Month: April 2017

Padawan Pops Tarts

Homesteadin', Humor, Nerd Stuff, or Just Because, Recipes

As our family life gets crazier, jiu jitsu keeps us busier, and my growing boys eat more like small horses, I’ve realized just how hard it is to snack healthy.  Add to this the alerts going out on social media daily telling you that everything from chicken to cereal will give you cancer, or simply drop you where you stand, and a mom starts to think more about finding healthier alternatives to daily favorites.  No, I’m not cowering in fear, but you guys know I like to take on projects, so this month I decided to try my hand at a favorite around here- breakfast tarts 😉

I did some research and found a recipe on tablespoon.com which seemed fairly simple.  I just did things a little differently…and will in the future.  I think next time I will make my own crusts so these are a little easier to shape.  I never claimed to be a baker and I think my additions to the recipe will attest to this.

Homemade Pop Tarts

    Ingredients
  • 1 box refrigerated pie crust (2 layers)
  • 1 small jar strawberry preserves (good quality) I used blackberry that we made last year
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons milk (2 – 3 tsp)
    Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Unroll one of the pie crusts and square the edges. Cut into rectangles. Place 1 tsp of jam in the center of a rectangle and top with another piece of crust. Crimp all four edges. Repeat until all of the pie crust is used.
  3. Start to get upset because you can’t make twenty perfect rectangles with the crust you have.  Pull out the rolling pin and try to make more rectangles with the crust you cut away in you futile attempts to make above perfect rectangles.  Laugh at yourself through the tears as you end up with a few rectangles, some trapezoids and some kind of half-moon-looking, sad, little thing.  Keep the swearing to a minimum when you accidentally get a little crimp crazy and poke holes in the crust.
  4. Fix said holes like the baking MacGuyver you are and carry on. 
  5. Bake the pop-tarts for about 7 – 8 minutes or until slightly brown. If you don’t want to add extra sugar with the glaze, you can use an egg wash on the tops with some white sugar.
  6. Perhaps it was the fact that my tarts ran the geometric shape gauntlet, but I found mine needed to cook from 8 to 10 minutes.  Just watch them carefully, you want a nice golden-brown. 
  7. Allow the pop tarts to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile prepare glaze by adding milk to the sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Pour over pop tarts and sprinkle with decorating sugar. Serve warm.
  8. You need to hear this…FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!  LET THEM COOL FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES!!!!  I cannot stress enough the importance of cooling these taste bud obliterating, hot lava-filled, innocent looking hell-born treats!  Seriously, walk away.  You can glaze them while they are hot, but I’m telling you right now, if you take a bite within the first hour, you will likely lose the power of speech and the ability to taste for a good 24 hours.  
  9. Leftover pop tarts can be stored in an airtight container. To serve warm, heat in the microwave, or flat in a toaster oven. (Placing in an upright toaster oven is not recommended).

These are really delicious and my family loved them!  So much better than the hard, store-bought variety.  Enjoy…and don’t forget to let them cool!