If you enjoy making from-scratch versions of store-bought favorites, you will love these homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Like my chocolate pastry tarts recipe, this is a fun baking project you can absolutely handle if you follow my thorough step-by-step instructions..
Allow me to introduce you to a homemade version of the all-time best pop tart flavor in the history of time. Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon—the toaster pastry that puts all other toaster pastries to shame. (Although chocolate pop tarts are a close second!)
My homemade pop tarts taste just like the original, but better. You don’t get a flaky, slightly crumbly, all-butter-crust with store-bought pop tarts. You just get… crumbles.
And you get about twice the amount of filling with my homemade version. And none of the preservatives or mystery additives.
Making pop tarts at home, 100% from scratch, isn’t the quickest. It’s not impossible, nor should this recipe intimidate you… but you have to take your time, read all of the instructions before beginning, and practice patience.. (I feel the same way about homemade eclairs… a labor of love, but totally worth it!)
Here’s what you need:
Step 1 is to make the pie dough, which needs to chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out. I always make it a day (or even a couple days) ahead of time, so it’s ready to go on the day I want to make these pop tarts.
Both dough recipes yield 2 crusts, and you’ll use both crusts today to produce 9 pop tarts.
After the 2 discs of dough have chilled for at least 2 hours, remove one from the fridge. Roll the disc into a rectangle about 1/8th-inch thick—about 9×12 inches in total size. Trim off the sides of this rectangle as needed. A pizza cutter is really helpful here.
Cut dough into 3 even sections, then cut each section into 3 sections. You’ll end up with 9 rectangles, each about 3×4 inches. These will be the bottoms of your homemade pop tarts.
Place each rectangle onto a lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and repeat this process with the second disc of dough. These 9 rectangles will be the tops of your pop tarts.
The brown sugar cinnamon pop tart filling is made with—you guessed it—lots of cinnamon and brown sugar, plus a touch of flour. That’s it, just 3 ingredients.
Before filling the homemade pop tarts, brush the rectangle “bottoms” with a little egg wash. This helps the filling melt down and stick to the crust. It also serves as the “glue” to bind the top and bottom crusts together.
Egg wash = 1 egg beaten with a little milk.
Place 1 heaping Tablespoon of filling onto each rectangle and spread it around.. Brush the rectangle “tops” of the pop tarts with egg wash. Place on top of the filled bottoms, egg wash-side-down.
Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops of each pastry, which allows steam to escape. This helps your pop tart crust get nice and flaky, too. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
Now, place the ready-to-bake pop tarts in the refrigerator. This helps the pie dough firm up, since it has been out at room temperature for so long. Chill for 20 minutes while your oven preheats. Once chilled, brush the tops with egg wash. This is what gives your pastry crust that beautiful golden sheen.
The icing is so simple. It’s more of a glaze, less of a frosting. And it’s absolutely incredible paired with the homemade pastry and brown sugar cinnamon filling.
Just a few ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Whisk until slightly thick, but still a little runny—you want it to be spreadable. Use a knife, icing spatula, or the back of a spoon to spread on top of each homemade pop tart.
After completely cooling, the crust is deliciously flaky, the filling has thickened, and the icing has set. If you can manage the self control, wait to eat one until the icing has set (it takes about an hour)… yep, it’s practically impossible.
We actually love these homemade pop tarts even more the next day. The icing slightly hardens, making them taste much more like the originals.
If you like Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, you will love this homemade version. They're made completely from scratch with REAL ingredients and an all-butter pastry crust.. Be sure to chill the pastry dough for at least 2 hours as instructed in step 2.