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Conversation Heart Pop Tarts

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5 from 11 reviews

Who needs store bought pop tarts when you can make your own right at home? These flaky pop tarts stuffed with your filling of choice are the perfect way to get your Valentine's Day off to a sweet start.

  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 9 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the pop tarts:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 3-4 tbsp ice water
  • 1/4 cup of filling

For the glaze:

  • 1 lb vanilla frosting
  • Food gel coloring

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and beat until the mixture resembles course sand.
  2. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. You may not need all four tablespoons.
  3. Divide your dough in two, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill for 45 minutes to an hour.
  4. Roll the first ball of dough out onto a light floured surface until it’s approximately 9″x12″. Using a large cookie cutter, cut out 9 hearts.
  5. Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto your heart cutouts and gently spread it out. Make sure there’s about 1/3″ of open space around the edge of your pastries.
  6. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out 9 more hearts.
  7. Using your finger, wet the edge of the filled pastries with some water, cover with another heart cutout and gently press the edges together. Use a fork to seal.
  8. Poke a few air holes into the top of your pop tarts with a fork.
  9. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until the pop tarts are a light, golden brown.
  10. Divide the frosting evenly by the number of colors you plan to use, leaving about 2 tbsp for the lettering.
  11. Tint the frosting to the desired shades.
  12. Microwave each bowl of frosting in 5 second increments until the frosting reaches a thick, glaze-like consistency.
  13. Dip the pop tarts into the warm frosting and gently shake off any excess before turning them right-side-up.
  14. Tint the remaining 2 tbsp of frosting to the desired color, spoon it into a piping back with a small, round tip (I used a Wilton #2) and pipe whatever sayings you'd like onto the pop tarts.

Notes

  • If you’re making your pie dough from scratch, don’t skip the refrigeration step. Fun fact: refrigerating your dough for at least 30 minutes allows the gluten to relax and the fat to firm up resulting in an extra-flaky texture.
  • Want to make your pie dough ahead of time? You can make it and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.
  • Be sure not to overfill your pop tarts; Overfilling will lead to your filling oozing out the sides and potentially ruining your seal. A teaspoon or two is more than enough.
  • Consistency of the frosting is key to a smooth finish. The easiest way to reach the right consistency is to microwave the frosting for no more than 5 seconds at a time. Once it reaches a thick, glaze-like consistency, it's ready to go!
  • To get a smooth finish: The final trick to getting a smooth finish on the icing is to gently tap the pop tart until it settles into a smooth finish. The easiest way to do this is to hold the pop tart by the sides and gently tap the bottom against your counter.
  • Leftovers: Leftover pop tarts can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. To reheat, simply microwave them using 10 second increments until warm. DO NOT put these in a toaster.

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