Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Dash salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• FILLING:
• 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• FROSTING:
• 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• Nonpareils, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make and chill the pie dough: Place the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse them until they're blended. Add in the cold butter, and pulse until butter is the size of peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 tablespoons of 2% milk and the vanilla extract. While pulsing, add the egg mixture to the flour mixture to form moist crumbs. If needed, add the remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form moist crumbs. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disk, then wrap them individually in storage wrap and refrigerate them for one hour or overnight.

2. 2

   Mix the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the strawberry jam, cornstarch and vanilla extract.

3. 3

   Cut the pie dough: Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the pie dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Using a sharp chef’s knife or pizza cutter, cut the pie dough into eight 4x3-inch rectangles. Transfer the rectangles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Editor’s Tip: This is the part that takes the longest, but it’s worth breaking out a ruler and being precise to make them picture-perfect.

4. 4

   Assemble the pastries: In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Use a pastry brush or a clean finger to brush the egg wash over the rectangles all the way to the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling over each pastry to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Roll out the remaining dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle, then cut it into eight 4x3-inch rectangles. Place the rectangles over the filling, lining up the edges as best as possible. Press the edges down with the tines of a fork to seal them.

5. 5

   Bake the pastries: Bake the toaster pastries until the edges are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove them from the baking sheet and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. Editor’s Tip: Don’t move on until the Pop-Tarts are at room temperature. Glazing the Pop-Tarts while they’re still even a little warm will cause the glaze to soak into the Pop-Tarts and become a sticky mess.

6. 6

   Add toppings: In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar and milk until they're smooth. Spread the icing on the pastries. If desired, sprinkle the icing with nonpareils before the icing sets. Let the pastries stand until the icing is.