Homemade Strawberry Heart Pop Tarts
These strawberry heart pop tarts are a great weekend project to get your kids in the kitchen. For the last few weeks, my kiddo has been asking for strawberry pop tarts. It seems that the nutella pop tarts we made a few weeks ago were “too rich” for her.
No, I don’t know whose child she is.
Tips and tricks
Buying versus homemade
This recipe has instructions for making your own pastry for the pop tarts and homemade strawberry jam. You can also buy both of these things from the store.
But, if you have the time, it’s always better to make your own, whether it’s pastry or jam, tomato sauce or salad dressing. That way, you know what’s in it. You don’t get the added preservatives. You can control the amount of sugar and salt. And, bonus, it usually costs less.
But there are some times that call for store-bought products. Last week I made spanikopita for dinner, and there was no way I was going to make my phyllo dough. There is no shame in taking shortcuts that get something delicious to your plate a little bit quicker.
Having fun when cooking with kids
When working with kids, it’s always good to make the space. Cooking and baking with my kiddo always takes twice as much time as it should. It’s precious learning and together time. Put away the phone, turn off the ringer, and let yourself have fun.
Let go of any rules you might have, and use your imagination. We should all learn to put together colors like my kiddo does!
How should a kid start to work with knives or the cook top? Carefully. When my kid was a toddler, we bought her a plastic knife set. But those knives aren’t sharp enough to cut well.
A good lesson for everyone is that dull knives are actually more dangerous than sharp ones! So kiddo uses our regular kitchen knives, and we teach her about the hazards in the kitchen and kitchen safety. Always cut away from yourself.
Get your kids excited about being in the kitchen by letting them pick out recipes they want to make. Kids will be more invested if it’s their thing. Pop tarts are way more fun than helping cut the salad vegetables!
FAQs about these strawberry heart pop tarts
Of course. There’s no limit to what you can make. However, the downside of small shapes is that you can only put a small amount of filling in them, so you get a higher ratio of pastry to filling. Actually, that may not be a downside for you.
Store any extra in the fridge for a week or two. If you want to make more and store it for longer, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation to make sure you do this safely.
Absolutely. You might need to be careful with them in the toaster if the pop tarts are small.
Related recipes
Or make another easy uglyducklingbakery pie and pastry recipe like these puff pastry cinnamon twists or pie crust cookies.
Want more pop tarts? Check out these these Nutella poptarts.
If it’s strawberries you’ve got, check out this strawberry and apple pie or unsweetened strawberry applesauce. Or make dehydrated strawberries and use them in granola or powdered in meringues.
Recipe
Strawberry Heart Pop Tarts
Equipment
- Stand mixer or food processor
Ingredients
Strawberry jam filling
- ½ pound strawberries, stemmed and hulled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pop tart dough
- 2 cups (250 grams) unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (228 grams or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
Instructions
Strawberry jam filling
- In a small pot, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and a splash of water over low heat until the strawberries are falling apart and the mixture has thickened. Feel free to smash the berries with a potato masher.½ pound strawberries, stemmed and hulled, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- If you want to remove the seeds, put the jam through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool.
Tart dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.2 cups (250 grams) unbleached all purpose flour, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the butter and mix on low speed 1 to 2 minutes until the pieces are the size of peas.1 cup (228 grams or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold
- Crack the egg into the measuring cup used to measure the milk, and whisk to combine. Add this to the mixer bowl and mix on low until the dough just starts to come together.¼ cup milk, 1 egg
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead only until the dough comes together. Divide into two equal amounts, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one for 1 to 2 hours prior to use. The other disk can be placed in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out and stored in the freezer for up to 3 to 6 months.
Assembly
- When ready to roll and fill the pop tarts, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured countertop to about ¼ inch thick and use a cookie cutter to cut out hearts or other shapes and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Depending on the size of your cookie cutter, spoon a teaspoon or two of jam into the center of one heart.
- Dip your finger into a bowl of cold water and gently wet the edges of the heart.
- Cover with a second heart cut-out, and use a fork or your finger to seal the edges well. Repeat with the remaining cut-outs.
- If your house is warm and the dough has gotten soft, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the tops of the pop tarts have turned a golden brown. You may need to rotate your baking sheet halfway through.
- Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely prior to glazing and decorating, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
What’s next?
If you make these strawberry heart pop tarts, please don’t forget to leave a comment or rating.
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