Rediscover the joy of Pop Tarts with this healthier, homemade recipe. Using spelt flour and Greek yogurt dough, these treats can be filled with your choice of jam or homemade Nutella. Fresh from the oven, they offer a nostalgic yet nutritious twist on a childhood favorite.
I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but I can’t…
I first saw homemade pop tarts in an issue of Bon Appetit, and soon after I saw them on Smitten Kitchen and Anecdotes and Apple Cores.
I was a big fan of these as a child but haven’t had one in years, so of course I just had to make some. I tried the Bon Appetit recipe but I found the dough to be too buttery (yes, there is such a thing in my opinion).
So I set out to create my own dough. After a couple of tries, I decided that the one below (which was inspired by the Yogurt Dough in Nourishing Traditions
) is my favorite. It’s not at all terrible for you and it’s really easy to work with. If you don’t want to use spelt flour, you can try this with all purpose unbleached white flour or with whole wheat bread flour.
As for the filling, I experimented with a few different strawberry jams, but I think the best one by far was this Spicy Strawberry Jam.
If you’re making these for kids or you’re just not into the spicy thing, feel free to use your favorite jam (it doesn’t have to be strawberry).
Nutella is also good as a filling for these homemade pop tarts. If you want to go the full-on DIY route, you can try these with my Homemade Nutella.
These are best a short time after they come out of the oven (though you can certainly store them at room temperature for a few days and reheat them before serving).
Homemade Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat all ingredients until the dough comes together. Divide dough in half, flatten each ball into a disc, and wrap in plastic or parchment paper. Chill several hours or overnight.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or use a silpat). Flour your surface and roll one disc out into a large rectangle. Trim the edges (reserving the extra dough to roll out again with the next disc) so you have a rectangle that is approximately 9 or 10 inches by 12 inches. Cut the large rectangle into 8 smaller and equal rectangles.
- Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling on each of 4 rectangles. Try not to just plop it right in the center- spread it down the length of each piece of dough (but keep it in the center, so that you can seal up the dough on all sides).
- Lay the other pieces of dough on top of the ones with the filling. Use your finger to press the edges down, then use the tines of a fork to press firmly around all the edges. It's important that the pop tarts are sealed well, so a lot of the filling doesn't come oozing out (a little might, and that's fine). Repeat with the other disc of dough so that you have 8 pop tarts.
- Poke a few holes into each pop tart with a fork or a toothpick and then arrange on your baking sheet. Place the pop tarts in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove from the refrigerator and brush each pop tart with melted butter. Sprinkle each one all over with organic sugar.
- Bake the pop tarts for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow the pop tarts to cool on a rack before serving.
