inspired by Claire Saffitz’s from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen
Inspired by Claire Saffitz from Bon Appetit test kitchen’s Gourmet Pop Tart remake video, I decided to make my own pop-tarts! I followed her recipe for the dough, but the rest I improvised. Since it has been so hot recently, I didn’t have issues with my pastry puffing up because all the butter melted as I was working with the dough, which is both good and bad in the context of this recipe. I made my own filling, but we didn’t have any frozen strawberries or cherries, so I ended up doing a mixed berry version that worked out well. I did not make my own sprinkles, but I still think they turned out well.
The icing sugar on top pairs really well with the filling, as I didn’t make it too sweet. The tartness of the filling balances with the icing on top, so that you aren’t overwhelmed with sugar. However, I’ve concluded that these are not really pop-tarts, because they don’t have that commercial, cardboard feel to them that is so characteristic of pop-tarts. They are more like thin mini pie pockets or something. If I were to make this again, I would make sure to make a better pie pocket with a flakier pastry and much more filling in the center, so that there wouldn’t need to be any icing.
Some important things to note with this recipe is that in order to keep your icing from melting when it’s reheated in the toaster, add some cornstarch to it. I didn’t add enough cornstarch, so make sure to find a real recipe that gives you the correct proportions for the icing. Also, when making the filling, Claire didn’t use any commercial pectin, and neither did I. Many jam or jelly recipes call for store-bought pectin, but the truth is that fruits already contain natural pectin. After you cook down the fruit, it is important to add lemon juice, as the acidity will activate the pectin. My filling didn’t need to be further reduced in the oven like Claire’s, which saving energy! You may also use citric acid instead of lemon juice, but it is not necessary.
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups or 320 g all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2½ sticks chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 cups frozen berries
- 2/3 cup sugar, more or less to taste
- splash of vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- sprinkles
Directions:
- For the pastry, pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until it reaches a sand-like consistency. Add ice water, a tbsp at a time, until the dough comes together. Seal in a reused Ziplock bag and rest for at least 1 hour in the fridge. Note that this recipe creates a LOT of dough, it may not fit in your food processor, you consider splitting it into two batches.
- For the filling, bring berries, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and a splash of water into a boil in a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, covered. Reduce to medium and continue to cook until reduced, making sure to scrape the bottom periodically to prevent scorching.
- Once reduced, stir in lemon juice and cook for an addition 5 minutes. Transfer to a parchment or silicone lined pan to cool.
- To assemble, roll out the dough and cut into desired rectangles. Score half of the rectangles with a fork.
- Use an egg wash, made by whisking the yolk with water, as an adhesive for the dough. Brush un-scored rectangles on all four edges with egg wash, then fill with filling.
- Assemble pop-tarts by putting the scored rectangle on top of the filled, un-scored rectangle. Brush with egg wash.
- Bake at 300F for 30–35 minutes, or until slightly puffed but still pale, then remove and cool on a wire rack.
- For the icing, whisk powdered sugar, cornstarch, and a little water at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Once the pop-tarts are cooled, pour over icing sugar and add sprinkles. Enjoy!
