I started by making pie crust. You could use an already made pie crust if you had one or did not want to make your own. Pie crust is pretty easy to make and doesn't take much time at all. You start with some flour and Crisco shortening.
Technically, you should use a pastry cutter to cut the shortening into the flour, but I don't have one of those fancy gadgets so I just use a fork. Work it in until it looks lumpy and there is no loose flour left.
Next, beat an egg and add some water and vinegar to it.
Add that mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix at this point or your dough will get a little too tough. Tough dough = not good.
Roll the dough out and separate it into three lumps. Form each lump into a ball.
Put each ball into a Ziploc bag. Flatten it with a rolling pin so it's easier to roll later. Put the bags in the freezer for about twenty minutes. You can just freeze it here for later use. If you do that, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw for 15 minutes before you start rolling it out.
After twenty minutes, roll the dough out on a surface dusted with plenty of flour. Make sure to flour your rolling pin. Roll from the middle of the round out. Make sure to put more flour under the dough during rolling if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the surface. You want to work rather fast during this step. Once the dough starts to warm up, it is more difficult to work with.
Once the dough is rolled to about 1/4" thick, cut out your dough. I used a round biscuit cutter because I did not have a heart cookie cutter. That is what I wanted to use but apparently, I do not have Valentine's Day cookie cutters. Bummer.
Here's my audience and little person helper today. She was just watching at this point, waiting patiently for the scraps to play with. Isn't she cute?! The nukey is not hers. I took that from my other audience member standing on the other side of me.
She did not want her picture taken today. I wouldn't either if my hair looked like hers. Geez, who is this girl's mother and why hasn't she combed and tamed her hair yet?!
And yes, my sink is full of dirty dishes from making the dough and from lunch. My dishwasher was running as we were making the Poptarts. That poor dishwasher's job is never done. It deserves a raise.
Put your first layer of dough on a greased sheet. Then it is time to add the filling. I used raspberry jelly. This was a well-rounded teaspoon. The amount of filling would depend on the size of your cutouts.
You can use whatever flavor you wish at this stage. You could also mix the jelly with some cream cheese if you'd like. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure you use a good jelly, not a jelly that's fake and full of non-fruit stuff.
Roll out another thing of dough and cut out more. Dip your finger in water and run it along the edges of the bottom layer. This will help secure the top layer. Lay the second one on top. Press it down gently.
Let your little person play with the scraps. Look at her go. There was a lot of flour everywhere when she was all done but she got to practice rolling and sprinkling flour. She also cut out some circles. What a little baker. Hopefully she won't have rolling out dough fear like I did.
Next, take a fork and crimp the edges. Then take a toothpick and poke holes in the tops to eliminate any air bubbles.
Doing good Avery! Roll that dough, girlfriend.
Pop your tarts in the a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.
For the icing, I mixed together a lot of powdered sugar with a little milk. Once it was the consistency I wanted, I added a spoonful of raspberry jelly to turn it pink. I didn't want to use food coloring because it takes a lot of red to make pink and I am not a big fan of food coloring. This did the trick. Plus, the frosting with have flavor as well. Yummmmy.
I guess my crimping skillz need some work. A little oozing jelly but all in all, they look pretty good.
Transfer them to a cooling rack. I put the cooling rack right back on top of the baking sheet I had just used to catch any frosting that might drip or wayward sprinkles. Cool them for 15-20 minutes. This crust is really flaky so it is best just to put a scoop of icing in the center and let it pool out. If you try to spread it, the flaky crust will just pull up and get stuck in the icing. I added some Valentine's Day sprinkles just to jazz them up a bit.
Here's one up close. That looks delish and amazeballs.
I cut one up for Avery and Kendall and they had it devoured immediately. Kendall is the most picky eater ever and she came back for more and more. I ate two. In a row. They are delicious.
I can't wait to try this with different flavors of jelly. There is a stand at the Madison farmer's market that sells amazing jams and jellies. They have a strawberry peach one that I bet would be awesome.
Here's the recipe:
Homemade Poptarts
Double pie crust (I will post the link for the pie crust that I use all the time after this)
A jar of your choice jelly or jam
Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon jelly or jam
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out your pie crust and cut into whatever shape you would like. I used a 3" biscuit cutter. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Place a rounded teaspoon of your jam or jelly onto the bottom round. Dip your finger in water and run around the outer rim of the bottom round. Place a second round on top. Crimp closed with a fork and poke some holes in the top with a toothpick. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack.
To make the icing, place the powdered sugar in a bowl. Slowly add milk until your desired consistency is reached. You don't want it to be too runny or it will fall right off and you don't want it to be too thick it won't pool. Add a tablespoon of your jelly or jam. Mix. Pour onto your cooled tarts. Decorate. Then, devour.
Here's the recipe for the pie crust I used:
This is a super easy recipe and way healthier than the sugar, preservative, and food coloring filled Poptarts you find at the grocery store. Have fun, be creative with them, and enjoy!
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