Flaky pastry and gooey cinnamon apples make these cinnamon apple pop tarts the best fall snack. An easy homemade pie crust forms the base of the pop tart. Fresh apples, brown sugar, fall spices and butter combine to make the deliciously sweet filling. The pop tarts are topped with a vanilla glaze and sprinkled with cinnamon for the finishing touch.
Cinnamon, apples and flaky pie crust. What screams fall more than that?! We are recreating the nostalgia of pop tarts at home with these delicious cinnamon apple pop tarts. They use a quick homemade pastry crust and then stovetop gooey cinnamon apples as the filling. If time is a concern, just pick up a premade pie crust from the store but I promise the homemade option will be worth it!
Easy pastry crust
This is a simple pastry crust recipe and is even easier if you have a food processor. Don't worry if you don't as you can always default to cutting the butter in using 2 forks or a pastry cutter. Flour, salt and a little sugar are pulsed together first. Next, cold and cubed butter is pulsed in until the mixture is crumbly and the flour-coated butter is about the size of peas.
Add ice cold water until the dough begins to come together into a ball. I prefer to use a Pyrex-type liquid measuring cup for my ice water. I measure out the 6 tablespoons of water into the cup and then add the ice and stir it around. Then you'll slowly pour the water through the tube of the food processor, keeping the ice in the measuring cup. Ice cold water keeps the butter cold and in small pieces throughout the dough which makes a flakier crust once baked.
Depending on how you measured your flour, you may need to add an additional tablespoon or 2 of water until your dough comes together. Just add one tablespoon at a time so the dough doesn't get too wet.
Once the dough begins to form into a ball, stop the processor and dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Bring the dough ball into 2 equal round, flat discs, and wrap each with plastic wrap. That's it! You made your own homemade pastry dough!
Tips for making the dough
- Cold butter and water: cold ingredients are what makes dough flaky. Using cold butter will keep the butter from melting too quickly when baking. This is also why we use ice-cold water. It helps keep the whole mixture cold. Placing the cut pastry into the fridge while you are cutting the other rectangles keeps the butter from getting too warm.
- Not over-mixing: Keeping the butter in pea-sized crumbs helps it from incorporating into the crust too much. The little pieces of butter melt while baking and create steam in the pastry which helps keep the pastry flaky.
How to shape the pop tart dough
Roll out one disc to a rough rectangle about ⅛ inch thick and 13 by 11 inches. Then trim the edges down about an inch on each side to get smooth, straight edges. You'll end up with a 12 x 10 rectangle.
From this rectangle, you will cut eight 3 by 5-inch smaller rectangles for the bottom of the pop tarts. Make one cut down the middle of the dough lengthwise and then 4 cuts across the dough horizontally to make 8 rectangles.
A pizza cutter makes it easy to get straight, smooth cuts. Place the rectangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet and then into the fridge while you roll and cut the other disc using the same method as above. You can slide the second set of cut rectangles onto parchment paper and place the parchment on top of the first dough rectangles in the refrigerator.
How to fill the pop tarts
Let the cinnamon apples cool slightly before filling the pop tarts. Place about 2 tablespoons of the apples in the center of each dough circle and then spread them out to within about a half inch of the edges of the dough. Don't get too close to the sides as the filling will ooze out during baking.
Place another rectangle over each filled rectangle and lightly seal the edges with your fingers. Use the back of a fork and press down around the entire rectangle to seal the edges. Next, poke a few holes into the top of the cinnamon apple pop tarts to allow steam to escape while they are baking.
The last step is to brush the tops of each pop tart with an egg wash. An egg wash is just a beaten egg with about a teaspoon of water mixed in. It helps the pop tarts achieve that golden brown color. Pop the assembled cinnamon apple pop tarts in the freezer for about 15 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
Freezing the unbaked cinnamon apple pop tarts (or refrigerating) helps the butter in the pastry harden, preventing the dough from spreading too much which helps keep the dough flaky.
You can heat an unglazed pop tart in a toaster but do not do so with a glazed pop tart unless you want a big mess! You can use a toaster oven to warm a pop tart but the glaze may melt some if left in too long.
Easy vanilla (or cinnamon!) glaze
The glaze for the top of the pop tarts is really simple. It is just powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk and a pinch of salt. I made the glaze pictured vanilla and then sprinkled cinnamon on the top of the glaze. If you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor and a brown glaze instead of a white glaze, add ½ to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the glaze.
The key to a good consistency is to add the smallest amount of milk first (2 tablespoons) and then you can either add more powdered sugar or more milk to thin it or thicken it.
Spoon the glaze on top of the pop tarts and then use the back of the spoon to spread it to cover the pop tart. If you prefer less glaze, halve the recipe and just drizzle the glaze over the pop tarts instead.
Tag me on Instagram @themarblekitchenblog if you make this and leave a star rating and comment below! Thank you and enjoy!
Cinnamon Apple Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (224 grams) unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
- 6-8 tbsp (90-120 grams) ice cold water
Cinnamon Apple Filling
- 3 medium apples about 360 grams, peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces, about 2 cups
- ⅓ cup (67 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 egg
Glaze
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk any milk works
Instructions
Dough
- In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the crumbs are about the size of a pea.3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup (224 grams) unsalted butter
- With the processor running, add 6 tablespoon ice cold water and process until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Add an additional tablespoon of water at a time if dough isn't coming together.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface and using your hands, bring together into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
Apple Filling
- In a small saucepan or sauté pan on medium heat, combine chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, lemon juice and salt.3 medium apples, ⅓ cup (67 grams) brown sugar, packed, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Stir until the butter and brown sugar have melted, the mixture is simmering and the apples have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and pour into the apple mixture. Continue to simmer while stirring for another 2 minutes or until filling thickens.1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Assembly
- Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Starting with one dough disc at a time, roll out the dough into a rough rectangle that is about ⅛ inch thick and measures about 13 x 11. Trim the edges of the rectangle down to a 12 x 10 rectangle.
- Cut 8 smaller rectangles out of the dough but cutting down the middle lengthwise and then horizontally four times. Each rectangle will be 3 x 5 inches (see picture in post).
- Place each rectangle on the prepared baking sheet and place sheet in the refrigerator.
- Repeat these steps with the other dough disc. Remove the baking sheet with the other rectangles from the refrigerator.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the cooled apple filling on the center of each rectangle on the baking sheet, spreading to about ½ inch of each edge.
- Place another dough rectangle over the filling first sealing with your fingers around the edges and then and crimping the edges with a fork. Using the fork, also poke a few holes in the top of dough to allow steam to escape while cooking.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Remove the baking sheet from the fridge or freezer. Combine 1 beaten egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl. With a pastry brush, brush each pop tart with the egg wash.1 egg
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the pop tarts to cool completely before glazing them.
- Once cool, spoon about 1 tablespoon of glaze over each pop tart, using the back of the spoon to spread it as close to the edges as you wish.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk, whisking until mixed. The glaze should be a pourable consistency. If it is too thick, add additional milk by the teaspoon until pourable. If too thin, add additional powdered sugar by the tablespoon until you reach the desired consistency.1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar, pinch of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons milk
Notes
- Freezing the prepared and unbaked pop tarts prevents too much spreading during baking.
- For less glaze on top, halve the recipe and drizzle the glaze over the top instead of spreading it over the whole pop tart.
- Store the baked pop tarts in a covered container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.
- Any apples work in this recipe. I used Honeycrisp apples. Fuji, Pink Lady or even Granny Smith could be used.
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