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It’s no secret that my older daughter has an interest in pop tarts (since I recently shared on facebook that she’s apparently been “trading” at snack time to get some!) so clearly I had to do something about it.
First of all, we took her to the store and let her pick out a box of organic frosted pop tarts. Organic or not…they are still completely junk food with loads of added sugar. I am not the one who is 7-years-old though, and I can understand how “store-bought” and “packaging” may sometimes play an important role at school.
So I showed her how much sugar they contain, in order to convey that they are really more of a dessert than a snack, and she decided she’d like to take one as a snack anyway and one as a dessert on another day (they come in packs of 2). I let my younger daughter do the same, and she was beyond thrilled to be an innocent bystander in all of this decision making :).
After all of that was behind us I put the box of remaining pop tarts “away” (up high and not visible in the pantry of course!) and thankfully neither child said much else about it. Hoping their need for “store bought” pop tarts was satisfied I decided we should try making our own as well.
I am not the first person to make a homemade knock-off pop tart recipe so just think of these as the super EASY whole-grain version. I honestly can’t believe how easy these are to make and how good they taste...everyone loves them! They are for the “kids” of course, but I find myself rationing out my share as well.
I never liked pop tarts as a kid myself because I was a toaster strudel girl, but this recipe somehow unites both of those worlds with one pretty awesome outcome. Just try for yourself, and you’ll see that this recipe does not disappoint.
Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries (aka Poptarts!)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter (cold, unsalted (2 sticks))
- ½ cup water (plus ice)
- 1 egg (beaten with a splash of water)
- 8 tablespoons jam (we prefer either homemade jam or an all-fruit spread that’s sweetened with fruit juice concentrate as opposed to sugar or high-fructose corn syrup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the flour and salt in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse it together briefly.
- Meanwhile fill a glass measuring cup with ½ cup water and add a few ice cubes to it.
- Take the cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top of the flour in the food processor. Be careful to spread out the butter as opposed to letting it all clump together in one piece.
- Turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal. While the food processor is still running add ⅓ cup water through the top. Watch the dough come together and add 2 – 3 more teaspoons of water as needed so a dough ball will form. If some of the dough is in a ball and some is stuck to the sides that is okay…you can fix it with your hands. At this point the dough could be stored in the fridge in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer safe container) for up to 6 months.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and put it on a lightly floured counter or large cutting board. With a rolling pin (and another sprinkling of flour) flatten out the dough to one big rectangle or square that’s no more than a quarter inch thick. Trim any uneven ends and use those to patch other edges as necessary.
- Using a knife cut out 14 to 16 rectangles of dough. Actually you could make them any shape or size that you want at this point. Lay half of your dough shapes onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon about a tablespoon of jam down the middle of those bottom dough pieces.
- Top them with matching dough shapes and seal around the edges by pushing down with a fork. Make a few holes in the top with the fork as well. Lastly, brush the tops of the uncooked toaster pastries with the egg wash.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 18 – 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the cooked pastries on a cooling rack (if you have one) then either eat them right away or store them in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for several months. They can be eaten cold or reheated. Enjoy!
Jen says
Yum! I put almond extract in the dough and used cherry preserves (no sugar) and they are just really good.
Genevieve says
What is the best way to reheat these?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello. Reheat in a conventional or toaster oven. ~Amy
Christie says
I am a very young mom and have a question as I am not familiar with all kitchen supplies. Could you make the dough with a kitchen aid and dough hook?
Katie says
Christie, I'm glad you asked that question, because my food processor just broke! You probably could use your dough hook, but it won't cut in the butter in the same way. I suggest making the dough by hand- just put the flour, salt and cold butter in a bowl and cut into it using 2 knives or a pastry blender. It only takes a few minutes and gives you some muscles. :)
Christie says
Katie,
Thanks so much for your reply! I will definitely try it that way! Really looking forward to making these :) I made the fruit roll ups yesterday and they are great!!
Jennifer says
Another option is to freeze the butter and grate it on the cheese grater. It makes thinks much easier
Heather says
I use my kitchen aid to cut in butters or fats with my whisk attachment. Works beautifully!
Jennifer says
Thank you, Amy! I love this website! It has helped me through this past year to feed my family all whole, healthy food! I will be making this recipe for my daughters soon!!
