Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts


Throughout high school, and part of college, my super-healthy breakfasts included two Pop tarts and a diet Coke.  My favorite flavor was s'mores, but really any with icing would do in a pinch.  I haven't had a Pop Tart in years, but after tasting these, I'm now tempted to make them myself every week from now on.

Let me preface this by saying that these are nothing like store-bought Pop Tarts.  And that is most definitely a good thing.  The pastry crust is basically like a pie crust - buttery and flaky, just the right amount of sweetness.  And the filling really does taste like pumpkin pie.  Topped with a sweet maple glaze, these are a wonderful fall breakfast treat.  Or any time of year breakfast treat.

These are a bit time-consuming, but it's broken up into several steps, which made it great for me - as the dough chilled, I could go nurse the baby or read Caroline a story.  Nothing was terribly difficult, but you should be as exact as possible when cutting the pastry dough into squares.  The closer they all are in size, the easier it will be to assemble them, and you'll have less of a chance of the filling leaking out.  I'd definitely recommend using a ruler - not that I'm anal retentive or anything :-).

Joey doesn't like pumpkin (I know, right?), and Caroline can't have these because of the egg, so "sadly" I am on my own with these.  And now that I have the method down, I can't wait to experiment with more flavors.  I'm thinking apple-cinnamon would be another great flavor for fall.



Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts with Maple Glaze
adapted from Joy the Baker


For the Crust:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbs granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbs milk
  • 1 large egg (for brushing the dough)
For the Filling:

  • 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
For the Maple Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbs milk

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt.  Add the cold butter and pulse in 1-second increments until the butter is the size of peas.  The mixture should also hold together when squeezed into a ball.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk.  Add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and process to make sure that moisture is introduced to all of the flour mixture.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough  for a few turns until it really starts to come together.  Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling:

In a medium bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree and spices.  Whisk in egg, salt and sugar and place in the fridge to rest while you roll out the dough.

On a well floured work surface, press dough into a 3×5-inch rectangle, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness.  The dough should be slightly larger than 9×12-inches.  Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a perfect rectangle that is 9-inches tall and 12-inches long.  Using the pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares.  Place dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way.

Brush one set of 9 squares with beaten egg.  This will act as the glue for the top layer of dough.  Spoon about one tablespoon of pie filling into the center of each brushed dough square.  Top with a second piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed.  Use the tines of the fork to create vent holes in each tart.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Let tarts rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while the oven preheats.

Remove tarts from the fridge and place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

While the tarts bake, whisk together ingredients for the glaze and set aside.

Let baked tarts rest on a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.  Best served within 2 days.


28 comments:

Chelsea said...

Oh my gosh.... pumpkin pie pop tarts?! I thought I had seen most pumpkin pie flavored treats, but this is new to me! So tasty!

Made in Sonoma said...

beautiful!

Michelle said...

These are so cute! The boxed kind don't have anything on this!

Rachel said...

Yum and so cute! I've only recently boarded the pumpkin train and I think I'll have to try these!

Anonymous said...

These are so yummy looking! The sprinkles are the perfect touch. Yum!

elly said...

These look incredible. I was always a frosted strawberry kinda gal myself. Too bad we don't live nearby or I would GLADLY help you eat these. :)

Annie said...

These have been on my baking list for this fall since last fall. Hoping I get to them soon! I made homemade pop tarts back in the spring but they were too much like pie crust. I think I'm going to fiddle with them a little bit more.

Kelsey said...

Oh my these look delicious! Who wouldn't want pie for breakfast? I'm thinking one of these with a cup of coffee with cinnamon creamer would be heavenly!

Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie said...

Ooo great idea putting pumpkin inside! I never ate these for Breakfast. But I did love them un-toasted as a snack! The strawberry ones were my favorite.

nicole {sweet peony} said...

ooooh yum! these look awesome... especially with the drippy glaze! my high school breakfast of champions was a package of brown sugar cinnamon (reduced fat!) poptarts. man i love those things but haven't had them in years. i'm thinking these pumpkin ones might make up for it :)

Natalie said...

S'mores was always my favorite poptart flavor as well :) I've been wanting to make these, yours look wonderful!

Jessica @Sunny Side Up said...

Genius!! Can't wait to try these!

Jennifer {Mother Thyme} said...

These look fabulous! Definitely need to try these with the fresh pumpkin puree I making this weekend!

thefattyreader said...

These look so good!! I've been meaning to make some sort of pumpkin treat, and these look perfect. Thanks!

Krissy said...

My mom just made apple cinnamon pop tarts last week, and they were amazing. I will put these on my to bake list definitely!

lisaiscooking said...

Homemade pop-tarts are so, so good, and I love the idea of filling them with pumpkin! They look fantastic.

Anonymous said...

I followed footsteps and arrived in here. Very nice blog. This receipt is different and sounds tasty!

Deb said...

So excited to try this flavor! Pure genious. Since I like to have more than one flavor at a time, I'm thinking of using the largest of my biscuit cutters (I have a square set) to get uniform cuts and let myself indulge in multiples!

Chelsea said...

What a genius idea.

Homemade Pop-Tarts from now on, every season, please!

t.lynn said...

Just made these. The crust is excellent--flaky and buttery without being greasy and has just the right amount of salt. I found the filling to be a little too sweet (but there is 1/3 cup of sugar to just 3/4 cup pumpkin puree). Can't wait to try these again and with other fillings!

A Busy Mom of Two said...

I "found" homemade pop tarts last year and love them. These sound awesome. This might be the next flavor to try.

Moinette said...

I'm loving this! Homemade pop tarts, and they're seasonal? Yes, please.

Oh, and s'mores pop tarts were love back in the day.

xx

Cassie | Bake Your Day said...

These could not be any cuter if they tried. I used to eat pop tarts all the time, love a homemade version!

Alaina said...

That's so funny. I am WAY past college and I had 2 S'mores Pop Tarts and a Diet Coke for breakfast today :)

Lasair said...

A great pie crust recipe that takes very little time is flour and butter about one part butter to three parts flour, a pinch of salt and ice cold water. Mix the flour and butter til it resembles coarse dirt and then add the cold water a little tiny bit at a time, working it to become dough. Use a butter/sugar wash instead of an egg wash to get the shiny crust and flavor is identical to most people.

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