Coastal Pours

BROWN SUGAR CINNAMON POP TARTS

Prep Time: 3.5 hours • Cooking Time: 30 minutes • Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS

• Pastry
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), chilled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • Optional: 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add to dry ingredients for extra flavor)
• Filling
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Egg wash: 1 large egg mixed with 2 teaspoons milk
• Glaze
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the pastry.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and optional cinnamon.
• Cut in the chilled butter using a pastry cutter, forks, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter. A food processor would also work well to combine the ingredients.
• Once the butter is combined with the dry ingredients, add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each pour, until the dough forms large, moist clumps. Stop adding water once the dough comes together.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently bring it into a ball. Add a sprinkle of flour or a few drops of water only if necessary.
• Divide the dough into two equal rectangles that are 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the filling.

• In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Set aside.

Roll out the dough.

• Remove one chilled dough disk and let it sit at room temperature for 1–2 minutes to soften slightly.
• Roll it into a rectangle roughly 9×12 inches, about 1/8 inch thick.
• Cut the dough into 16 rectangles, approximately 2.5×2.75 inches each (for a 4×4 grid). Place rectangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate.
• Repeat with the second disk to create another 16 rectangles. Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.

Assemble the Pop Tarts.

• Remove one set of rectangles (the bottoms) from the fridge and brush lightly with egg wash.
• Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of filling onto each rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
• Remove the second set of rectangles from the fridge (the tops) and brush the tops lightly with egg wash. Place them egg-wash-side-down on the filled bottoms.
• Press edges firmly to seal. Poke a few holes in the tops of each assembled pop tart and crimp edges with a fork.
• Refrigerate the assembled pop-tarts for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Brush tops with remaining egg wash.
• Bake for 20–25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown. For larger pop tarts, the baking time may be closer to 25-30 minutes.
• Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Make the glaze.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth.
• Adjust consistency by adding milk 1 teaspoon at a time if needed.
• Spread glaze over cooled pop-tarts and allow to set for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Tips

• Cold butter creates flaky layers. Store-bought pie dough can be used to save time.
• Keep dough cold while handling. Scraps can be rolled again to make extra pop-tarts.
• The pop tarts should be fully cooled prior to glazing.