Blueberry Pop Tarts

Those of you who grew up with pop tarts know how amazing they can be, but you also know they are just loaded with tons and tons of sugar.

And those unfortunate souls that have never enjoyed a pop tart, I know you've always wanted to try, but were scared to.

I have good news for the both of you, I threw together a recipe just for you that contains only a smidge of sugar and I have even made them tastier and better, so you can do what you have always dreamed of.

Eat all the pop tarts you can get your hands on.

Makes: 8-10 Pop Tarts

Takes: About 2 hours

Difficulty: 2 out of 10 (just because you have to pinch the dough closed

Prep:

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside.

The dough has to relax, so we will preheat the oven in a later step.

Ingredients:

- Filling

350-400 grams fresh blueberries

zest from 1 small lemon

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

- Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter - super cold and cubed

2 large eggs - each egg will be used for separate things

2 tablespoons milk

- Glaze

1 cups powdered sugar

3-5 tablespoons milk (depending how think you want your sauce)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sprinkles

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Start the Filling

In a small sauce pan, add your 350-400 grams blueberries, zest from your 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of sugar and place the sauce pan on low heat (1 or 2) and let them cook.

You can stir them every once in awhile, but for the most part, they are good to leave alone until needed.

- Step 2 - Start the Dough

In a large bowl, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix until combined.

Add the 1 cup of cold and cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture.

Using a pastry cutter or a fork, press the butter into the flour mixture until flour has been well coated and the butter is only pea sized.

Add the 1 egg and the 2 tablespoons of milk to the flour and butter mixture and using a fork, press the batter together until is starts to come together.

Once the dough comes together, dump it out onto the counter, split the dough in half, and press it into two disks.

Once you have formed your disks, wrap them up and place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour or until cold.

- Step 3 - Check Your Berries

Once your dough is in the fridge, check to see how soft your berries have become.

Once the blueberries are juicy and jam like, add the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, stir it in extremely well and cook for an additional 2 minutes and then remove from the heat to cool completely.

- Step 4 - Prepare Your Dough

Once your dough is cold, remove 1 disk of dough and place it on a lightly floured surface.

Roll the disk out into your best rectangle that is about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Once you have a rectangle, you can cut off the uneven ends like I have above.

- Step 5 - Start the Pop Tarts

Using a pastry scraper or knife, cut your dough into even rectangles. You can do this by measuring it out or guess-timating but I cut mine into about 3 inches by 5 inches.

- Step 6 - Prepare the Pop Tart Bottoms

I used the top row of rectangles that were a little large as my tops of the pop tart and the bottom row as my bottoms because they were slightly smaller.

You want to use the larger ones as the tops because they will have to wrap around the filling and then stick to your bottom.

Place your bottoms on your prepared baking sheet.

Using your second egg, whisk it in a small bowl and the brush it over the bottoms of the pop tarts.

Don't toss the egg wash, we will be using it again.

- Step 7 - Fill the Bottoms

Fill each of the bottoms with 1 - 2 tablespoons with of filling.

Do not over fill these, because you don't want the blueberry mixture to leak out during the bake.

So keep at least a 1 inch boarder all the way around and keep the blueberries from stacking.

- Step 8 - Top the Tarts

Once all the bottoms are filled, grab the tops of the pop tarts and lay them over the blueberry filling.

Not pressing down an the blueberries, but pressing down on the dough around them, as if you were tucking them in, stick the top pop tart shell to the bottom.

If a little juice pops out, it is okay. They are homemade, the imperfections make them perfect.

- Step 9 - Egg Wash, Poke, and Bake!

Now that the tops are on, using the the egg wash we used for the bottoms, spread it over the tops of the pop tarts.

Then, using a sharp knife, poke a few holes through the top (not all the way through the bottom) as vents for the berries.

These ones don't have vents yet, but still do that step.

Then, using a fork, dip the tips of the prongs in the egg wash and press it along the edges to crimp them. (This also presses the two layers of dough together, so don't skip this step).

- Step 10 - Refrigerate and Preheat, and Then Bake!

Pop the Pop Tarts into the refrigerate while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C).

Once the oven has preheated, pop the Pop Tarts into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Now that they have baked, let them cool completely before glazing them.

Also, repeat steps 4 through 10 for the second disk of dough.

You can also use the scraps, but they might there might not be enough to make an entire pop tart.

- Step 11 - Make the Glaze

Now that the pop tarts have cooled, add 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of milk to a bowl and mix until smooth.

If your icing seems to thick, add a little more milk.

If your icing seems to thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Now that your glaze is complete, use a spoon to spoon the glaze over top the pop tarts. I would highly recommend that you place the pop tarts over a drying rack with a piece or parchment paper or paper towels under it to catch the drippings.

Immediately grab your sprinkles and sprinkle them on.

If you wait, your icing will dry and you won't be able to add the sprinkles.

- Last Step!

Eat them all!! Before your family can!

Kidding...you are a nice person and want to share...