Snow and Sleeping In and Homemade Pop-Tarts

You know it's going to be a cozy day when Weather.com reads Blizzard Warning and you haven't gotten out of bed yet. The wind is howling and the snow is coming down, but we're nowhere near the predicted 10 to 16 inches. I guess that means there's a lot of snow to come. Or the weather man is wrong. 


It seems like a great day to test out my new cookbook, which looks almost as delicious as the recipes inside. With its glossy pages and crystal clear pictures, I pretty much want to eat the book itself. Serious kudos to photographers Keller & Keller. (For an hour's worth of fun, take a look at similar food photographs here.)

Did you know that Joanne Chang, the author of this book and the owner of and pastry chef at Flour Bakery & Cafe in Boston, MA, has a degree in applied mathematics and economics from Harvard? Pretty cool! But what I am most interested in is the recipe for Homemade Pop-Tarts on Page 88. YUM!

Homemade Pop-Tarts by Joanne Chang

Makes 8 Pop-Tarts

Helpful Hint: The dough needs to rest in the fridge for 4 hours, so it might be worth making the day before you want to eat these!

For dough:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces

3 eggs (2 yolks for dough, 1 egg for brushing)

3 tablespoons cold milk

Filling:

1 cup raspberry jam

Simple Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Step 1: Using an electric mixer (stand or handheld), mix together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined (about 10 to 15 seconds). Add butter. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks and milk, just until blended. Pour into the flour mixture. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. (Will look less like dough and more like a mess, but you're on the right track!)

Step 3: Dump the dough onto an unfloured counter and pull the dough together into a little mountain. Use the palm of your hand to smear the butter clumps into the dough, starting at the top. Do this until the dough forms a solid mound of dough with streaks of butter.

Step 4: Tightly wrap dough ball in plastic wrap. Press down to flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. Helpful hint: the dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

4 Hours Later...

Step 5: Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Step 6: Remove dough from fridge. Divide it in half and press each half into a large rectangle. On a floured surface, roll out each half to make a large rectangle. Lightly score one of the rectangles into 8 small rectangles. Ideally, each small rectangle should be about the size of an index card.

Step 7: Spoon 2 tablespoons of the jam in a mound in the center of each scored rectangle. Lay the second large dough rectangle directly on top of the first. Using fingertips, carefully press down all around each jam mound, so the pastry sheets adhere to each other. Brush the entire top surface with the remaining egg.

Step 8: Using a knife (or a pizza roller!), follow the scored lines and cut the layered dough into 8 rectangles. Place the rectangles on a baking sheet, leaving enough space between them.

Step 9: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the tops of the pop-tarts are evenly golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes.

While pastries are cooling, make the glaze...

Step 10: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and enough of the water to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

Step 11: When the pop-tarts have cooled for 30 minutes, brush tops with glaze.

Step 12: Enjoy! And if you have extra, put them in an airtight container and eat them for the next 2 days.

Next, I'd like to try these with a filling of apples and cinnamon!

Now a question for you: What flavors and fillings would you put inside your pop-tarts?