Cinnamon Pop Tarts

I’m back!!! For anyone who noticed, lol. I haven’t written in over a week! Which seems like so long… it was a very emotionally exhausting week for us. My mother in law had a knee replacement surgery on Tuesday and had unexpected complications the following day.

Thankfully, everything turned out okay and as of today, she is safely back home!! Whew. Also this week I interviewed to go back to work in real estate! I’m excited to get back into it. I hadn’t worked since January!! I miss being an agent and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things- in that department!!

So as we are getting back into the routine of things, I told Luke this evening that I needed to write. I’d been working on a pop tart post for a while….. and now, I’m soooo excited to share!

These little treats were so good! So flaky, cinnamon-y, sweet, mmmmmm! I told my husband I didn’t think they were going to be good (I usually need 3-4 rounds of testing before writing) and really thought I wouldn’t be able to share tonight, buttttt I was wrong!! These were a hit! Hubby loved them, I loved them & of course even GM loved them too. I can’t wait to eat the rest of them tomorrow for breakfast.

So I know how using a measuring ruler assists with evenly cutting dough, so that each pastry looks uniform. However, that’s not really my style lol. Sometimes I just like things to look rustic and authentic and to me, that’s what being home made is all about!! I just eye balled cutting the two layers of dough and just hoped my little pop tarts would fit evenly on top of one another lol. They weren’t too bad!

 

Ingredients:

For the dough

- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 tbs sugar
- 16 ounces unsalted butter 
  (cold)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbs milk

For the filling

- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tbs cinnamon
- 4 tsp flour
- 1 egg beaten

For the icing

- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbs milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

To start the dough, add the flour, sugar, salt into a bowl and whisk together. Cut the butter into small pats and incorporate with hands. It should be very lumpy, but try to get all the loose flower integrated into the lumps. Next add the egg and milk, then incorporate as much of the butter into the dough as possible. Try to get an even dough consistency without lumps. There will be some, but that’s okay, kneed it as much as possible. Then cut the dough into two even pieces then individually wrap in cling wrap then place into the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Liberally flour a clean surface to roll the dough onto. Form each dough into a large rectangle about 9 x 12 inches and about an 1/8 of an inch thick. Flour as much of the rolling pin, and top of the dough as needed if it begins to stick and becomes hard to work with. Cut the dough into thirds both length wise and width wise. Trim off the excess dough and set aside.

Repeat this method with the second dough. Trim off the excess dough and incorporate the extra dough to try and form another 1-2 rectangles. In total I was able to make 9 pastries.

Lay the first layer of pastries on your baking sheet. Beat one egg into a small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the filling ingredients (sugar, cinnamon, flour)  and stir together to incorporate. Take a cooking brush and lightly coat each pastry on the baking sheet with some of the egg wash. Then take about a tablespoon of filling and add on top of the first layer. Once all the pastries have the filling, take the second Layer of dough and place atop each of the pastries.

With your finger tips gently press the seems of each layer of dough to seal  together. Take the edge of a fork and press into the outer edges. Next, take the cooking brush and lightly coat with more egg wash. Take a tooth pick and poke about 6-9 holes in each pastry to allow them to breathe while they bake.

Stick your baking sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes, uncovered. Then pop into the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the pastries turn golden brown on top. Allow to cool on a baking sheet.

While the pastries cool, in a small bowl add the powdered sugar, Brown sugar, cinnamon and milk. If the consistency is too runny add a tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time. Till it’s thick icing consistency. Layer each pastry with the icing and let set for 10 minutes before serving.