Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

When I think of pop tarts, there's only one flavor that comes to mind, that classic brown sugar flavor that combines cinnamon and sugar into one delicious treat. These Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts have a sweet cinnamon filling and flaky crust that melts in your mouth and their brown sugar glaze will have you reminiscing about the pop tarts you had as a kid.

This recipe for Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts is a small batch recipe that will make three delicious pop tarts, but it can easily be doubled if you'd like to make twice as many.

It has three components that are each simple to make: a delicious flaky pie dough crust, a brown sugar cinnamon filling, and a brown sugar glaze.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Chilled Butter:
  • It's very important that your butter is cold and is not pulled out of the fridge until you are ready to use it. Cold butter helps ensure your pop tart crust will be flaky and delicious.
  • If at any point your butter becomes too warm while you are working it into the flour or while you are rolling out and cutting the dough, pop the dough into the fridge or even the freezer to chill slightly before continuing.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.
• Check out My Favorite Baking Tools to see what I use when I bake.

Let's bake! Once your oven is preheated to to 350º, you can get started on making the pie dough base. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Blend the chilled butter into the flour mixture with your hands or a pastry blender until the butter is about pea sized.

Keep in mind that it's important that this butter stay as cold as possible throughout this process. If at any point you feel like your kitchen is too warm or your warm hands are handling the butter too much, pop the whole bowl into the fridge (or better yet, the freezer) for a few minutes to help it firm back up. It's this cold butter that will give us that delicious flaky crust we want.

Next, pour the water over the flour mixture and stir together until it begins to form into a dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 20-30 minutes so it can once again have time to rest and firm back up.

Once well chilled, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is about ⅛" thick. Using a ruler and a pastry roller or pizza cutter, cut the dough to 9" x 12". On the 12" side, cut it into thirds so that each column measures about 4" wide. Turn the rectangle 90 degrees to the 9" side and cut it in half so that there are now six rectangles each measuring 4.5" x 4."

Place the six rectangles on a parchment lined baking sheet and place back into the fridge to chill for another 15-20 minutes. To make the filling, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash.

Brush three of the rectangles with egg wash before carefully spooning the brown sugar filling into the center of those same three rectangles. Brush one side of the remaining three rectangles with egg wash and place the egg wash side down over the brown sugar, pressing down around it gently to seal in the filling.

Place the cookie sheet back into the fridge to let the pop tarts chill slightly. Use a fork and gently press down around the edges of each pop tart to crimp them and fully seal each side. Poke holes in the top of each pop tart with a toothpick or fork and then brush the tops of each with egg wash. Bake the pop tarts for 30-35 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Now let's get started on that delicious brown sugar glaze! Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and add in the cinnamon and milk, whisking it together until combined. Use a spoon to carefully drizzle the glaze onto the top of each pop tart.

The glaze will be thick, but this will work in your favor. Use the back of the spoon to slowly spread the thick glaze out without letting it get too close to the edge. Let the glaze set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Leftover pop tarts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. I recommend reheating them in the microwave or oven, not the toaster.

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