Homemade Pop Tarts

The combo of strawberries, cheesecake filling, and our favorite flaky, buttery crust makes these hand pies truly addictive. Courtesy of Amy Dong

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

Why This Recipe Stands Out

These Homemade Pop Tarts are infinitely better than the store bought version we grew up with. This is one of our go-to cheesecake recipes when we’re looking for something portable, and delicious. Here’s why:

• Valentine’s Day: Although these are amazing all year round, they make the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
• Super Easy: With just a small list of simple ingredients, these pop tarts are super easy to make and come together in just about 30 minutes!
• Versatile: Homemade Pop Tarts are super versatile. You can easily tweak the recipe every time for new varieties.
• Great for Gatherings: This portable, easy-to-eat treat is one of our favorite easy desserts to pass around at family gatherings or to gift to friends and neighbors.
• The Crust: The crust in this recipe is the best melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, flaky crust you’ll ever taste!

Key Recipe Ingredients

• Pie Crust—We use the flaky, butter crust from our recipe for The Best Apple Pie for these pop tarts.
• Strawberry Cream Cheese—Strawberry cream cheese not only offers that creamy, cheesecake texture, but also adds extra strawberry flavor.
• Strawberry Preserves—Pure strawberry preserves add a sweet, juicy burst of strawberry goodness.
• Egg Wash—An egg wash makes these pop tarts turn a gorgeous, golden color.

Substitutions and Variations

Not only can you change the shapes of Homemade Pop Tarts, you can also play around with endless fillings. Check out some of our favorite variations for this recipe:

• Crust: If you’re running short on time, feel free to opt for a shapeable store bought crust. Here’s some of the best store-bought crust options for pies.
• Jam Filling: We use pure strawberry preserves for this recipe, but feel free to swap this with homemade strawberry jam or any other kind of preserves like blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, or peach.
• Cheesecake Filling: This recipe uses Philadelphia strawberry cream cheese. But this brand has tons of fun, sweet flavors like brown sugar/cinnamon, blueberry, and honey pecan. You could also substitute mascarpone for the cream cheese.
• Other Varieties: Looking for a good autumn spin on this recipe? Check out our Pumpkin Hand Pies recipe. For a chocolatey spin, take a look at these Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Courtesy of Amy Dong

1. Roll out half of pie dough and cut out desired shapes. Repeat until dough is used up.
2. Spoon strawberry cream cheese onto the bottom cutouts. Then, spoon preserves onto cream cheese. Sprinkle sugar over the filling.
3. Seal top cutouts onto the bottom cutouts by pressing the edges firmly with a fork.
4. Cut slits in the pop tarts, brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 with other half of dough.
6. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Prep Ahead Tips

Homemade Pop Tarts can be a great prep-ahead treat—perfect for on-the-go breakfasts or snacks. Here’s our favorite ways to make this recipe unbelievably easy:

• The Crust: You can totally make the dough for the crust ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge for a night or two. Just note that it’ll need some time to sit at room temperature until it’s soft enough to work with.
• Freeze Unbaked: These Homemade Pop Tarts can actually be completely assembled and then frozen for months before baking. Just flash freeze them on a baking tray until they’re hard. Then, transfer them to an airtight container. When it’s time to bake, thaw and bake like normal.
• Freeze Baked: Another option is to let the pop tarts cool completely after baking them and then transfer them to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. We recommend re-warming them in the oven at 300F to prevent them from getting soggy.

Courtesy of Amy Dong

Homemade Pop Tarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins Cook Time: 15 minutes mins Total Time: 45 minutes mins Servings: 30 mini handpies

Ingredients

• 1 recipe double pie crust, see notes
• 1 tub Philadelphia strawberry cream cheese
• 1 jar pure strawberry preserves
• granulated sugar
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
• coarse sugar for garnish

Instructions

Roll out half of the chilled pie dough to 1/8 in thick, on a lightly floured surface. (keep other half in the fridge while you work.)

Using cookie cutter, cut out desired shapes. Alternatively, use a knife to cut dough into squares or rectangles. Continue re-rolling dough scraps until first half of the dough is used up.

Spoon desired amount of strawberry cream cheese onto bottom crust of hand pies. Spoon desired amount of strawberry preserves on top of cream cheese. Keep in mind that the more filling you put, the harder it may be to keep it from leaking out when sealing!

Sprinkle tops of filling generously with sugar.

Place top crusts on hand pies, and take care to seal them tightly. Use a fork to press down hard on edges, to finish the seal.

Using a sharp knife, cut little slits over the tops of hand pies. Brush each pie with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Gently place pies on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining half of pie dough.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or just until tops are golden brown.

Let cool completely before serving.

Notes

• Here’s our recipe for the best Flaky Butter Pie Crust. You can use store bought crust, though flavor is always best when homemade.
• Note that the amounts (and nutrition facts) will vary for the filling ingredients depending on how large you make your pop tarts.
• Check out our recipe for Strawberry Nutella Hand Pies for another perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
• If you feel like your pop tarts need some extra help sealing, try brushing some of the egg wash between the edges before pressing them down with a fork.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!

Join our Free Recipe Club and get our newest, best recipes each week!

Click here to add your own private notes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.4mg

This article was originally published on chewoutloud.com. Follow on Instagram

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].