Brown Sugar Pop Tarts

My Brown Sugar Pop Tarts are made with a flaky, buttery pastry filled with a gooey cinnamon-sugar center and topped with a sweet brown sugar glaze. There is something so magical about making them from scratch, you'll never want the store-bought version again!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings pop tarts

Calories 475kcal

Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Ingredients

For the dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes, cold
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into cubes, cold or you can use 1/2 cup more butter in place of the shortening
6-8 Tbsp. ice cold water

For the filling

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
3-4 Tbsp. melted butter, unsalted
splash vanilla extract
1 egg, whisked with a splash of milk or water this is for the egg wash

For the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1-2 Tbsp. whole milk
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

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Instructions

Dough:

Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in the cold butter cubes and cold shortening. Slowly drizzle in the ice cold water, 1 Tbsp. at a time. It should be able to form into what feels like dough when pressed between your fingers.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional), 2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes, cold, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into cubes, cold, 6-8 Tbsp. ice cold water
Turn out the dough on a clean cutting board or work surface and bring the dough together into a disk. Divide in half, and form into disks. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight, or up to 2 days.
When ready, remove one disk from the fridge and allow to sit 5-10 minutes on the counter so it’s easier to roll out.
Roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface, about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough into ~3.5 inch x 4.75 inch rectangles. You can use a 3x5 index card for a guide or I like to use this cookie cutter. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the fridge. Rework the dough and continue to cut out more rectangles. Repeat steps with other half of dough and place them in the fridge too on a separate baking sheet.

Filling:

Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt, butter, and vanilla in a bowl. It should be like a paste like consistency.
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 Tbsp. all purpose flour, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 3-4 Tbsp. melted butter, unsalted, splash vanilla extract
In another bowl, whisk together the egg and milk for the egg wash and set aside.
1 egg, whisked with a splash of milk or water

Assembly:

Remove one baking sheet of the rectangles from the fridge.
Lightly brush egg wash over each rectangle.
Spread ~1 Tbsp. of the filling on half of the rectangles, spreading and gently pressing down but leaving at least a 1/4 - 1/2 inch border. The border is key so none of the filling oozes out.
Place the other rectangle on top, egg wash side down, and gently press the edges together. Place these in the fridge and repeat the process with the others.
Chill the assembled pop tarts for 30-60 minutes to ensure they keep their shape when baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove pop tarts from the fridge. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and poke ~6-8 holes in the tops using a toothpick or something similar.
Bake for ~20 minutes or until the tops are a light golden brown. Cool for 5-10 min, and then transfer to cooling rack.

Glaze

Once cooled, whisk together all the icing ingredients. It should be thick. Spread on top. Let it set 1 hour so it can harden.
1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup, 1-2 Tbsp. whole milk, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Enjoy. Finally!

Video

Notes

Use a packaged rolled pie crust for convenience if you're short on time.

Nutrition