A couple of days ago I asked you on Instagram what flavour of pop tarts you would like me to make and the one that won BY FAR were cinnamon apple Pop Tarts. I love Pop Tarts because they’re like hand pies you’re allowed to have for breakfast. These cinnamon apple Pop Tarts are everything you wish and more: sweet, with flaky dough and the perfect amount of cinnamon.
I’m in love with apples and it’s only logical that if you like apples you also like cinnamon. They’re one of those celestial couples, like Romeo and Juliet minus the suicide. If you also like the cinnamon and apple combo, you can try making my apple pie and cinnamon apple galette as well! I highly recommended them, they have been one of the most popular recipes to make during these quarantine/social distancing times. On the other hand, you can also check out my Berry Pop Tarts recipe! Oh and by the way, this recipe makes 8 Pop Tarts but you can definitely make half a recipe if you prefer.
These quarantine/social distancing days have been tough, I won’t lie. There are days when you get up and feel optimistic and there are others where it seems like it won’t end anytime soon. It’s not easy to smile sometimes and you might feel like staying in bed all day long. I want you to know that it’s normal, that we all feel the same way and this is not easy for absolutely anyone. The only way in which we’re going to survive this is if we work together like we have been doing. For me, cooking is one of the things that gives me the most joy. It’s like therapy for me, I swear. The other thing that makes me happy is seeing you guys making and enjoying my recipes. So thank you for your photos and for sharing your creations with me!
Right below this paragraph, you’ll see step by step photos of the assembly of the Pop Tarts :). With time, I have perfected my method and I love how they turn out. There’s only 8 of them to make so it’s not thaaaat much of an effort. As a matter of fact, these days it’s relaxing to spend time on things that require our attention. Before eating them you want to place them in a microwave oven for 10-15 seconds. You’ll see they become so much better. They’re even better if you eat them with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 350 g all-purpose flour + more for dusting the table
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 g unsalted butter cold, straight from the fridge
- 5 tbsp milk
For the filling
- 2 Royal Gala or Fuji apples peeled and grated on a fine grater
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp brown sugar add another tbsp if you're not making the glaze
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
For the glaze
- 90 g icing sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- milk
- cinnamon and brown sugar to dust
Instructions
For the dough
- Chop the butter in cubes and mix it in a bowl with the flour, sugar and salt.
- Use your fingers to pinch the butter with the dry ingredientes until there are no chunks of butter left and your mix looks like breadcrumbs. You can also do this process on a food processor.
- Add the milk and mix using your hands. You can also do this step in a food processor.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for an hour. If you leave it in there longer let it come to room temperature before stretching it because it will be too solid.
For the filling
- Place everything in a pot and let it cook until it looks like marmalade. Let it cool down completely. It will thicken a bit more as it cools. As a replacement, you can use marmalade but make sure it's not runny so that you can fill them without any issues.
For the assembly
- Stretch the dough until it’s 2mm thick. It’s best if you stretch one half of the dough at a time. Cut the dough in rectangles of 10cm by 8cm.
- Place a rectangle on a baking tray with silpat or baking paper and form a rectangle of marmalade at the centre (roughly a generous tablespoon of filling), leaving 5mm uncovered all around the edges.
- Use your finger or a brush to paint milk on the edge you left without filling. Roll out the rectangle for the top a bit more so it fits and place it on top. Seal all around the edges by gently pressing with your fingers, then use a fork as well. Cut the excess edges of the pop tart to get a nice and perfect shape.
- Make two holes with a fork to let the steam come out. Alternatively, youu can use a toothpick and make 3 holes in a diagonal.
- To roll out again the scraps of dough, you will need to dampen your hands first to help it come together as it tends to dry out.
- Paint the pop tarts with milk.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 15-18min or until slightly golden.
For the glaze
- Make sure that the pop tarts are 100% cold before making the glaze or it will melt.
- Place the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and add the milk little by little. Whisk it together and stop adding milk once you have a thick glaze.
- Put a bit of glaze on the pop tart using a teaspoon and spread it a bit around using the back of the teaspoon.
- Finish by dusting with cinnamon and brown sugar before it dries up.
2 comments
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll have to try making these with my boys. I think they’ll love them. Besides, what kid doesn’t like Pop Tarts? 🙂 And what’s even better is the fact that Mom and Dad will love them too.
Yesss! They will love them for sure and you as well 🙂