Cranberry Curd Pop Tarts
Why be a hand pie when you could be a POP TART?
Behold, homemade Pop Tarts that actually taste like ingredients that occur in nature! (And don’t take a ton of work to make. Promise!)
Pop Tarts were a staple in my house growing up. They were so ubiquitous that I actually ate S’mores Pop Tarts every single morning throughout junior high and high school (no wonder I don’t have a sweet tooth as an adult, yikes).
Like many of my fellow elder millennials, I would watch MTV’s top video countdown every morning while I ate S’mores Pop Tarts as, uh, my most important meal of the day. “What’s It Gonna Be” by Janet Jackson and Busta Rhymes was super popular and was in the countdown for months, and I always tried to time breakfast so I could watch the video. To this day, I cannot hear that song without being absolutely wrecked by an insatiable craving for S’mores Pop Tarts, which is some peak Pavlovian shit.
It’s also still one of my all-time favorite songs, just like S’mores Pop Tarts are still one of my all-time favorite junk foods.
If you follow me on the ‘Gram, you were bombarded with photos of my attempts at Claire Saffitz’s Strawberry Pop Tarts from perhaps my favorite Gourmet Makes episode. They were a damn delight, but also an incredible pain in the ass to make. I knew I could find ways to streamline the process to make it simpler without sacrificing any of the truly beautiful results.
And, like, what the hell else is there to do except stay home and perfect your pastry skills during a pandemic?
These Pop Tarts feature a sour cream pastry crust stuffed with a wildly delicious homemade cranberry orange curd. Topped with shiny royal icing and sprinkles and cut into hearts because I am weirdly obsessed with Valentine’s Day, they’re cute AF and taste like a dream.
I’m serious, these look and sound complicated but you can and SHOULD prep ahead of time to make things a breeze. I make my pastry dough and curd a day before so I can just assemble and bake the next day. Icing has to be made just before applying, though.
A few notes before you get started (because you are obviously making these, right?):
- I realize cranberries are not super easy to find, but I always stash several bags in the freezer to use year-round. If you can’t find cranberries, substitute any flavor of curd or just use your favorite jam. May I suggest this one?
- I opted to use a sour cream-based pastry dough because it’s pretty damn fool-proof. The sour cream helps make the dough much more resilient, so it’s great if you’re just starting to flex those pandemic pastry-making muscles. Use whatever flaky and delicious dough recipe you like, but I do like to cut the sugar a bit regardless of which pastry recipe I’m using since everything else is so sweet. But you do you.
- For the icing and sprinkles, get creative! You can also use the icing recipe below to make your own sprinkles! Directions are in the Gourmet Makes recipe I linked above. Definitely stock up on gel food coloring for the most vibrant icing and sprinkles.
- Cut these cute lil’ Pop Tarts into whatever shape you want. I love Valentine’s Day, so I went with hearts, but you can also create more classic rectangles using a ruler and pizza cutter to create even pieces.
Cranberry Curd Pop Tarts
Yield: 9 Pop Tarts
Curd:
12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 scant cup granulated sugar
Peel and juice of 1 orange (I just cut the peel off in strips)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
Pastry Crust:
2 cups AP flour
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
Icing:
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Make the curd: Crack eggs into a small bowl, lightly whisk, to combine, and set aside. In a saucepan, simmer cranberries, orange juice and peel, and sugar over medium low heat until the cranberries begin to soften and burst, stirring occasionally.
Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and press the cranberry mixture through to strain any lumps or seeds. Use a spatula to press the mixture through the sieve and scrape the smooth mixture off the sides of the sieve into the bowl. Work quickly, you want the mixture to stay nice and warm!
Whisk pieces of the softened butter into the warm strained mixture until silky and completely combined. Scoop about a cup of the mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking to temper without cooking the egg. Once fully blended, add to the rest of the cranberry mixture and whisk well to combine.
Add the curd back into the saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the pan while stirring with a spatula here and there. Once thickened and barely bubbling, remove from the heat and let come to room temperature. If making ahead, once the curd hits room temp, cover the top with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the curd to prevent THE DREADED SKIN forming on top and put in the fridge.
Make the pastry: In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Let your butter sit at room temp for a few minutes; it doesn’t need to be freezing cold like most other pastry recipes require, but it shouldn’t be soft or melty whatsoever. Cut into cubes and toss in the dry ingredients with your hands, using your fingers and knuckles to smash each piece into small flat chips.
Once the flour and butter resemble coarse meal, add the sour cream and combine with a fork until the dough is crumbly but starting to form a big clump. Knead the dough until it’s the texture of Play-Doh and divide into two equal pieces. Flatten into rectangles (if you want traditionally shaped Pop Tarts) or disks (if you’re cutting into different shapes like hearts, like I did) and cover with plastic wrap. Smooth out any cracks using your warm hands while the dough is wrapped up. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Assemble and bake the Pop Tarts: Pre-heat your oven to 425. Take dough out of the fridge and let come to room temp for about 10 minutes. Flour your work surface and roll out each piece of dough to about 10″x14″ inch rectangles, refrigerating one piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet while rolling out the other.
Cut the dough into your desired shape and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I can usually get about 9 rectangles or hearts from this batch, which means you’ll end up with about 18 pieces (a top and a bottom). Refrigerate all pieces for 5-10 minutes to firm up before filling.
Using the leftover egg whites from when you prepared the curd, make an egg wash by whisking together with a teaspoon or two of water.
Remove dough from the fridge. Working one at a time, drop a tablespoon of filling onto a piece of dough, smoothing around a bit but leaving a border of about 1/4″ for the seal. Brush the border with the egg wash and gently place a piece of dough on top, pressing the sides gently to seal and fluting with a fork. If you want the classic Pop Tarts look, dock half of your dough pieces with a fork before assembling; that will be your top piece. Otherwise, just use a paring knife to cut 3 small slits in the top of each tart.
Once assembled, refrigerate on parchment-lined baking sheets for 15 minutes. Then, remove from the fridge and brush each tart with egg wash. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.
Let cool completely before icing.
Ice your Pop Tarts: Make the icing just before you’re ready to apply it to the cooled tarts. You’ll need to work quickly, so it helps to have your mise en place set.
Whisk egg white and salt vigorously in a bowl until foamy. Add 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and whisk until completely combined and smooth. Continue this until your icing is very thick and smooth, falling off the whisk in ribbons that don’t immediately disappear. Sometimes I like a lighter icing and sometimes I want a thick sheet, so just play around and see what you like best.
If you want to make different colored icing, I just portion out the icing into small ramekins and mix in whatever technicolor fever dream shaded gel food coloring tickles my fancy on that particular day. You can also just stick with the icing as is and just top with sprinkles of your choice if you want to stick with the classics. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER!
Use an offset spatula to gently ice each Pop Tart, working quickly if you want to add sprinkles so they stick to the icing. Let the icing set for a few hours uncovered, or dig in whenever you damn well please because LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIES YOU JUST MADE!
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Pro tip: Reheat them in a toaster oven for a couple of minutes to get the full effect.