ATK Kids

How to Make Copycat Pop Tarts

They taste way better than the store-bought kind and use a lot fewer ingredients too.

Published Feb. 21, 2023.

If you ask me, Pop-Tarts are one of those things that just never taste as good as you remember them being when you were a kid. But that doesn’t mean you have to give them up completely.

Our recipe for strawberry pop tarts blows the packaged kind out of the water.

It takes less than 10 ingredients—most of which you probably already have—to make tender, buttery pastries with a perfectly sweet strawberry filling. Plus, like their store-bought counterparts, they taste just as good the next day fresh out of the toaster oven.

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10 ingredients. 45 minutes. Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes.

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The dough contains the usual suspects—flour, butter, salt, sugar, egg—but it also has a more unexpected ingredient: sour cream. The addition of sour cream helps the pastry stay tender while also adding some complexity of flavor.

We also make the dough in a food processor, which is way easier than mixing it by hand—and makes incorporating the chilled butter a cinch.

Then there’s the filling. Strawberry jam tastes way better than whatever they put in the store-bought kind. Mixed with some water and cornstarch, it thickens up the perfect amount so that it doesn’t leak out of the pop tarts in the oven.

The part of this recipe that is the most fun is the shaping. You’ll really feel like a pro when you see the pop tarts start to come together.

1. Use rolling pin to roll 1 piece of dough into 12½-by-9½-inch rectangle on floured counter.

2. Use bench scraper or chef’s knife to cut off edges of dough to form tidy 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Use bench scraper to cut dough into eight 3-by-4½-inch rectangles.

3. Place 8 rectangles onto parchment-lined baking sheet. (These will be the bottoms of your pop tarts.) Place baking sheet in refrigerator to chill while rolling second piece of dough.

4. Repeat rolling and cutting with second piece of dough. Use fork to poke 2 rows of holes in each rectangle. (These will be the tops of your pop tarts.)

5. Remove baking sheet with bottoms from refrigerator. Use measuring spoon to place 1 level tablespoon of cooled jam mixture in center of each bottom rectangle on baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and lightly moisten edges of each rectangle.

6. Place 1 top rectangle onto each bottom rectangle, making sure all edges are lined up. Use your fingers to firmly press top and bottom edges of rectangles together to seal. Use fork to press sealed edges together to crimp dough.

As a finishing touch, you can make an easy icing to spread on top of your tarts once they’re baked. Just whisk together 1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1 tablespoon softened cream cheese until smooth. And if you’re feeling extra fun and festive, a handful of sprinkles on top takes your tarts to the next level.

With one bite, you’ll be wishing your childhood self had pop tarts as good as these.