Raspberry Pop Tarts

I'm back with another pop tart recipe and this time we're making Raspberry Pop Tarts! They have a delicious flaky crust, sweet raspberry jam filling, and crunchy vanilla icing that will take you back to the mornings of your childhood. All you're missing is the shiny foil wrapper, but I'd take these pop tarts over the original any day!

This recipe for Raspberry Pop Tarts is a small batch recipe that makes three pop tarts, but it can easily be doubled if you’d like to make twice as many. It has three components: a delicious flaky pie dough crust, a raspberry jam filling, and a vanilla glaze. The pop tart crust and vanilla icing are easy to make and you can use your favorite raspberry jam for the filling.

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.

Let's bake! Preheat your oven to 350º F and 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. If at any point the butter becomes too warm, pop the bowl into the fridge or freezer shortly to help it firm back up.

Pour the water over the flour mixture and stir together until it begins to form into a dough. You want the dough to be tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 20-30 minutes.

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. Whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash. Gently spoon the raspberry jam into the center of three of the rectangles, making sure to divide it evenly and keep it as close to the centers as possible.

Brush one side of the remaining three rectangles with egg wash and place the egg wash side down over the raspberry jam, pressing down around it gently to seal in the filling. Wipe up any filling that leaks out. 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. You can gently trim any excess or uneven edges.

Poke holes in the top of each pop tart with a toothpick or fork. Brush the tops of each with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. If you don't have turbinado sugar, regular sugar will work fine.

Bake the pop tarts for 30-35 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Once the pop tarts have cooled sift powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add milk and vanilla whisk together until combined. Use a spoon to carefully drizzle the glaze onto the top of each pop tart. Use the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to slowly spread the thick glaze out without letting it get too close to the edge. Top with red sugar sprinkles. 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.

If you're looking for another delicious pop tart recipe, check out these Brown Sugar Pop Tarts and these Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts.

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