Finally, Homemade Pop Tarts. Also called or similar to Toaster Pastries, Fruit Scones, Toaster Strudel, or Country Squares? Whatever you want to call it -- it's a "fruit-ish" filled shortbread-cookie with frosting and sprinkles -- FOR BREAKFAST! So, of course, I am going to make it and serve it all the neighborhood kids. I'm Sweet Kiera. That's what I do! And you can't get mad at me about it, because you know you want one too! I start with "Finally, Homemade Pop Tarts" because I feel like these have been a long time coming. I've been talking about and twittering or facebooking about homemade pop tarts for the past week, but in internet time... that is like FOREVER. I was relieved and inspired when I came across the blog "Bravetart" whose goods are baked and blogged by Stella and photographed by her friend Rosco. I got to reading around on her blog and I really enjoyed her writing. She's witty, opinionated, and knowledgable about food and all the pop-culture tangents she goes off on. But her blog post on pop tarts in particular told me that I was finally home. Stella summed up my sentiments precisely:
"The myriad food bloggers that blogged before me have already tackled Pop-Tarts. A simple search for “Pop Tarts” on FoodGawker and TasteSpotting turns up dozens of Pop-Tart related posts.
But, with all due respect to you sweet, wonderful, creative bloggers out there: Have you people even seena Pop-Tart before?!?
Go ahead, take a look at those flaky and fruit filled results. The photos seem to come from an alternate universe where Pop-Tart simply means “delicious rectangular pastry.”
Since when do Pop-Tarts have ultra flaky, golden brown pastry?! Luscious fruit filling oozing from their insides? High class flavors rivaling the offerings of the trendiest pastry shop? Edges adorably crimped with a fork?
C’mon guys.
I love you all. Frankly, your creations have out-classed Pop-Tarts by a few million light years with unparalleled deliciocity. They look splendid. Elegant. Flaky. Filled with jammy goodness.
In short: nothing even remotely like Pop-Tarts."
So, I used Bravetart's recipes for the Pop Tart Dough and Icing. I tried to use Bravetart's recipe for Pop Tart Filling, but it did not work out. I don't really want to talk about all the dirty details. Let's just say... there was smoke. I killed Mark & Vale's food processor. With dried fruit. I will be buying them a new one as soon as Sweet Kiera goes platinum. I had to settle with a raspberry jam + cornstarch + corn syrup filling. It still tasted great when all was said and done.
The dough was PERFECT. Here's a pre-baked and post-baked shot of the nakey pop tart.
In the spirit of Valentine's Day Month, I decorated them with pink frosting and red sparkling sugar.
The frosting had just the right amount of crunch.
Cole and I enjoyed our pop tarts with a cup of coffee in the backyard. We both realized we had never HAD pop tarts with coffee before! What a great new concept. But a cold glass of milk would do just as well.
I heart these pop tarts. I'm gonna go have one now.
