Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

How to Make Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

What are Pop Tarts?

Pop Tarts are sweet pastries, made from two rectangular pastry crusts, sandwiched together and filled with a wide assortment of sweet fillings, and typically finished with a sweet icing glaze on top. They are known for being a favorite quick and sweet breakfast treat. Pop-Tarts are a typical childhood favorite, and can be found in any American supermarket. They are available in some other countries in supermarkets or specialty stores, too.

Homemade vs. Store-bought Brown Sugar Pop Tarts:

The levels of flavor, flakiness, and frosting simply don’t compare when enjoying a scratch made DIY pop tart vs. a store-bought one. The latter almost looks like cardboard and has such a measly layer of frosting. For a special treat everyone will go crazy for, homemade is the way to go.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling Ingredients:

• Light brown sugar – can’t be substituted with granulated sugar. Adds the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture to the filling.
• Ground cinnamon – this warming spice is what makes the pop tarts so good! Brown sugar and cinnamon are the perfect combo.
• Salt – just a bit to balance out the sweetness.
• All-purpose flour – by itself, brown sugar will liquify in the oven and cool into a brittle, caramel-like substance. We add a small amount of all-purpose flour in order to soak up the melting brown sugar and keep it from escaping.

Frosting Ingredients for Brown Sugar Pop Tarts:

• Powdered sugar – this thickens and sweetens the glaze.
• Milk – just enough to make it pourable but not so much that it’s runny.
• Corn syrup – this helps the glaze set up nicely and dry on top of the pop tart, so it’s not wet to the touch. Corn syrup is unfairly demonized and really just misunderstood. At the end of the day it’s an invert sugar (meaning that it’s a sugar that’s liquid at room temperature). Corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. If you prefer to skip it altogether, just note that the glaze will stay pretty wet and won’t dry or harden fully, so you won’t be able to store the pop tarts stacked on top of each other without the glaze smearing.
• Vanilla extract – the aroma alone tells our brain something delicious is about to happen.
• Cinnamon – a key flavor ingredient! Adding it to the pop tart icing allows the full flavor of this spice to really shine.

Instructions for How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar Pop Tarts:

1. Prepare your pans. Line two baking pans with sheets of parchment paper.
2. Make the dough. In a food processor or large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse lightly. Add the cubed butter and pulse. Pour in the cold water and honey.
3. Roll out the dough. Lightly flour a work surface. Shape the dough into a 1-inch thick, 7-inch diameter circle (use a ruler for total accuracy!). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle. Cut the dough into 3-inch by 4-inch rectangles.
4. Assemble the Pop Tarts. Brush the dough lightly with water, ensuring that the edges get wet. Fill each center with 1 heaping teaspoon of brown sugar filling. Cover each filled pastry with a second piece of dough and crimp the edges together with a fork to seal the Pop Tart.
5. Make the egg wash and bake. Mix the egg and water. Brush each filled rectangle with egg wash. Bake until the crust is golden brown and pastry is fully baked. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
6. Make the glaze. Stir together the sifted powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
7. Frost the Pop Tarts. After the Pop Tarts have cooled completely, glaze each Pop Tart. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Tip for Homemade Pop Tarts: Keep pastry ingredients cold!

Just like most typical pie or pastry dough recipes, temperature is important here. Make sure you’re working with cold butter and water. This prevents the butter from melting and ensures your dough is nice and flaky once baked. As with any pastry, be careful not to overmix so your pastry doesn’t end up rubbery!

Can I make one big Pop Tart instead?

Yes, you can definitely opt for one giant Pop Tart instead of individual sized Pop Tarts!  The measurements and ingredients will all be the same.  Instead, roll the dough into a large even rectangle about 1/4″ thick.  Take a ruler and measure approximately where the middle of your dough would be and cut in half.  Brush the edges of the dough with water, spread out all of the filling, cover the pastry, crimp the edges and egg wash.  Bake until golden brown.  When the pastry is cool top with the glaze and cut into shareable pieces with a knife.

Can I reheat these Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts in a toaster?

We haven’t tried that, but I wouldn’t recommend it! Real Pop-Tarts contain a bunch of artificial ingredients that are designed to keep intact and not melt their way into your toaster; these homemade ones don’t contain those same ingredients. The glaze would definitely make a big old mess and probably ruin your toaster!

If you wish to eat these pop tarts warm, I would recommend reheating them for a few minutes in a hot oven, and then serving a little of the glaze on the side, if you wish (glazing hot pop tarts will cause the glaze to soak right into the pastry, making the pastry soggy).

Can I use another type of filling for these Pop Tarts?

I actually have a recipe for Strawberry Pop Tarts, too! Those have the same pastry, with a vanilla glaze recipe (the same as this glaze, but without the cinnamon). You can use that recipe if you would prefer to fill your homemade Pop Tarts with any sort of jam (store-bought or homemade).

Can Brown Sugar Pop Tarts be made ahead of time?

You can make the pastry dough up to a day in advance – just store it in the fridge, wrapped well in plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can fully assemble the pop tarts and cover well with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to one day before baking.

Also, just know that these pop tarts are just as delicious if not more so the second day as they are right after baking!

How to store Homemade Pop Tarts:

Store pop tarts in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to three days. They will keep a day or two past that, but they won’t be as flaky and delicious past three days.

Can you freeze Homemade Pop Tarts?

Unbaked, assembled pop tarts can be frozen on a baking tray until solid, then transferred to a ziptop bag or airtight container for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge for an hour or so before baking, cooling and glazing!

You can also freeze baked, cooled and unglazed pop tarts in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to a month. Simply thaw at room temperature for an hour, then reheat in the oven for a few minutes or until crisp again, then cool, glaze and serve! Just note that the crispness of the pastry is definitely lost somewhat using this method – but they will still taste good!