Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts are a super fun and easy baking project. Flaky buttery pastry is filled with a homemade strawberry filling, and finished with an easy royal icing and sprinkles.
Roasted Strawberry and Balsamic Pop Tarts
Hi hi! Happy Sunday! I am just sneaking in to share this recipe with you for Roasted Strawberry and Balsamic Pop Tarts! I didn’t grow up with Pop Tarts (they only started showing up in US specialty stores when I was at uni in NZ), but we always used to love trying all the different types when we travelled to the States with our family when we were younger. I’ve made them a few times, and am always reminded how easy and delicious they are!
Roasted Strawberry Jam
I have been roasting loads of fruit lately - it is a great way to use up any tired fruit that you may have hiding in the fridge, and works particularly well with strawberries, which benefit from a longer roast at lower heat. The process is super simple - I macerated them at room temperature with some sugar and Filippo Berio Balsamic Vinegar. The vinegar works so well with the strawberries, as it cuts through the sweetness while also amplifying the flavour of the fruit, and Filippo Berio’s is smooth and a little sweet, making it the perfect compliment for strawberries. You roast the fruit until the strawberries have let go of their moisture and the syrup surrounding them is thick, and you are left with a super delicious strawberry balsamic jam situation, which is the perfect filling for these pop tarts!
The best Pie dough for Pop Tarts
For the dough I made a bit more of a homogenous crust than I would for a pie dough - instead of leaving big chunks of butter in the dough I incorporated them a little more to give a more tender (rather than super flaky) crust, with just a little flake, and it was perfect for these.
I filled the pop tarts with the strawberry balsamic filling, then baked them off, choosing to use a lower temperature than I would for hand pies or something I was trying to get super brown and flaky. Once they were cool I finished them with a royal icing (I used Claire Saffitz’s technique of using the yolk to seal the pop tarts and the white for the royal icing), which sets up solid, and added some sprinkles. I have zero guarantees that these are toaster friendly, but I can guarantee you that they are very, very delicious.
A few wee tips for Strawberry Pop Tarts
If you don’t want to make your own pie dough, you can use store bought puff and it will work just fine.
This recipe makes 10 pop tarts. If you don’t want to bake them all at once, you can keep some frozen in an airtight container and bake them off from frozen.
The jam does take a while to make, so ensure that you leave enough time for that. It will keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge so can easily be made ahead.
Don’t be tempted to skip the macerating step! It helps to bring out the liquid in the strawberries so that they roast down nicely and the syrup thickens enough.
For more Strawberry Recipes:
- Roasted Strawberry Brioche Doughnuts with Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream and Strawberry Sugar
- Strawberry Balsamic Pie
- Strawberry Basil Hand Pies
- Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Thank you so much to Filippo Berio for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
Made this recipe and love it?
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A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 90 minutes plus chilling and resting time
- Yield: 10 Pop Tarts 1x
Description
Roasted Strawberry and Balsamic Pop tarts. A slow roasted strawberry balsamic jam is used to fill a tender buttery pie dough to make perfect pop tarts, which are finished with a pink royal icing and sprinkles.
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Jam
- 1000g ripe strawberries, hulled and diced
- 140g granulated sugar
- 20g Filippo Berio Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
- A few turns of black pepper
Pie Dough
- 375g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tsp (8g) sugar
- 225g (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 240g (1 cup) cold water
- 1 cup ice
- 60g (¼ cup) Apple cider vinegar
- For assembly: 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tsp water
Royal Icing
- 1 egg white(30g)
- 200g Powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- Water to thin as needed
Instructions
ROASTED STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC JAM
- Place the strawberries, sugar, and Filippo Berio Balsamic Vinegar in a large bowl and toss to combine. Cover the bowl and leave to sit at room temperature for an hour.
- Toward the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 325°f / 160°c.
- Transfer the macerated berries and their liquid into a 9”x13” baking pan or other similar sized pan (something with with sides, don’t use a baking sheet), and add the vanilla, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine.
- Roast in the oven for 2 hours, checking and stirring every 30 minutes, until the fruit has darkened and the syrup has thickened (2 hours should be plenty of time).
- Remove from the oven and crush the berries slightly with a fork or a spatula, then transfer to an airtight container, straining off any excess liquid if needed (reserve for syrup for cocktails etc). Cool and then store in the fridge.
PIE DOUGH
- Place flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into chunks, and add to the flour. Toss lightly to coat. Working quickly, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are only small pea-sized chunks left.
- You want the butter pieces to be a little smaller and more incorporated than a standard pie crust.
- Combine ice, water and cider vinegar in a bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture, and using a stiff spatula or your hands, mix in well. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time ( I normally need about 8-10 tbsp) until you have a dough that holds together well, but is not too wet.
- Squeeze together with your fingertips to make a homogenous dough. Shape into a rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for an hour, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, then roll again and repeat the folding.
- Shape back into a rectangle and rewrap tightly in plastic, and rest for at least two hours before using, preferably overnight.
ASSEMBLY
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a large rectangle (at least 15”x16” - you want it to be able to fit 20 3”x4” (7cm x 10cm) rectangles). If you are worried about it getting too warm and soft, you can cut it in half and do this in two parts, or I like to roll it out and then cut it into two pieces and chill those briefly in the fridge before cutting the smaller rectangles out.
- Using a ruler and a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the pastry into 3" x 4" rectangles (7cm x 10cm). You should get 20 rectangles. Place the cut rectangles carefully onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 10 mins or freeze for 5 mins to help firm up the pastry slightly.
- Remove the pastry rectangles from the fridge and match up into pairs. Prick the piece that you are using for the top piece using a skewer or toothpick. Lightly brush the edges of one piece of pastry with egg wash, then add a rectangle of the strawberry balsamic filling, smoothing to flatten.
- Top with a second piece of pastry, pressing down lightly around the edges to seal, ensuring that there are no air bubbles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, then trim down with a sharp knife. Repeat with the remaining rectangles of pastry until all the hand pies are assembled.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough becomes very firm. If you are planning on freezing them for a longer period of time, freeze solid then transfer to an airtight plastic bag.
- While the pies are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 325°f / 160°f. Remove the pies from the freezer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pies are pale golden brown on the tops and bottoms (lift one up the check the bottom) Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before icing with royal icing and sprinkles.
- To make the royal icing, combine the egg white, powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add water a ¼ tsp at a time until you have a spreadable texture (you don’t want it to be too thin), then transfer to a piping bag and snip a small hole in the tip.
- Pipe a rectangle border of icing on the pop tart, then fill in using the piping bag. Leave to smooth out, then finish with sprinkles. Allow to dry at room temp for an hour to allow the icing to harden.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. You can rewarm briefly in the oven before serving to help crisp up the pastry.
Keywords: Pop Tarts, Strawberry Pop Tarts, Royal Icing, balsamic, strawberry balsamic
Comments
Tried this recipe with the blueberry balsamic jam. It turned out delicious! Definitely a fun project.
★★★★★
Yayyyy so happy you loved! I love making pop tarts - I need to make some more some time!
Hi Erin. Do you think a raspberry balsamic would work equally as well since strawberries aren’t very sweet at this time of the year? Also, do you make your own sprinkles or buy them. I love the colors.
Hi! Raspberries have much more pectin than strawberry so I don't think it will work the same. You can use frozen strawberries if fresh aren't in season. Sprinkles are from Sprinkle Pop 🙂