Crystal says
Can these be reheated from freezer to toaster? Just curious. :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Crystal. You can definitely freeze and reheat. But, reheat in an oven or toaster oven. ~Amy
Crystal says
Good to know not to use my traditional toaster; I am not a huge fan of starting a house fire before my morning coffee. ;)
Ana says
I just made those - got 17 pastries. Only few leaked because, i think, i didn't seal the edges properly. Delicious! Will make again.
Jennifer says
My daughter is allergic to egg and dairy. Can the butter in this recipe be replaced with coconut oil or applesauce and the egg replaced with flaxseed?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jennifer. I think for consistency, I'd go with coconut oil. The flax egg should work fine. ~Amy
Amy says
Hi~ I was wondering if the salt is for taste or to get the pastries to rise up. My child is on a low sodium diet and I was thinking of trying 1/4 tsp or his no sodium baking powder depending on what it is used for in this recipe.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amy. Lessening or omitting the salt for dietary reasons should be fine. ~Amy
Nora says
I'm thinking of trying a savory version of these, with ground beef, almost like a pasty.
Jessica Campbell says
Could i use spelt flour instead of whole wheat?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. I've not tried spelt in this recipe but I think it will work. Let us know how it goes. ~Amy
Krista says
I use freshly ground spelt flour in all my baking, even pie crusts. Works great! My favorite is to do about 3 parts spelt to 1 part millet. Really lightens them up and adds more protein and other nutrients.
Jessica says
Sounds great, im hoping to try these this weekend, thanks for the tip!
Krista says
I just made them last night. So yummy! Enjoy! :)
Kim DRAXTEN says
Think I could put Nutella inside?
Lisa says
Probably, but the first ingredient in nutella is refined sugar (i.e. processed) - FYI
Linda Gabriel says
If I use coconut oil, would I use the equal amount of oil to butter?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Yes. :)
amber says
silly question...but when you reheat these, can you actually toast them in the toaster? or do they need to go back in the oven? I assume microwaving will make them soggy.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Please do not try to heat them in the toaster. They can be drippy. Use a toaster oven or conventional oven. :) ~Amy
alex says
what can I do if I do not have a food processor? can I still manage to do it?. thanks
Mandy says
I'm guessing this would be made like any other pastry or pie crust - just take lots of time cutting the butter in with either a mixer, pastry cutter, or fork. I've always made pie crusts without a food processor, just keep working it until you have small crumbs.
Dawn says
Can these be put into the toaster to reheat them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Dawn. I would reheat these in a toaster oven or a conventional oven. The yummy insides of these are not pasty like store bought pop tarts and could run/drip in a regular toaster. ~Amy
Emily says
Made these today with some homemade strawberry jam. They were FAB!! Major hit with the kids. And my friend who doesn't eat wheat or any dairy couldn't resist having one! :) My only comment would be that it did not take quite as much water. I'm glad that I added slowly because if I had added the whole amount it would have been a mess. Other than that they were SOO great! I'm adding some goat cheese to the strawberry jam next time! Thank you so much, and thank you for your blog! It has really changed mine and my family's life!
Nina says
I am really excited to try out all these recipes & start embracing "real food". My one concern is that these recipes have a huge amount of butter in them ( cheesy crackers too). I know that organic butter is much better for us then all of the oils/ processed stuff, but still, it seems like a crazy huge amount of butter per serving size. Just curious your thoughts on it. Thank you!!!!!
Molly says
Hi Nina - I also use coconut oil for baking too (as does Lisa), if you want to mix it up from butter: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/ You can buy it in larger containers from places like Costco and it's not too expensive.
Mary Jerrell says
Does anyone know the calorie count on the home made pop tarts?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Mary. We do not provide nutrition information. These posts help clarify why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/,https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. There are, however, many tools available online that can help you decode the nutrition facts of recipes. ~Amy
Tracy Richardson says
I have made these twice now, and they are delicious. Love showing my kids that there are healthy alternatives to some of their favorites.
Veronica says
can you use an egg substitute?
Sarah says
Sorry... I meant pinched the edges and then used a fork on them as well.
Alyssa says
Recipe doesn't work. I tried less jelly and it still oozes out... leaving me with a waste of food.
Sarah says
Alyssa,
Did you make sure that you pinched the edges completely. I had the same problem, but tried with less and really pinched the excess and use a fork and the problem was solved!
