Like most people, I grew up eating poptarts. They were a special treat that we would get every once in a while and my sister and I were very insistent that we both got an equal number of poptarts, which inevitably got ruined when my dad would eat one, leaving us with an odd number. I have an equal love for the cinnamon sugar and strawberry frosted versions, but for my homemade version I’ve switched it up a bit!
These are so fun to make and you can use whatever flavor jam you’ve got hanging out in the fridge. Or, if you’ve got some great fruit hanging out, you could even make your own jam! I used some fig jam that I had in the fridge. I absolutely love fig jam, but strawberry would be a close second for me.
Overall, the process is pretty simple. You start off with some pie dough – I’ve included a recipe to make your own, but you can also use storebought if you want! If you go that route, you’ll want two crusts worth of dough. I prefer the homemade version because it comes out so flaky and buttery, but it’s totally up to you. If you do make your own, the key is to keep it really cold the whole time so the butter doesn’t melt and you get those beautiful flakes. Roll out your dough and cut into 3×5 inch rectangles if you want to match the traditional poptart shape, or whatever size you want. Just make sure your rectangles are equal sizes!
From there, add 1-2 tbsp of jam onto half of the rectangles, spreading it out so it’s a generous 1/4″ from the edges. Dab some egg wash onto the edges of the dough rectangle that has the jam on it, then top each jam filled rectangle with another rectangle of dough and gently press down. You want to get as much air out of the poptart as possible, so I very gently press down on top of the jam, then out to the edges where you can press harder on the edges where there’s no jam. Use a fork to press down on the edges to seal them so the jam doesn’t squish out when they bake. Cut some holes in the top of the assembled poptart using a knife or fork, just be careful not to cut into the bottom rectangle of dough.
Let the poptarts chill in the fridge for a few minutes to ensure they hold their shape and then they get some egg wash and bake until nicely golden brown! Once they’re fully cool, top with some frosting and sprinkles and you’ve got an amazing treat for any time.
You have two options for storing them – if you’re going to eat them within a week, they’ll be fine in an airtight container on the counter! If you want to freeze them and reheat them in the toaster, you’ll want to leave off the icing until after they’ve been reheated. You can also freeze them fully assembled with the frosting, just reheat them in the oven or a toaster oven so the frosting doesn’t melt and make a mess.
That’s it! These are so good and so fun, they make a great little afternoon project!
Homemade Poptarts
make 10 poptarts
Ingredients
for the dough
- 3 cups (360 g) flour, plus more for rolling
- 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 sticks (226 g) butter, very cold, cubed
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 8+ Tbsp ice water
for assembly
- 1 cup fig jam, or any kind you’d like
- 1 egg
for the frosting
- 1.5 cups (188 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
How to do it
- make the dough: in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter to the bowl and give it a mix to coat the butter with the flour mixture. Use your fingertips to pinch each butter cube until you’re left with only small pieces of butter. if the butter gets warm, pop the whole bowl in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes
- drizzle the apple cider vinegar and 4 Tbsp ice water into the flour mixture. toss with a spoon, then add an additional 4 Tbsp ice water and toss again. Keep adding water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you can squeeze the dough and it holds its shape. transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight
- prep the dough: working with half of the pie dough at a time on a lightly floured, roll out the dough into a rough rectangle about 1/4″ thick. cut into 3×5 inch rectangles, then re-roll any scraps to cut additional rectangles. repeat with the other half of the dough. I got 20 rectangles out of my dough, enough for 10 poptarts
- assemble: use a fork to whisk the egg with 1 tsp of water to make an egg wash. put about 1.5 Tbsp of jam on half of the dough rectangles. spread it out a bit so that it’s a generous 1/4 inch from teh edge of the dough. brush the edges of the rectangle with jam on it with the egg wash, then top with another rectangle of dough. gently press down, pushing out any air in the poptart, then solidly press down on the edges. use a fork to press down and crimp the edges of the poptarts and poke holes through the top crust to let steam escape. repeat with all rectangles of dough
- let chill: place the assembled poptarts on parchment lined sheet pans with at least 1 inch of space between them. let them chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. while they chill, preheat the oven to 400*
- bake: brush each poptart with the remaining egg wash and bake until deeply golden brown, around 24-27 minutes. let cool completely
- make the frosting: combine the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. add 2 tbsp of milk and stir to combine. the frosting should be thick, not runny. add additional milk if needed
- enjoy: top each poptart with the frosting and sprinkles and enjoy! store at room temp for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month. see storage and reheating details in the post above