Homemade Brown Sugar CInnamon Pop Tarts

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Brown Sugar CInnamon Pop Tarts

A nod to my kids' childhood favorite - these are the best Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts you'll ever taste! With a flaky, buttery crust and a sweet cinnamony filling - you'll savor every bite!

Prep Time1

Cook Time40

Total Time1 40

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Pastries

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Cynthia

Equipment

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt fine grain
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes
½ cup water ice cold
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Filling

¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg wash

1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

Frosting

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt fine grain
2 tablespoons milk + more as needed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough

Place the flour, sugar, salt, and cold butter into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse three times, for a count of three per pulse, or until the mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few larger pieces of butter.
In a small measuring cup, combine the water and lemon juice
Add water and lemon juice to the flour mixture in the food processor in a stream while pulsing the machine until the dough just comes together, about 4 to 5 quick 1 second pulses. It will look crumbly. That's good.
Stop the machine and dump the crumbly dough onto a lightly floured counter. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands. You can squeeze it a bit to make it stick together, but don’t knead. Divide into 2 even pieces and shape each into a square. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
The dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months. If refrigerated overnight, allow to sit on counter 30 minutes before using. If frozen allow to thaw overnight in refrigerator, then take out 30 minutes before using.

Make the filling

Combine brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add melted butter and cut in with a fork until completely incorporated. Stir in milk and vanilla until combined.

Roll out and cut the dough

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough to a thickness of about ¼-inch and about 13 inches wide and 9 inches high. Cut into eight 3 inch by 4 inch rectangles (4 across and 3 down).
Place the cut rectangles on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill. Roll and cut the second piece of dough. You should end up with a total of 16 rectangles (8 tops and 8 bottoms).

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pull chilled rectangles out of the fridge, and place the next ones in. Brush the top of each rectangle lightly with egg wash. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on each, leaving an edge all around. Remove the rest of the dough from the fridge. Place another rectangle on top of each, lining up all the edges. Press the seams together with your fingers. Using the tines of a fork, seal the edges.
Brush the tops of each pop tart with egg wash and then prick the tops with the fork, to allow them to vent. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and milk until smooth. Add more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until it whisks easily, Let the frosting sit for 5 minutes to slightly thicken.
Place a couple of teaspoons of frosting in the center of cooled pop tarts and use the back of your spoon to gently nudge it towards the edges. The frosting will set once dried but will remain soft.
Serve immediately, or allow the frosting to set up. I couldn't wait :)

Notes

Lining a large sheet pan with parchment paper will ensure that your pastries don't stick to the pan while chilling and baking.
For the flakiest results, place your sheet pan of assembled pop tarts into the freezer while the oven heats up. This will cause the butter to re-solidify, making for a flakier result.
Make sure your pastries are fully cooled before spreading frosting or it will melt and slide off. The frosting will set when dry, which takes about an hour, but still be soft to bite into.
To make ahead and bake later, freeze assembled pop tarts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then transfer to a freezer bag for storage.
When ready to bake, brush with heavy cream and bake directly from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.

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