Alyssa says
Make sure not to put that much jelly in each pastry. I think I added too much because a lot of the jelly pooled out of the pastries onto the cookie sheet as it was cooking. Yikes, i'm sure it wouldn't have happened if I didn't over stuff with jelly. Also a plus to use parchment paper, as the jelly would have burned onto my cookie sheet and caused a mess, but all is well since I used parchment paper.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Margaret. You are so welcome to share out content as long as you abide by our terms of use: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/terms-of-use/. Best of luck with your blog! ~Amy
Margaret Darazs says
Hey. I made this recipe for breakfast this morning and was wondering if I could put this recipe on my blog. I have put your finished picture in the post, but put a link to this post. May I continue doing what I am doing? Thanks. Love the recipe. It was delish.
Lindsay Nelson says
I want to try these out, they look delicious! I am curious what the Nutrition Facts are on them?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Lindsay. We do not provide nutrition information. These posts help clarify why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/,https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. There are, however, many tools available online that can help you decode the nutrition facts of recipes. ~Amy
Alyssa B. says
I don't buy Pop Tarts because of all the added sugar and processing, and I don't usually miss them. But I just made a batch of apple butter this weekend that is just asking to be a filling for these!
Bonnie Hershey says
We had so much fun making these for our Kids Cooking Class that we did for Food Revolution Day this year! A bunch of kids from out street came over to learn how to make them, and we put the event into a fun music video. You can watch the video here: http://youtu.be/Ezv2s_u5R38
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Mary Beth says
Made them with vegan butter, made the recipe gluten and dairy free:) Also used a kitchen aid mixer... all great!
Kasey says
What type of flour did you use to make it gluten free? Im trying to cut gluten out
Megan says
Can these be made, frozen, and reheated to eat at a later time?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Absolutely, Megan. Just pull them out and heat them in a toaster oven. ~Amy
Nickole says
These are delicious! The first time I made them they were very time consuming, just made them again and it went much faster. These taste so much better then the store bought poptarts. Will make this again!
BREA says
Any ideas how I would make brown sugar cinnamon filling for these? My daughter is addicted to the nasty processed kind and eats them at the babysitters(we won't buy them) so I thought if I could make them they would be at least a little better for her. Thanks
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Brea. We have not tried that. We don't post many recipes that are high in processed sugars. You might be able to find one that uses maple syrup as the main sweetener if you do a quick internet search. Let us know what you come up with. Good luck! ~Amy
Kim says
I was wondering the same thing. I can't wait to stop buying toaster struedel for my 5 yr old. GROSS. He also likes apple, so I was going to try to make some with home made applesauce and lots of cinnamon. I bet they will be so delicious whatever is inside that they will forget all about the cinnamon store-bought kind. Also - you should send some to the sitter's when you make them. ;)
Erin F says
I tried these this morning- they are great. I made the recipe exactly as it's written.
Celia says
I have tried these twice. First time following the recipe exactly they crumbled and barely held together at all! The second time I only used 1 stick of butter and they turned out perfect! So for people worried about the amount of butter it actually worked better for me with half.
Jennifer says
Do you think chilled coconut oil might work in place of the butter?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jennifer. Yes, we sometimes use coconut oil in place of butter. ~Amy
Karissa says
I was wondering if a blender would work for the dough? I don't have a food processor yet.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Karissa. I would not use a blender. It might burn up your motor. You can mix it up by hand instead. Good luck. ~Amy
Karissa says
I don't have a food processer. Would a blender work for the mixing of the dough?
Cassie says
Has anyone tried these with dairy free butter? My daughter is allergic to milk and eggs but I think she would love these if I could use an alternative butter.
Krystie says
I made these tonight for breakfast tomorrow, but of course I had to "test" one lol... They are amazing!!! I was a little worried about how they would turn out because I'm new to the whole cooking thing and couldn't find my dough blade for my food processor. I made the dough using a fork & bowl and after adding enough water to where it would start balling up, I took it out and finished on the counter top. I dont have a rolling pin yet, so i had to use a can lol... but it all worked amazingly well! I used organic, fruit only, cherry jam and it complimented the whole wheat dough so well! Will definitely make these again! Thank you so much for the recipe :)
Tami says
Iis there a gluten free recipe modification for the pop tart recipe?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tami. We have not modified this recipe. If you do, please let us know how it turns out. ~Amy