Mini Pop Tarts

Mini Pop Tarts with raspberry filling.

I remember consuming box after box of Pop Tarts when I was young. Frosted strawberry flavour was my go-to snack after school or for a late-night study session. Later, Pop Tarts were a must-have for camping and fishing trips.

Sorry, this one's mine.

Lately, we've all been concerned about what we eat; peruse the ingredients on a box of commercial toaster pastries and you will need a degree in chemistry to understand half of the ingredients. This homemade version is tasty and you know exactly what's in it. The small size is just enough for a snack.

Would you like some variations? Of course you would! Fill 'em with Nutella! How about peanut butter? Change up the jam to something funky, like my favorite from Vista d'Oro Farms: Strawberry with Balsamic and Pink Peppercorns. Leave the sugar out of the pastry, leave the tarts unglazed and fill with a savory filling such as mozzarella and basil leaves with a drop of olive oil, or a mushroom duxelle or scrambled eggs and bacon! Make your own creation and see what happens.

Mini Pop Tarts with raspberry filling.

Mini Pop Tarts

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup well-chilled shortening, cut into 1" cubes

4 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water

-or-

buy ready-made pastry from the grocery store

Filling:

Raspberry jam or your favourite jam or filling

Glaze:

1 cup icing sugar

1 Tablespoon milk

Food colouring (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

Assembly:

1 egg, beaten with

1 teaspoon of milk

Method

1. Prepare crust. Mix flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, blend ice-cold shortening into flour until the blobs of shortening are pea-sized. Add half the amount of ice water. Mix until dough forms a loose ball. Press some dough between your fingers, if it is still crumbly, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing between additions. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 
2. Sprinkle some flour on your counter or board, and roll out dough 1/8" thick. Make a template out of aluminum foil or paper, 3.5" x 2.5". Use this template as a guide and cut 20 rectangles out of dough. 
3. Spread a teaspoon of jam on one rectangle, Wet the edges of the pastry around the jam with the egg wash. Lay the second rectangle on top, pressing edges with finger. Crimp edges with a fork. Brush tops with egg wash. Repeat with other tarts. 
4. Bake in a 400° F oven for 10-12 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned on edges. 
5. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. 
6. Prepare glaze by whisking icing sugar with milk and food colouring. Use a spoon and apply glaze to tops of tarts. Sprinkle with decorate sprinkles, if using. 

Makes 10 tarts.