into a 9" x 12" rectangle. Cut the 9x12 inch rectangle into 9 equal 3x4" pieces by cutting four lines across on the 12-inch side and three down the 9-inch side. Gather dough scraps together and set aside.
  • Place the 9 individual pieces of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Beat together the egg and milk. Brush the egg mixture all over the cut pastry pieces. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each pastry.
  • Roll out the second pastry disc to the same dimensions and cut into 9 individual pieces. Prick the dough with the tines of a fork, the round end of a small clean paint brush or chop stick to create vent holes.
  • Place each piece of vented dough over the filling. Press the edges together firmly with a fork to seal. Repeat until all pockets are formed.
  • Brush the tops of the pockets with a little bit of the egg and milk mixture. Place the baking sheet with the uncovered pastries in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Gather all remaining scraps of dough and divide in half. Roll out to 1/8" thick and cut into additional 3x4" pieces or use a biscuit cutter to make round pieces. Repeat with remaining dough by filling, brushing and refrigerating. I was able to make 6 additional small round pie pockets with the ingredients at hand.
  • Remove the pastries from the refrigerator and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove the pastries to a wire rack and cool.

Recipe Notes

We love our easy Small Batch Strawberry Jam for this recipe. Click HERE to get the jam recipe.

Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:

Peach Hand Pies – made with farm fresh sweet, juicy peaches tucked in a soft, flaky crust and a little drizzle of almond flavored icing. Click HERE to get the recipe.

 

Mixed Berry Hand Pies with your favorite berries tucked inside a tender, flaky buttery crust. No fork needed! Click HERE to get the recipe.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia

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83 Comments

  1. Nicole T says

    5 stars
    Flakiest yummiest pop tart I have ever had! It took me about 3 hours, but it was well worth it. I substituted the jelly/jam for fresh strawberries boiled with sugar and water, plus a little corn starch if it’s not thick enough. So good. Will definitely make again.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Carmen. I usually just whisk together some powdered sugar and hot water until it reaches a nice consistency. You can also use milk in place of the hot water, but I would refrigerate the finished iced pop-tarts so the milk doesn’t sour. Also add a drop or two of vanilla if desired. I only ice a few here and there, because I’m a no-icing pop-tart girl myself! If you want to decorate with sprinkles wait until the icing dries for a minute or two before decorating. The sprinkles will sink in really wet icing and may bleed a little. Waiting until the icing hardens a bit makes them pretty. Enjoy!

      reply to this comment >

  8. Natalie says

    5 stars
    These turned out soooooo delicious! And quite honestly, I am not a natural baker. We are gluten free, so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour and everything still worked perfectly! I linked this recipe on my Instagram account… it deserves to be shared 😍

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Jess – I only iced one or two and used a mixture of powdered sugar, milk and a drop of vanilla. Add more milk or more sugar until you reach a thick but spreadable consistency. I didn’t measure anything since it wasn’t used on all the pop-tarts. Depending on how many you want to “frost” I would start with 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or cream, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and adjust as needed. That should cover 8 or 10 – but I’m just guessing! Enjoy 🙂

      reply to this comment >

  13. Sara says

    These look delicious! Is there something you can substitute for the shortening? And what would you recommend for a recipe to use for brown sugar cinnamon filling and as an icing on the top of those? Thanks!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Sara – You can try an all butter crust but after testing several times, I’m partial to a half and half pastry recipe myself. I haven’t tested a brown sugar cinnamon filling but if I was going to make someone else’s recipe – I think I would go with this ONE from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Thanks so much for commenting – and for the great questions.

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Bianca! I only iced one or two and used a mixture of powdered sugar, milk and a drop of vanilla. Add more milk or more sugar until you reach a thick but spreadable consistency. I didn’t measure anything since it wasn’t used on all the pop-tarts. Depending on how many you want to “frost” I would start with 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk or cream, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and adjust as needed. That should cover 8 or 10 – but I’m just guessing! Sorry it was confusing. Hope you enjoy the pop-tarts and thanks so much for stopping by with a great question!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Thank you so much Anna! I know you are busy with the wedding – what a wonderful time. I have another granddaughter due in a few weeks and another who just turned 2 months. Busy busy life! Hope you are both doing great. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      reply to this comment >

  20. Emily says

    YUM! These look delicious! I was a devoted brown sugar poptart fan. By far the best in my opinion. I wouldn’t even toast those, just eat them room temp with some coffee on my way to work. Ahh bringing back memories now!

    reply to this comment >

  25. Susan says

    I refused to buy Pop Tarts for my daughters were they were little because I thought they were tasteless. Now yours look absolutely delicious and something I’d love to try making for my grandsons, Tricia!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      I agree that the originals are probably not the best choice for anybody to eat on a regular basis. Glad we have all learned more about preservatives and mass produced food products. These are really just hand-pies made with jam – but oh so good!

      reply to this comment >

  29. Dom says

    what a clever idea to make your own… we were never allowed pop tarts, no matter how much we protested, mum just wouldn’t let us so I actually don’t think I ever had them. I want them even more now, these look so good!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Thanks Dom – I am older than you and wayyyy back then … people didn’t know how bad all those preservatives are to our health. We just knew this was an easy treat with no effort. Which to be honest is the biggest problem. I’m glad we put more effort into eating right, using real ingredients and less processed foods. Have a great week!

      reply to this comment >

  30. Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says

    Oh, these look so yummy, Tricia. We didn’t have poptarts but I sure would have loved them. We usually had a bowl of porridge (which I doused in brown sugar because I hated it) or a bowl of fruit (ditto with white sugar! lol) It took me awhile to develop some good taste buds.
    I will make these for my little nephews because they will adore them. I love easy jams too!

    reply to this comment >

  32. Becky Green says

    LOL HOW FUN!!!! These pop-tarts look YUMMY! Our son likes the chocolate fudge ones with ICING! He could have lived on them if we’d have let him! LOL He’s one of those “picky eaters!” I can IMAGINE they taste HEAVENLY!!!! 😉

    reply to this comment >

  35. Monica says

    Tricia – maybe we do think as one sometimes! I’ve had homemade pop tarts on my to-try list and I was planning to make them next week (maybe, hopefully…) and I was going with Nutella. You know me! ; ) I love your pop tarts…so beautiful. I know mine won’t look nearly as good but I’m definitely inspired and motivated. Enjoy the weekend! xo

    reply to this comment >

  37. Chris Scheuer says

    These are SO fun Tricia! I love that you’ve re-created such a nostalgic treat from the past. Yours do look infinitely better though, I must say! I can totally see why everyone loved these. Especially with that yummy homemade jam!

    reply to this comment >

  38. Liz says

    We used to BEG my mom to buy us poptarts—I don’t think they ever tasted as wonderful as our expectations, but we were still thrilled when we got our way. Yours look amazing—homemade is SO much better!!

    reply to this comment >

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