Recipe: Pop-Tarts

What the hell were they thinking?! Since when do Pop-Tart connoisseur buy the dry little pastries for their nutritional value? Never once have I said, "I wonder if I could get more fiber in my diet by eating Pop-Tarts." But this is the trend from the Kelloggs company:

Some friends gave me a box of these as a gift because I was reminiscing about how much I love Pop-Tarts. You wanna see the nutritional info on these healthy snacks:

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, PALM, COTTONSEED AND/OR HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS), POLYDEXTROSE, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CORN SYRUP, WHOLE GRAIN BARLEY FLOUR, GLYCERIN, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF INULIN FROM CHICORY ROOT, WHEAT STARCH, SALT, DRIED STRAWBERRIES, DRIED PEARS, DRIED APPLES, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL STRAWBERRY FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, GELATIN, CARAMEL COLOR, SOY LECITHIN, XANTHAN GUM, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, NIACINAMIDE, RED #40, REDUCED IRON, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), YELLOW #6, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID.

Mmm...that's nutritional goodness right there buddy boy! What I love about Pop-Tarts is the filling, the frosting and the permission to eat a cookie for breakfast. What I don't like is that there is never enough filling. And that brings me to my homemade version:

When I re-create a store bought product I have a rule that you need to get as close to the original as possible while improving on any faults. In this case, I was fine with the dough and the frosting, and the taste of the filling, but I wanted more filling.

Pop-Tart Dough
13 oz (370 g) Unsalted Butter at room temp
1/3 C. & 1 T. (110 g) Milk at room temp
1 Yolk at room temp
1 t. (6 g)Sugar
1 t. (6 g) Salt
3 1/2 C. (625 g) AP Flour
In food processor, combine butter, milk, yolk, sugar and salt and pulse until roughly blended. Add the flour and pulse until it just starts to come together. Form into a disc and wrap in saran wrap, chill at least 1 hours.  ALT (updated 3/14), In mixer, cream butter with salt and sugar.  Add yolk and then half of the flour.  Add milk and remaining flower and combine til homogenous.  Remove from mixing bowl and press on counter with the heel of your hand for 30 seconds.  Cut in half and place half on your baking silpat or parchment.  Cover with parchment and rollout to 1/8" thick.  Using a ruler, cut to size but leave on baking sheet - I normally do 4x6" and get 6 out of each sheet.  Freeze for 15 minutes.  Roll out the other half to make the tops, and cut to size.  Lightly freeze just to make handleable.  Brush bottom seams with egg whites. (now proceed with the pre-edited recipe)

Brown-Sugar Cinnamon Filling
1 Egg White at room temp
3/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1/4 C. Almond slivers or slices
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1 T. Cinnamon
In food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until well combined.

Assembly
Roll the dough into a rough square, dusting with flour, until 1/8" thick. Cut dough into 4"x6" rectangles. Pair the rectangles for tops and bottoms. Brush the edges of your bottom with a whisked egg. Place a large dollop of filling on inside the egg wash, then spread it evenly. The amount of filling is up to you, but you can see in the pic below how much I did. Place the top sheet of dough on top and press firmly but gently onto the bottom sheet. Chill your Pop-Tarts for 30 minutes.

Oven to 350F. Bake for abut 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Let sit until room temp. Frost with a milk and powdered sugar frosting with just a bit of cinnamon added.

And here's a chocolate tart with chestnut filling and coarse salt on top