Homemade Apple & Prune Pop Tarts
This Homemade Apple & Prune Pop Tart recipe takes the hand pie-for-breakfast from it’s stale, boxed history into a fresh, flavorful new day.
Homemade Pop Tarts: A Nostalgic Treat
In the world of breakfast pastries, the pop tart – along with its cousins the toaster strudel and toaster pastry, is in a kid-friendly category all on its own. Try it with your favorite buttery pie crust or store-bought to save some time – either way, we’re pretty sure you won’t go back to the box. And you might not want to share with the kids.
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
Make the Apple & Prune Filling
A quick and easy Apple & Prune Jam is the star of this kid-friendly pastry. Simply purée all of the ingredients, except for the chopped apple. Add the purée + chopped apple to a pan and let the mixture simmer until it hits 215 degrees.
Prep the Pie Crust
We used store-bought pie dough to simplify things. Roll the crust into a large rectangle, then slice it into 3 x 6 rectangles. Spoon a dollop of jam into the center of each rectangle, top it with a second and then use a fork to crimp the edges. Brush with an egg wash and bake.
Add Glaze + Spinkles
Let the Pop Tarts bake until golden brown, then pull them out of the oven and slather then with a gorgeous glaze + sprinkles. Enjoy!
Homemade Apple & Prune Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the jam:
- 12 ounces pitted California prunes roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 TBSP fresh orange juice
- 8 ounces roughly two small firm apples, peeled and diced
For the pastry:
- Two pre-made all-butter pie crusts
- 3/4 cup Prune & Apple Jam below
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 TSBP heavy cream
- 2 TBSP sugar sprinkles optional
Instructions
For the jam:
- Place three small plates in the freezer.
- Set the diced apple aside. Mix the remaining ingredients, using an immersion blender or food processor to combine. Pour the mixture into a medium pot and heat slowly over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. When the temperature hits 215F (100C) on a candy thermometer, take a small spoonful of the jam and spread it across one of the plates from the freezer to test its consistency. Continue heating and testing until desired thickness, being careful not to heat above 220F (105C) degrees.
- Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the jam in a small bowl, and set aside to cool. Add the apple to the pot, stirring to combine, and let sit until cool.
For the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205C). Line a baking pan or sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the remaining jam with the cornstarch.
- Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of jam on to one end of each strip. Brush a border of the whisked egg around the jam, then fold the dry end over and crimp down with a fork.
- Flour a large work surface, and roll out the pie crusts to a diameter of 11-12 inches (about 30 cm). Cut the edges off to create two 9-inch (22 cm) squares. Cut each square into three 3-inch (7cm) strips, or 6 total. Re-roll the scraps to shape two more 3-inch (7cm) strips.
- Move the pop tarts to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden. Let cool for several minutes on a baking rack.
- While cooling, whisk the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the reserved (apple-less) jam, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream together to create an icing glaze; add more jam or cream as needed for consistency. Use a piping bag or a spoon to drizzle the mix over the top of each pop tart. Optional: immediately sprinkle with sugar sprinkles.
- Let the icing dry, and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Love our Homemade Pop Tarts? We’ve got more breakfast pastries…
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How gorgeous is this Prune Starbread? Our friend Britney filled buttery dough with a luscious prune butter and then twisted it into an intricate star pattern. And yes, it tastes as good as it looks.
Old Fashioned Morning Muffins
Prune grower Ranvir Singh has fond memories of his grandmother’s top secret prune + bran muffins. These Old Fashioned Morning Muffins are our take on the Singh family’s recipe.
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