Strawberry Pop Tarts
By Andrea Rivera WawrzynPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
2½ hours, plus cooling time
Yield
Makes 8 pop tarts
What Kids Are Saying
"I loved it. The jelly was complimentary to the nice, flaky crust." —Zoey, recipe tester, age 13
Ingredients
½ cup sour cream, chilled1 large egg 2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon table salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled¾ cup strawberry jam 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg. Set aside. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process for 3 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and sprinkle chilled butter over flour mixture. Lock lid back into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until only pea-size pieces of butter remain, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Remove lid and add sour cream mixture. Lock lid back into place and pulse until just combined, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Turn on processor and process until dough forms ball, 10 to 15 seconds. Stop processor, remove lid, and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help).
- Sprinkle counter lightly with extra flour. Transfer dough to floured counter and press together into ball. Use bench scraper or chef’s knife to divide dough in half.
- Use your hands to form each piece of dough into 3-by-5-inch rectangle. Wrap each rectangle tightly in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
- While dough chills, in small microwave-safe bowl, combine jam, cornstarch, and water. Whisk until combined and no cornstarch is visible. Heat in microwave until mixture begins to form small bubbles, about 2 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove bowl from microwave (ask an adult for help). Whisk mixture until well combined. Set aside to cool.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and let sit on counter to soften slightly before rolling, about 10 minutes. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle counter lightly with extra flour. Roll, cut, fill, and shape each rectangle of dough to make 8 pop tarts following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Shape Pop Tarts,” below.
- Place baking sheet with shaped pop tarts in refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake until pop tart edges are just beginning to brown, 20 to 24 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let pop tarts cool on baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Frost pop tarts, if desired (see “Step-by-Step: How to Frost Pop Tarts,” below). Serve. (Pop tarts can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 2 days. Pop tarts can be reheated in toaster on lowest setting for 1 to 2 minutes.)
Time
2½ hours, plus cooling timeYield
Makes 8 pop tartsWhat Kids Are Saying
"I loved it. The jelly was complimentary to the nice, flaky crust." —Zoey, recipe tester, age 13Ingredients
½ cup sour cream, chilled
1 large egg
2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
½ cup sour cream, chilled
1 large egg
2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
½ cup sour cream, chilled
1 large egg
2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This homemade take on a store-bought favorite is a great weekend baking project for kids. Kids start by making a simple dough in a food processor that they then roll out, cut, and form into strawberry jam–filled pop tarts. But the filling isn’t just strawberry jam—it also contains some cornstarch. Why? The cornstarch thickens the jam to the perfect consistency so that it doesn’t leak out of the pop tarts as they bake. To observe cornstarch’s thickening power, after step 7, microwave a spoonful of strawberry jam in a small microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds and let cool. Compare the consistencies of the two bowls of jam. Which one is thicker? (Hint: It should be the cornstarch-thickened jam!)
Instructions
- In small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg. Set aside. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process for 3 seconds. Stop processor.
- Remove lid and sprinkle chilled butter over flour mixture. Lock lid back into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until only pea-size pieces of butter remain, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Remove lid and add sour cream mixture. Lock lid back into place and pulse until just combined, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Turn on processor and process until dough forms ball, 10 to 15 seconds. Stop processor, remove lid, and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help).
- Sprinkle counter lightly with extra flour. Transfer dough to floured counter and press together into ball. Use bench scraper or chef’s knife to divide dough in half.
- Use your hands to form each piece of dough into 3-by-5-inch rectangle. Wrap each rectangle tightly in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
- While dough chills, in small microwave-safe bowl, combine jam, cornstarch, and water. Whisk until combined and no cornstarch is visible. Heat in microwave until mixture begins to form small bubbles, about 2 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove bowl from microwave (ask an adult for help). Whisk mixture until well combined. Set aside to cool.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and let sit on counter to soften slightly before rolling, about 10 minutes. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle counter lightly with extra flour. Roll, cut, fill, and shape each rectangle of dough to make 8 pop tarts following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Shape Pop Tarts,” below.
- Place baking sheet with shaped pop tarts in refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake until pop tart edges are just beginning to brown, 20 to 24 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let pop tarts cool on baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Frost pop tarts, if desired (see “Step-by-Step: How to Frost Pop Tarts,” below). Serve. (Pop tarts can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 2 days. Pop tarts can be reheated in toaster on lowest setting for 1 to 2 minutes.)
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