Did you know that Pop-Tarts have been around since the 1960’s? Me either! And brown sugar cinnamon was one of the original 4 flavors of Pop-Tarts that were introduced in Ohio in 1963, along with blueberry, strawberry, and apple-currant (later dropped and replaced with regular ol’ apple). This fan favorite pop-tart flavor has been around for more than half a century and is still going strong! The old-fashioned sweetness of brown sugar with cinnamon encased in a buttery, short pastry is just too delicious for words. It’s no wonder this flavor has stood the test of time and it reminds me of another popular treat on the blog that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: the Hotteok, which is a type of Korean sweet pancake. It’s a street food where a yeast dough is wrapped around a cinnamon brown sugar and walnut filling and then they are cooked in a hot pan until crisp outside and the filling is molten inside. But I digress. As much as I like the pop-tarts that come in the blue box (I can admit that on here, right?), I think the from-scratch homemade version is even better. I made 5 dozen of these homemade brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts for a cookie exchange and learned a lot in the process! They ended up getting rave reviews and I had multiple texts and DM’s the next day from friends at the party who wanted the recipe, so I knew I needed to share it here! If you love all things cinnamon and brown sugar, be sure to also try our Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Waffles, Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Pop-Tarts
More flavorful. The crust, filling, and glaze have a noticeably fresher, homemade quality and taste to them that the boxed version just can’t compete with. Fun! I love a good baking project and this is a fun one involving pastry dough, rolling out and crimping cute little pockets of brown sugar and cinnamon filling, and then adding glaze on top! Nostalgic. It seems like lots of adults grew up eating pop-tarts but haven’t had one in years. So when you offer them a homemade version, it has it’s own kind of magic that delights and surprises everyone.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
All-purpose Flour – I prefer using unbleached all-purpose flour for the pastry dough here. Salted Butter – Use very cold butter straight out of the fridge for the pastry dough. Shortening – I scaled back the shortening just a bit from my regular pie crust recipe since the original pop-tarts aren’t really flaky and their pastry is a bit drier and less rich. Sugar – Obviously you will need light brown sugar for the filling (dark brown sugar will work as well), but you will also need a little granulated sugar for flavoring the pastry crust, and powdered sugar for the glaze as well. Ground Cinnamon – Feel free to scale the ground cinnamon up or down in either the filling, the glaze, or both, if you prefer. I think I got it just right after making DOZENS of these pop-tarts during my recipe testing, but the choice is really yours. Salt – Keeps the flavors from being overly sweet or bland. Cold Water – It’s important to keep the pastry crust cold. I fill a measuring cup with ice water, then measure out only what I need for the recipe right before adding it to the crust ingredients. Egg Wash – This is made by simply whisking a whole egg with a little cold milk. It helps seal the pop-tarts so the filling doesn’t leak out, while also adding a nice additional color and flavor. Vanilla Extract – A little vanilla balances out the flavor of the glaze. Corn Syrup – You can omit if you like, but it gives a nice glossy shine to the glaze even when it has dried.
How to Make Homemade Pop-Tarts
Tips for Success
Make-ahead. You can make the crust up to 2 months in advance and store it in the freezer until you are ready to bake. You can also assemble the pop-tarts and freeze them before baking. When you want freeze pop-tarts, bake them directly from frozen. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time, but it will be similar. Don’t overfill. It might be tempting to add more cinnamon-sugar filling but you need to make sure to leave a border around the edges so the top pastry can have contact with the bottom pastry and egg wash. Otherwise, the crimping might not work to contain the filling and it will seep out as the pop-tarts bake. Try other fillings! We love the brown sugar cinnamon filling, but you can switch it out for your favorite cherry preserves, blueberry jam, or other flavors.
Storage Instructions
Once the glaze has completely set up, store the brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. They can be stacked, but I recommend putting a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. You can freeze the baked pop-tarts for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying.
More Easy Pastry Recipes
Almond Bear Claws Puff Pastry Apple Roses
Guava Cream Cheese Cuban Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso)
Easy Blackberry Turnovers
Quick and Easy Almond Croissants
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
