POP-TARTS WITH STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC JAM

Pop-Tarts were not part of my childhood, in fact I had no idea what they were all about until I was around my beloved husband’s kids in their teenage years. Of course, making them from scratch is a lot more fun than ripping a package open and sticking the little pastry in a toaster. And if that was not enough, you have to deal with another package to get the drizzle going. Granted, it takes longer to make it from scratch, but in my opinion, it is totally worth it.

POP-TARTS WITH STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC JAM
(jam from Pastries Like a Pro)

for pastry:
280 g all-purpose flour
38 g sugar
½ tsp kosher salt ¾ cup
172 g cold butter, cut in pieces
120 mL ice cold water

for strawberry jam:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
700 g sugar
575 g strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

for glaze:
65 g powdered sugar, sifted
2 + 1/2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
sprinkles of your choice to decorate

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Add the cold butter, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water to the flour-butter mixture and pulse until little clumps start to form. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a disk. Refrigerate while you make the jam.

Place all the ingredients for the jam in the order listed in a saucepan at least three times as large as the ingredients as it will rise up really high when it come to a rolling boil. Cook until it reaches 200 F, mashing the strawberries gently as they cook down. Refrigerate until needed.

Roll the dough to ⅛-inch thickness, and cut into sixteen 3 x 4-inch rectangles. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 8 rectangles of pie dough on the baking sheet, top each rectangle with 1 tablespoon strawberry jam. Top with a second rectangle of dough, and crimp around all sides with the tines of a fork. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 3 small slits in the top of each pie. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking, or for several hours.

Bak in a 425F oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Allow to cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla until smooth. Frost the cooled pies with glaze and top with colorful sprinkles.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This would be a perfect recipe to make for kids, you can change the filling, use chocolate, butterscotch, other types of jam, including store-bought if you want to make life a little easier. The recipe for the jam makes a large amount, you can make half and still have enough with plenty of leftovers. It is delicious, it has a kind of gourmet aura with the balsamic (that you will notice) and the black pepper (barely there, but adds complexity).