These homemade strawberry pop tarts are made with an easy and flaky pastry crust, filled with strawberry jam and topped with pink vanilla icing plus sprinkles.

The Key to Good Pastry Crust

So you might have seen this by now, but the key to good pastry crust that’s super flaky is vodka. Why is that you may ask? Since vodka is alcohol, it actually burns off quickly in the oven which dries out the crust. It also does not contribute to the formation of gluten which is key to a good pie crust.

How to Freeze

Let the homemade pop tarts cool completely before placing in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

When ready to eat, throw them in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes or until heated through.

DO NOT throw in the toaster, as the icing will melt right off.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• If you don’t want to make the strawberry filling, store-bought strawberry jam works fine.
• Speaking of the filling, I prefer to make it a day ahead of time to allow to cool and set.
• Place the pop tarts in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking to keep the butter cold and create a flaky pastry crust.
• Make sure you seal the pop tarts well with your finger or fork, or the filling will leak out.
• Do not skip poking the holes as it allows the steam to escape from the strawberry pop tarts.

RECIPE

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Resting Time 4 hrs

Total Time55 mins

Ingredients

Strawberry Filling

• ▢ 2 cups strawberries, stems removed and quartered
• ▢ 5 tbsp granulated sugar, honey or maple syrup
• ▢ 2 tsp cornstarch
• ▢ ½ lemon, juiced
• ▢ ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• ▢ pinch of sea salt

Pop Tart Crust

• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ tsp salt
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• ▢ ¼ cup ice water
• ▢ ¼ cup cold vodka

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 tsp milk or water

Vanilla Icing

• ▢ ¾ cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp milk, plus more as needed
• ▢ ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ sprinkles if desired

Pop Tart Crust

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut them until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and vodka 1 tbsp at a time, until the dough begins to clump together. Don’t overmix. You may not need all of the water/vodka.
• Gently mold the dough into a ball. Cut in half and then press each into a flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Once ready, lightly flour a clean surface. Take out ½ the dough and roll the crust down to ⅛” thick and 9×12″ in size. Cut, using a biscuit cutter, so you’ll end up with 9 circles. Using a spatula, transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Brush the egg wash on each of the rectangles. Spoon a heaping tbsp of filling into the center of each rectangle, leaving ½” of space around the edge.
• Take out the second piece of dough and roll out to the same size as the first. One at a time, place a second rectangle on top of the 9 assembled ones. Use your fingers to press around the seems and then use a fork to form the edges. Poke holes in the tops of each filled pastry to allow steam to escape.
• Place the pop tarts in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the pop tarts for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned, rotating halfway through. Let the pop tarts cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing and adding sprinkles.

1. Make the glaze by whisking all of the ingredients in a bowl until it reaches spreading consistency.
2. Spread the glaze over each pop tart and top with sprinkles, if using.