Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
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If you’ve ever had a store-bought Pop-Tarts and thought, “This could be so much better,” this is the recipe for you. These Apple Cinnamon Pop-Tarts have a buttery, flaky crust, a cozy spiced apple filling, and a sweet vanilla-cinnamon glaze that makes every bite sing.
Table of Contents
- Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Apple Cinnamon Pot Tarts
- FAQ
- More Recipes
They’re simple to make from scratch with pantry staples and just a few apples, and the flavor is pure fall comfort. Whether you serve them warm for breakfast or cooled for dessert, they’re a total crowd-pleaser.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better than store-bought: Rich, real apple flavor and no artificial aftertaste.
- Make-ahead friendly: The dough and filling can be prepped in advance.
- Versatile: Use your favorite combination of apples or swap in pears for a fun twist.
- Freezer-friendly: Perfect for quick treats on busy mornings!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you’re cooking.
For the Pop-Tarts:
- Pie dough: You can use homemade or store-bought. You’ll need enough for two crusts.
- Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter, omit the additional Kosher salt from the mix.
- Apples: A mix of sweet and tart apples works best.
- Dark brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Ground cinnamon: Essential for that warm, comforting flavor.
- Ground nutmeg & cloves: Just a pinch of each boosts the spice profile.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the apple flavor.
- Egg wash: One egg mixed with water, used to seal and glaze the pastry.
For the icing:
- Confectioners’ sugar: Forms the base of the glaze.
- Heavy cream: Makes the glaze smooth and spreadable.
- Ground cinnamon: For an extra pop of warm spice.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor beautifully.
In Photos: How To Make Apple Cinnamon Pot Tarts
Step 1: Make the filling
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Cook until the apples are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly, 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Puree
Once slightly cooled, puree in a food processor.
Step 3: Prep the dough
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3×5 rectangles.
Step 4: Assemble
Brush the edges of the rectangles lightly with egg wash. Divide the filling between half the rectangles, leaving space around the edges.
Step 5: Crimp, poke, and egg wash
Top with the remaining rectangles and use a fork to crimp around the edges. Brush the remaining egg wash on top. Use fork prongs to poke vent holes in the top of the dough.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
Step 7: Make icing
In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, cream, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Spread the frosting onto the tops of the Pop-Tarts.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- For best results, use a combo of sweet and tart apples (such as Fuji and Granny Smith). If you omit the tart apples, add a squeeze of lemon juice (2-3 teaspoons, to taste) to the filling.
- You can reroll the dough multiple times as needed. However, you’ll want to let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes between rolling to prevent it from shrinking.
- Use a spatula to move the dough rectangles as you prepare the Pop-Tarts. Warm hands can cause the dough to lose its shape.
- This recipe can be divided over two days. On the first day, prepare, roll out, and cut the pie dough. Place on two sheet pans and chill overnight. In the morning, let the dough thaw slightly while preparing the filling. Then follow the remaining steps for preparing the Pop-Tarts.
FAQ
Absolutely. Just make sure it’s cold and not too dry, or it may crack during rolling.
It’s not required, but pureeing helps create a smooth, spreadable texture that stays put inside the pastry.
Yes! Freeze after baking and before icing. Reheat in the toaster or oven, then glaze if desired.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
More Recipes
- Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries
- Triple Berry Honey Yogurt Breakfast Cheesecakes
- Nutella Yogurt Parfait Breakfast Popsicles
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Apple Fritters
- Maple Scones
Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the pop tarts:
- 1 recipe pie dough
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (270 g) apples, peeled and diced (2 – 3 apples, see notes)
- 1/4 cup (51 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg , whisked with 1 tablespoon water
For the icing:
- 1 cup (109 g) confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once slightly cooled, puree in a food processor.
- Optional step: use a fine mesh strainer to remove some of the liquid from the filling. This can make it easier to spread the filling on the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4 thick. Cut the dough into approximately 3×5 rectangles. For 10 pop tarts, you’ll need 20 rectangles (it’s ok if you wind up with less; it just means a smaller yield). Divide the rectangles between the prepared baking sheets.
- Brush the edges of the rectangles lightly with egg wash. Divide the filling between half the rectangles (approximately 1 tablespoon per pop tart), leaving space around the edges.
- Top with the remaining rectangles and use a fork to crimp around the edges. Brush the remaining egg wash on top. Use fork prongs to poke vent holes in the top of the dough.
- Divide the pop tarts between the two baking sheets so they don’t overcrowd the pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before frosting.
- In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, cream, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. Spread the frosting onto the tops of the pop tarts.
