Pop Tarts from Scratch?!

So, I was flipping through my food magazine the other day.  I don't actually get a subscription, but my friend was cleaning out her magazines, and gave me a bunch of her old ones, and I found a recipe for pop tarts and fruit roll ups (but, the fruit roll ups I'm gonna save for another day:).

I was intrigued, homemade POP TARTS???  Seriously!?!  I HAD to try them!  As I read through the recipe, I realized that it took shortening, and I usually do not keep shortening on hand.  SO, I went to google:)!  I figured, surely there had to be a pop tart recipe that did not require shortening!  And, I found this gem :)

I altered the recipe (on accident) a bit, but, it still tasted delish (according to my six children and husband), and is less fattening (which is ALWAYS a good thing:).

Here is the altered recipe I used! I actually doubled this recipe and it made about 40 (I made mine smaller than the original recipe, which only makes 9)

INGREDIENTS:

For the pastry crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

For filling I did 3/4 of them with jelly filling and 1/4 with Nutella filling for special treats!

For the jelly filling:

¾ cup strawberry jelly (or whatever flavor you'd like)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

For the Nutella filling I just spread a nice thick layer of the Nutella right onto the pastry dough

1 egg, lightly beaten (to brush on pastry)

DIRECTIONS:

1. If using the strawberry filling, prepare by whisking together the cornstarch and water, and then combine with the jam in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. To make the crust, I used my food processor.  Just put flour, sugar, salt, and butter (cold, and cut into small pieces), into your food processor, and pulse until it becomes blended, like a cornmeal texture.  Mix together egg and milk and pour into food processor while it is running.  Once the dough begins to ride the blade blade, it is well blended, and ready to be taken out.

3. Divide the dough in half. (At this point you can wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.) If you refrigerate the dough, let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling out. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll out one piece of dough to about 1/12-inch thick, in a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter trim the dough into a rectangle.  Cut the sheet of dough into about 20 2x3 inch rectangles. Using a spatula, transfer the rectangles to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Brush the lightly beaten egg on each of the rectangles. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, leaving a ½-inch of space around the edges.

4. Roll out and cut the second piece of dough in the exact same manner as you did the first. One at a time, place a second rectangle of dough on top of the 20 assembled ones. Using your fingers, press around the seams of the dough to make sure they are sealed. Press the tines of a fork around the edges of the rectangles. Prick the tops of the rectangles in multiple spots to allow steam to escape.

5. Refrigerate the pan with the pastries (you don't need to cover them) for about 30 minutes. OR, at this point, you could freeze the pastries.  Instead of refrigerating the pan, pop the pan into the freezer.  Once frozen, you can put them into ziploc bags.  Then, when you want to be the SUPER STAR mom:) you can easily whip up pop tarts for you kids!  

6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Cool slightly before serving. Store cooked pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.  Frozen pastries will keep for about 3 months.