Hand Made Pop-Tarts

Pop tarts were a favorite of mine as a kid. I used to eat them even if I didn't prefer the pastry's specific flavor- I would just eat the crust off of it all around. But have you ever looked at the ingredient list? If not, know this: it includes bleached, processed flour with tons of preservatives and flavor "enhancers". Also, the box says they are "made with real fruit" (which I suppose isn't a lie) and yet a closer examination of the label reveals that the "real fruit" content is really "less than 2%". Not to mention all the added high fructose corn syrup-- yikes!!! Read a nutrition label and ingredient list here, from the Kellog website directly. Now, this isn't to say that my home-made pop tarts are necessarily a health food (as I have always viewed any pastry as a dessert rather than a breakfast) but at least they are void of all of this American, corporate, factory-made bullshit. Plus, they are way, way yummier.

First, know that pie dough is one of the trickiest things to make! It seems so simple; it is, after all, a mixture of simply flour, butter, sugar and water! They are the most basic ingredients of baking-- but don't let that fool you! While the recipe seems easy, it's the technique that makes the difference between a hard, crunchy blanket of butter and a flakey, delicious pie crust! My favorite foodie blog, The Purple Foodie, recently posted a GREAT pie dough 101, complete with tons of very helpful hints! I highly suggest reading it if you aren't already an expert at pie dough! And even if you are- you might learn something.
So here's how I did it...



**note** This is a doubled recipe, as the original only makes one 9'inch pie crust, and I wanted to make a few more pop tarts than that. If you want, go ahead and half the recipe.


Crust (Basic Pie Dough) into Pop-Tarts!

Ingredients
3 cups flour
3 sticks butter
4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup ice water (more or less)
egg whites, beaten


preheat: 400 F

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar.

2. Dice butter into cubes; If you're using a pastry smashing device (which I don't have at the moment), larger chunks are okay. If you're doing this by hand (like me!) the smaller the cubes, the better! Work butter into mixture with smasher (or hands) until it is crumbly, with the biggest chunks of butter left pea-sized.

3. Mix in the ice water with a fork a spoon at a time, until the dough sticks together but isn't too dry.

4. Refrigerate ball of dough for about an hour.

5. Take a fist-sized ball of dough. Work into a rectangle on a floured board, roll dough out. Scoop either jam, peanut butter, Nutella, chocolate pieces, apple slices, or whatever else you want onto one half of the rolled-out rectangle. Fold the dough over; crimp the sides with a fork or fingers.

6. Place pastries on parchment paper or a VERY well-greased baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg white and dust with a big of sugar if you want.

7. Bake 15-20 minutes, "or until golden brown" (ahhh num!)


Let cool and enjoy!