Make Christmas morning extra sweet with these gingerbread men pop tarts! And if you’re looking to save a little time, this easy Christmas breakfast can be made with store bought pie dough in place of the pie dough recipe below.
Flaky pie crust, crisp vanilla glaze and an ooey gooey filling of your choice… That’s what these sweet little gingerbread men are packing under their cute exteriors. That’s right, these delicious little Christmas breakfast treats are every bit as tasty as they are cute.
And they’ve got one more trick up their sugary sweet sleeves: They are SO easy to make. Whether you’re making them completely from scratch or skipping to the store to snag some pre-fab pie crust and filling, this festive breakfast will have you in and out of the kitchen before you know.
Have your taste buds heard enough? Read on for the full recipe.
How to make this Christmas breakfast treat
First, whip up your pop tart dough. This is really just a basic pie dough recipe, so feel free to substitute with store-bought dough if you’re short on time.
One package of pie crust (this should contain two round sheets) will make the same amount of pop tarts as this recipe.
Second, use a large gingerbread man cutter to cut out your dough. Fill with jam, nutella or another filling of your choice.
Third, seal your pop tarts with a little water and press together using a fork. Prick the top of each pop tart a couple of times to give the inside a place to vent while it bakes.
Fourth, bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Finally, cook the glaze, dip the pop tarts and decorate! Feel free to create your own unique design or follow the more detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Tips for making the perfect pop tart every time
- 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 couple teaspoons really is more than enough.
- Be sure not to over-cook the glaze. Over-cooked glaze loses too much liquid and becomes too hard and thick to work with. The best way to make sure your glaze doesn’t get over-cooked is to cook it over low heat and remove it immediately once a crust starts to form. If your glaze becomes over-cooked, simply add water in 1/2 tsp increments until the glaze breaks up enough to use.
- Why we cook the glaze: You may be wondering why we’re cooking the glaze. After all, there are lots of glaze recipes on the web that don’t require this step. Here’s why: cooking the glaze causes a chemical reaction that results in a glaze that hardens quickly and becomes a shell (rather than a soft glaze). It’s perfect for locking in moisture and making life easier if you need to pack these pop tarts.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!
PrintPop Tart Gingerbread Men
Make Christmas morning extra sweet with these gingerbread men pop tarts! And if you’re looking to save a little time, this easy Christmas breakfast can be made with store bought pie dough.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
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 jam, nutella or other filling
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Additional supplies:
- Small, red candies like cinnamon imperials
- Small tube (4.5oz) white frosting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and beat until the mixture resembles course sand.
- Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. You may not need all four tablespoons.
- Divide your dough in two, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill for 45 minutes to an hour.
- 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 8 gingerbread men.
- Spoon a couple teaspoons of filling onto your cutouts and gently spread it out. Make sure there’s about 1/4″ of open space around the edge of your pastries.
- Roll out the remaining dough and cut out 8 more gingerbread men.
- Using your finger, wet the edge of the filled pastries with some water, cover with another cutout and gently press the edges together. Use a fork to seal.
- Poke a few air holes into the top of your pop tarts with a fork.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until the pop tarts are golden brown.
- In a small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract for the glaze.
- Cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the glaze is warm and starts to form a crust on top. Remove from heat.
- Add a little brown food coloring to the glaze until you reach the desired color.
- Dip each pop tart into the glaze, gently shaking it to allow any excess glaze to drip off. Be sure to stir the glaze between each pop tart so it doesn’t form a crust.
- Immediately add two red candy buttons.
- Tint half of the white frosting black.
- Using black and white frosting, add the ruffles, eyes, and mouth to your gingerbread men.
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 couple teaspoons really is more than enough.
- Be sure not to over-cook the glaze. Over-cooked glaze loses too much liquid and becomes too hard and thick to work with. The best way to make sure your glaze doesn’t get over-cooked is to cook it over low heat and remove it immediately once a crust starts to form. If your glaze becomes over-cooked, simply add water in 1/2 tsp increments until the glaze breaks up enough to use.
- Why we cook the glaze: You may be wondering why we’re cooking the glaze. After all, there are lots of glaze recipes on the web that don’t require this step. Here’s why: cooking the glaze causes a chemical reaction that results in a glaze that hardens quickly and becomes a shell (rather than a soft glaze). It’s perfect for locking in moisture and making life easier if you need to pack these pop tarts.
- 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.
Keywords: Christmas breakfast, homemade pop tart, gingerbread men
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These are sooo…. dang adorable!!
★★★★★