Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts

A google search revealed that pop tarts were introduced in 1963/1964 - I was in the first grade. I like pop tarts; they are addictive like Coke and peanuts, Moon Pie, and crunchy crust cornbread - all the things that were part of my childhood.

We didn't have a toaster in our rural farm home; we ate our pop tarts 'straight out of the box.'

All that to say, these pop tarts are not anything like the pop tarts of my youth.  These are buttery, and crunchy, and flaky and rich and filled with a brown sugar cinnamon goodness.

flecks of cinnamon and vanilla beans in the unbaked top pastry of the soon-to-be pop tart

 brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts baking; oozing of butter

 just out of the oven; beautiful golden brown around the edges

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
(adapted from here)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (8 1/2 oz) all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (vanilla sugar if possible)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks / 8 oz) unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons sweet milk
• 1 additional egg used to brush bottom pastry prior to addition of filling
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (for filling)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (for filling)
• 4 teaspoons all purpose flour (for filling)

Mixing:

1. Mix together flour, sugar, and salt (first three ingredients) in large bowl
2. Add butter pieces and toss to cover with flour
3. Using your fingertips, rub the cold butter into the flour, tossing the flour lightly while mixing (or your preferred method of combining butter and flour)
4. Whisk together 1 egg and 2 T milk in small bowl.  Add to butter/flour mixture; gently combine
5. Form pastry into a ball; divide pastry into two equal pieces
6. Cover each pastry half with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 2 days if necessary)
7. Roll each pastry half into 9" x 12" rectangle; cut each into 9-3" x 4" pieces (18 total pieces)
8. Place 9 - 3"x4" rectangles on a baking sheet; brush entire surface with egg wash
9. In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour)
10. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling ingredients in the center of each egg-washed pastry piece; leave 1/2" border around filling (will allow top pastry to adhere to bottom pastry)
11. Prick remaining 9 pastry pieces with fork; lay top pastry over brown sugar and press gently around edges
12. Using a fork, flour the tines and gently press all around the edge of each brown sugar cinnamon pop tart to adhere the top to the bottom
13. Refrigerate the prepared pop tarts for 30 minutes (freeze pop tarts at this point for later baking if desired); preheat oven to 350 degrees
14. After refrigeration, bake pop tarts for 20-25 minutes; they will ooze of butter and become golden brown 
15. Remove from oven and cool
16. I glazed mine with a mixture of powdered sugar, milk, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of coconut oil, and a pinch of cinnamon (mixed to a pourable consistency)

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