Strawberry Pop Tarts

Ingredients & Measurements
Strawberry Filling
3 cups (460g) strawberries fresh or frozen 
1 cup (205g) granulated sugar 
¼ cup (50g) fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. (3g) salt

All Butter Pie Crust
1  ¾ cups (234g) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
½  tsp. (3g) salt
8 tbsp. (114g) cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
⅓ – ½ cup ice water or more depends on humidity

Vanilla Bean Icing
2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
1 tsp. (5g)  vanilla extract
1 tsp. (7g) vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp. (2g) salt
¼ cup (50g) milk or water

Instructions
Step 1: Make Strawberry Jam
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries for this recipe. If using fresh, be sure to wash the strawberries thoroughly, remove stems and chop into small chunks. If using frozen, allow the strawberries to thaw slightly and place in a blender and pulse until smooth or chunky (your preference). Place strawberries in a heavy lined pot make sure this pot is large enough as the strawberries cook they will bubble up slightly so ensure there is enough space in the pot. 

To the strawberries add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 45 minutes. After about 20 minutes if your strawberries are chunky, use a potato masher to break up large chunks. Let continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced slightly and the mixture is thick. Be careful as this mixture is very hot. 

Once the strawberries have thickened, remove the pot from heat mix in the vanilla extract, and allow to cool for 15 minutes. To speed up I transferred the jam to a large stainless steel bowl that I set on top of another bowl I had filled with water and ice, then I stirred the jam every few minutes. This helped cool the jam down a lot faster. Once cooled I transferred the jam to a jar or container to store in the refrigerator. You can store this in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for 3 months. 

Step 2: Make the Pie Dough
You can make the pastry dough by hand or in a food processor. 

Food Processor: Place flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Add butter (fat) and pulse a few times. Run the processor while you drizzle the ice water, the dough should come together into a rough ball. Stop the processor and pour dough out onto a flat surface and bring it together into a disk.  

By hand: In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and using a fork, pastry blender or your fingers quickly work the butter into the flour. Try to do this fast to avoid warming the butter too much with your fingers. You are looking for pea sized pieces of butter throughout the flour. Add the ice weather 3-4 tbsp at a time, roughly mix the dough with a spatula, once all the water has been added to the dough, pour it out onto a flat surface and quickly bring the dough together into a disk. You do not want to mix the butter completely into the dough, you want to see specks of butter throughout, this will create a flaky crust.

You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it or you can use it immediately. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using. 

Step 3: Make and Bake the Pop Tarts
Once the pie dough has chilled in the refrigerator for at least an hour this will allow the butter to chill and create flaky layers in the dough. The dough may be hard to roll out, I like to split the dough in half. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Be sure to check while rolling that the dough is not sticking to the surface, re-apply flour as needed a little at a time. You may also need to add flour to the top of the dough and the roller. You want to roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick. Then cut out your pop tart shapes. I cut out 3 ½ by 6 inch rectangles. You will need two of these rectangles per pop tart. Once you cut out enough, using a fork poke holes in the top part of your pop tarts. This will allow steam to release as they bake. 

I suggest you place your cut out pie dough in the freezer for a few minutes before filling but you don’t have to. Be sure to organize yourself, I place parchment on two cookie sheets and use these to assemble the pop tarts. I lay all of the bottoms of the pop tarts on one cookie sheet and then place the tops on the other cookie sheet. Place a spoonful of strawberry jam in the center of each rectangle bottom. Then using your finger, add water or egg wash around the edge of the pop tart, this will help seal the dough. Place the top rectangle on top of the jam and press along the edges with your fingers to seal the dough edge. Then take a fork and press along the edges of the pop tarts to seal and create that classic pop tart crimped look. Place the pop tarts in the freezer for 15 minutes while you pre-heat your oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once the pop tarts have chilled slightly, bake for 15 to 17 minutes. You want to bake until the edges and tops are slightly brown and you can see the dough is cooked. If the dough is translucent, it is not cooked all the way so you will need to continue to bake a few minutes at a time. The bottoms should be set and toasted. Don’t worry if some jam comes out during baking, this is normal. Once baked, allow the pop tarts to cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes then transfer the pop tarts to a cooling rack. 

Step 4: Ice and Decorate the Pop Tarts
As the pop tarts cool, make the icing. Combine the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and vanilla bean paste. Then add a little water or milk until you reach a thick drizzle consistency. Once the pop tarts are cooled completely, add a spoonful of icing to each using the spoon to spread the icing around the top part then top with your favorite sprinkles. Let the pop tarts set for at least 45 minutes and enjoy! Pop tarts can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days. You can also freeze for up to a month. 

You can make these ahead of time and freeze then bake when you want them. To freeze you will assemble the pop tarts and freeze them before baking. Then take them out as you want and bake and enjoy.  
I offered these on my menu for my micro-bakery and they sold out each time I offered them. These were the first to sell out at the farmers market too. They are a huge hit!