Strawberry Pie Crust Pop-Tarts Made From Scratch
i used to hate Valentine’s Day…
Whatever your stance is though, this recipe is sure to bring a little love to your holiday.
Red and pink together? Hated the combo. The heart-shaped everything? Thought it was overrated. All the flowers being sold out at Trader Joe’s? Annoying to say the least. Having to avoid restaurants for the weekend? I did anything to skip the long waits and the crowds of couples. Having expectations for romance that fall short? Well, that happened just about every year.
And then, something shifted. I met the love of my life, and I finally got the hype. I’m not saying single people can’t enjoy Valentine’s Day or a good Galentine’s celebration, but I am saying Valentine’s Day is a wonderful celebration of romantic love. When you’re not in a romantic relationship, you’re naturally going to feel left out or let down. I was a happy single person, but when someone got flowers delivered to work & I was alone that day, I had feelings!
Fast forward to now, and I couldn’t wait to get our Valentine’s Day decorations up. We made romantic dinner reservations a month in advance. I’m hosting Galentine’s at our house. I even made…heart shaped pop-tarts that were red & pink. ❤️💕 It’s safe to say I enjoy every part of Valentine’s Day now. Especially these pop-tarts. They’re a twist on the “easy pie crust pop-tarts” that are going viral. They’re the hard version essentially. And I’m here to tell you—they’re not that hard. They’re WAY better. Better for you. (No seed oils or artificial ingredients.) Better tasting. And infinitely more satisfying. They are pie crust pop-tarts made from scratch. Every part from scratch. Pie crust made from scratch, strawberry filling made from scratch, and strawberry frosting made from scratch. They are flaky, butter, rich, tart, and sweet.
I had my parents over for dinner this weekend. I served these for dessert, and my dad truly couldn’t believe how tasty they were. He’s someone who insists fruit isn’t sufficient dessert. He’d always rather have “chocolate and peanut butter.” Well he told my mom, “please get this recipe from her.” Safe to say this recipe made him a fruity dessert convert. And now, I’m a Valentine’s Day loving convert.
Strawberry Pie Crust Pop-tarts made from scratch
Equipment
Food processor
Saucepan
Whisk
Pastry brush
Heart shaped cookie cutter
Ingredients
Crust:
2 sticks of butter, cubed and chilled (the quality makes a huge difference here. I used Green Valley, lactose free.)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
5-10 tablespoons of ice water
1 egg for the wash
Filling:
3 cups chopped strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp warm water
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of prepared strawberry filling
2-4 tablespoons milk
Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Cube your butter into 1/2 tablespoon slices. Place in a bowl and back in the fridge to keep chilled.
Place flour in food processor.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Combine butter and flour in food processor until mixture appears as fine crumbles.
Slowly add one tablespoon of ice water at a time, pulsing in between additions.
Stop adding water when mixture begins to look like dough and forms together.
Flour a surface. Pour dough out of food processor onto surface. Form into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill in the fridge for one hour.
Start working on the filling! Combine cornstarch and water. Set aside.
Heat medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add 3 cups strawberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and the lemon juice.
Stir/whisk constantly over heat until strawberries begin to break down and mixture is simmering.
Add cornstarch and water mixture, whisking constantly for 4-5 minutes while simmering. Mixture should begin to appear thick.
Remove from heat. Mixture will continue to thicken as it gradually cools.
After an hour has passed, remove crust dough discs from the fridge.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out discs onto floured surface. Use heart shaped cookie cutter to make shapes.
Place heart shaped dough onto sheet. Spoon one spoonful of filling onto dough. Top with another heart shaped dough portion. Use fork to seal edges. Brush with egg wash. Repeat for other poptarts.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust looks golden brown and flaky.
Remove from oven and place on drying rack.
While pop-tarts are cooling, prepare frosting. Whisk together your powdered sugar and filling, gradually adding the milk until you reach a desired consistency.
Once the pop-tarts are completely cool, drizzle your glaze over them. Immediately add sprinkles (optional).