These Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts are made with simple, all-natural ingredients. This pop tart recipe is the kind of recipe you’ll be happy you made homemade!
Pop Tart Recipe
Frosted brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts were my favorite breakfast treat growing up. I liked them at room temperature straight out of the container. I enjoyed them warmed and toasted with a glass of ice cold milk. And during the hot summer months, I would freeze them and use them to sandwich ice cream! (Yes, super sweet and decadent!) Although I still have a soft spot for Pop Tarts, I haven’t bought them in years.
Why purchase the store-bought ones that are loaded with preservatives, when I can show you how to make pop tarts at home?!
This homemade pop tart recipe is made using my favorite homemade pie dough recipe. One recipe makes six 3×4-inch hand tarts. Simply double or triple the recipe to make more. In a pinch, store-bought readymade pie dough also works.
How to Make Pop Tarts
- The brown sugar cinnamon filling is made by combining brown sugar, ground cinnamon, all-purpose flour (as a thickening agent), and a touch of molasses. The molasses aids in enhancing the flavors of the brown sugar. Don’t worry if you end up with little molasses-sugar clumps. Those will melt during baking.
- I cut the pie dough into 3×4-inch rectangles. Feel free to cut them into your desired dimensions. You can also use cookie cutters to punch out shapes: rounds, hearts, stars, etc. You can knead together the dough scrapes one time. I don’t suggest re-rolling the dough more than once because the overworked dough will be rather tough and it will shrink in the oven.
- The cut-out rectangles are brushed with melted butter. This adds flavor and moisture, while also helping to secure the top and bottom pie pieces together. After assembly, the pop tarts need to be chilled, either in the fridge or freezer. Chilling the dough ensures a flakier crust. The tops of the pastries need to pricked with a fork or a toothpick to allow stream to escape during baking.
After baking, the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are frosted with a sweet cinnamon glaze. The pop tarts can be immediately eaten after glazing. Or, if you’re patient, you can wait until the glaze sets and hardens.
This pop tart recipe is best eaten the day they’re made. Leftovers can be stored in a container with a loose fitting lid. The glaze needs air circulation, otherwise, the glaze will melt. Now you know how to make pop tarts!
Here are a few more breakfast treats you might enjoy:
- Egg in a Bagel
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Doughnuts
- Berry Scones
- Meyer Lemon Dutch Baby Pancake
- Sour Cream Cinnamon Buns
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
FILLING:
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
GLAZE:
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the sliced butter. Cover and let chill in the fridge (about 10 minutes) or freezer (about 5 minutes) until all of the ingredients are cold.
- Using a pastry blender (or two forks), cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse, pebbled sand. Add the ice cold water and stir to combine. Dough will be shaggy.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least one hour (overnight is best).
MAKE THE FILLING:
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the molasses and stir together. Save the melted butter for assembly.
MAKE THE EGG WASH:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and salt until smooth. Set aside until assembly.
ASSEMBLE THE POP TARTS:
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Cut into rectangles 3 x 4-inches in size. Knead together scrapes and roll out dough again. You should end up with a total of 12 rectangles (6 tops and 6 bottoms).
- Brush the melted butter on all 12 rectangles, making sure to butter up to the edges. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of filling into the center of 6 rectangles. Spread the filling, leaving a clean frame around the edges. Place the remaining rectangles (buttered side down) over the filled rectangles. Line up the edges of the top and bottom pieces, and then press the seams together. Use the tines of the fork to seal the edges.
- Place the assembled pop tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze the pop tarts for at least 10 minutes until solid.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prick the tops of the chilled pop tarts using a fork or toothpick. This will allow steam to release during baking. Lightly brush the tops of the pop tart with the prepared egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pop tarts are golden brown in color. Let the pop tarts sit in the pan for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
PREPARE THE GLAZE:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. Let the glaze sit for 5 minutes to slightly thicken. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pop tarts. Serve immediately, or allow the glaze to set up and harden.
Notes
- These pop tarts are best eaten the day they are baked. However, you can store they up for to three days at room temperature. Store in a container with a loosely fitted lid, or keep the lid slightly ajar. The glaze needs air circulation to prevent it from melting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I used my own crust recipe but otherwise followed the directions exactly. All of them leaked filling at the seams even though I brushed the insides with butter and used a fork to press the edges together. This recipe was a good starting off point but will modify in the future to use some of the egg wash to really seal the edges, press them together good, then use a fork. The taste is fine. I made them for my daughter because she likes brown sugar pop tarts but I don’t like buying that store bought crap.