Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pop Tarts

Time is flying by.  I can't believe it's already the middle of May.  Soon the warm weather will be here and I will be all about no bake items and ice cream.  While the weather is still (somewhat) cool I will be baking away.  Last weekend I made 2 family recipes for BP - Whoopie Pies and Jumbo Raisin Cookies.  Both were a hit.  BP told me that "there wasn't enough whoopie pies made".  I love when he loves things I bake, especially when they are family recipes. 

The week flew by, work is going amazing and I love my job and my coworkers.  Before I knew it, Friday was here and it was time to start our weekend off at one of our favorite places, Top Golf.  After a great night out with friends, it was time to relax and run some errands.  Wandering around Walmart, we stumbled onto a display of pop tarts.  BP made the comment of how he loves pop tarts, and me being the baking nerd that I am said that I have a recipe for those.  He got so excited.  I wasn't even going to bake this weekend, but the look on his face when I said I could make them was just too cute. 

Now, yes this does take some time.  You need to make the dough and let it chill.  You can do the minimum time required to chill the dough and it's still about 2 hours.  So if you want you can always break this up into two days or morning and evening of one day.  And something I love about these is that you can make them the size you want.  I tend to go for a medium size pop tart, this gets you a good number of treats and they are the perfect size. 

Ok - they aren't the prettiest things, but
damn tasty
 

Now, make sure you let them cool all the way before you frost them.  Then let the frosting set all the way - then comes the tough choice.  To toast or not to toast?!  Either way these pop tarts are amazingly delicious.  And the best part is, you can make the filling any flavor you want.  Your options are endless. 

nom nom nom

The time finally came to try them.  BP waited patiently for hours while they were baking and cooling and setting.  And one of his friends was over for dinner and to hang out and he finally got to try some of my baked goods that I make all the time.  Time to chow down - and they both loved them.  I'm a big fan of making things from scratch.  You can control the ingredients and lately I've been baking it up with the baking blends of sugar and brown sugar and you can't even taste the difference.  So if you are looking for a great recipe to tackle that isn't too hard, try this one out.  I mean we all love things from our childhood and this is something we all associate with childhood - so make a treat for the kid in you.  You wont regret it. 

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pop Tarts

 

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks

4 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

 

For the filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large egg, whisked with a tablespoon of water, to brush the pastries with

 

For the glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

4 teaspoons milk, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preparation:

If you don't have a food processor, you can use your hands.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt; pulse a couple times to combine the ingredients. Throw in the cold, diced butter, and pulse 10 more times or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas.

With machine running, add ice water through the opening on top of the lid, in a slow, steady stream, one tablespoon at a time,  just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. It should form a ball and come away from the sides. It is very important to  not over process the dough. A way to test the dough is by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still dry and doesn’t come together, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into disks and tightly wrap in plastic. Place the disks in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To assemble the toaster pastries: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and allow it to thaw for a bit. This will help you roll out the dough, and make it easier to work with. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim the sides of the dough so that it measures 9×12 inches in size. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Cut each piece of dough into thirds and then each third into thirds again. You should end up with 9 rectangular pieces, each measuring 3×4 inches. Using a ruler will make this process easier.

Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough pieces. This will be the “bottom” of the tart; the egg will help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, making sure to leave about 1/4 inch of space on the edge. Brush the second dough pieces with egg wash as well, and place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Crimp the edges with a fork all around the edge of each rectangle. This will ensure the tarts do not open up during baking.

Gently place the tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart five times with a skewer or tooth pick; this will allow the steam to escape, so that the tarts will become light and airy instead of flat pop-tarts. Brush the tops with extra egg wash. Refrigerate the tarts, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. This will allow the butter in the dough to chill and firm up causing a flakier crust.

Remove tarts from the fridge and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they’re golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let the tarts cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before glazing.

 

To make the glaze, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until it reaches a spreading consistency. It should be thick but not too thick. Use a butter knife or offset spatula to glaze each tart. Allow the glaze to harden before eating. Store them in an airtight container. To reheat, place in a350° oven and heat for 10 minutes. Or you can pop them in a toaster to warm them for a few seconds.