Floral Strawberry Poptarts
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As a child, prior to maturing into what some would lovingly call a “food snob”, I had some very specific (and kind of strange) eating habits. Pepperoni and mayonnaise sandwiches. Dipping everything (not just fries and pizza, but green beans, those little packs of salad crackers, steak, potato chips…) in Hidden Vally Ranch Dressing. And pop tarts. Pop Tarts were a very serious matter in my house and as a 10 year old, I had perfected my pop tart process. First, the best/only pop tart options were 1) brown sugar cinnamon 2) s’mores 3) frosted strawberry. Ranked in that order. All other pop tarts had no place in my heart. Second, pop tarts had to be toasted. They should be just warmed, so that the corners are a very light golden brown. Then, here’s where things get a little weird, right after removing the pop tarts from the toaster, they got smeared with butter. (And actually, not even really butter, because it was the mid 2000s, but I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter from the tub.) Immediately after smearing, you sandwich the pop tarts together so that the butter is smushed in between the two. Wrap it in a paper towel and let it set for 5-10 minutes so the butter/margarine stops melting and sort of re-solidifies. Then you can eat your pop tarts. PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE ME FOR THIS. Also, if I were to eat pop-tarts today, with the exception of using real butter, I would stand by this process every step of the way.
These pop tarts are cuter, less processed, and more adult than the silvery packets at the store. Strawberries are cooked down into a jam with elderflower syrup and a splash of gin and then they are tucked into the most adorable stamps of pie dough. After they are baked, they are drizzled with a little glaze and covered with rose petals because that makes them even cuter and you can eat them in one bite. Use any fruit you’d like for the filling and if you’re feeling extra nostalgic, cut your pie dough into big rectangles and make a pop tart a little closer to the classic.
Floral Strawberry Pop Tarts
Yield: 24 baby pop tarts
Ingredients:
for the pie crust
1 1/4 cup (165 g) all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup (140 g) cake flour
1 T granulated sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
6-8 T ice water
for the strawberry elderflower filling
10 oz strawberries, chopped
2 T elderflower syrup*, see notes below
1 T gin
1 tsp cornstarch
1 T water
for the glaze
1/3-1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 T heavy cream
rose petals, sprinkles for decoration
egg wash
Procedure:
to make the pie crust
Cut butter into cubes and place in the freezer while you assemble the rest of your ingredients (about 5 minutes).
In a medium bowl, toss together flours, salt, and sugar.
Add butter cubes to the flour and toss to coat. Use your fingers to press each butter cube flat into the flour, breaking them up until the butter chunks are roughly the size of walnut halves. Make a well in the center of the flour.
Pour 6 T of ice water into the well and then use your fingers to gently toss the mixture to begin hydrating the flour. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead gently until there are no more dry spots of flour and dough can be pushed into a cohesive mass. Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a rectangle, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill overnight.
to make the filling
In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine strawberries, elderflower syrup and gin. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes until strawberries are broken down.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Stir cornstarch slurry into strawberries and bring to a boil. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring continually and then remove from heat. Let cool completely.
to assemble pop tarts
About 30 minutes prior to assembling, remove pie dough from the refrigerator.
Working with one dough block at a time, turn dough onto a floured work surface. Roll out, flouring as needed and moving the dough around frequently to prevent sticking, until the dough is 1/8” thick.
Use a 2” dough cutter to cut out circles out of the dough. You should have about 24 circles.
Transfer half of the dough circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon 1 tsp of strawberry mixture in the center of each circle. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the edges with egg wash, and then top each strawberry-filled circle with the remaining unfilled circles. Use a fork to seal the edges.
Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining block of dough and strawberry filling.
Preheat the oven to 350° F and transfer pop tarts to the freezer while the oven preheats. When the oven is ready, brush the tops lightly with egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the tops and bottoms of the pop tarts are golden brown.
to make the frosting
1. Whisk together powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Add heavy cream, a little at a time until glaze reaches your desired consistency. Spoon over pop tarts and then decorate with rose petals and sprinkles.
Notes: Flora Wellness forages and makes the best flower syrups around. I keep a variety on hand for everything from cocktails to cappuccinos, buttercream and to pie fillings and you can use any of her floral syrups in this recipe. If you don’t have a Flora Wellness syrup on hand, you can sub 1 T sugar, 1 T of water, and a tsp of your favorite edible flower.
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