Homemade Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts (2024)

These homemade brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are SO much better than store-bought! With a flaky, buttery crust, a delicious brown sugar cinnamon filling and a glaze that sets up perfectly, you'll never want to buy them from the store again.

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We're 10 episodes into our 'Better Than Store-Bought' series and you guys have been loving it! If you've missed the other recipes, so far we've made popular snacks and meals like cheez-its, goldfish, Ritz crackers, the sweetgreen hot honey chicken bowl, all from scratch.

One of our most popular posts so far was our homemade strawberry pop tarts, so we thought we'd bring it back for round 2 with my personal favorite flavor: brown sugar cinnamon!

These are SO good that they really don't even compare to store-bought. We did a taste test comparison, and the store-bought version just feels stale, dry and lacking in flavor. These, on the other hand, are bakery worthy (if I do say so myself)!

Give them a try and let us know what you think! We'd love to hear from you in the comments with suggestions on what store-bought snacks we should re-create next.

Homemade Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts Ingredients

For the Pop Tarts

• Flour: We used regular all purpose flour. We have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but it should work fine (they just may not be quite as flaky!).
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar will do the trick, and you only need a small amount. Feel free to sub with a sugar alternative if preferred.
• Butter: Unsalted is best here, and make sure it's diced into small cubes (to ensure even incorporation) and well chilled, otherwise the dough won't be flaky and crisp.
• Kosher salt: We always use kosher salt, unless otherwise noted. If using table salt or fine sea salt, you may want to decrease the quantity.
• Water: Make sure it's ice cold to keep the butter from melting!
• Brown sugar: This is (obviously) an essential ingredient for the filling and we don't suggest replacing it with any alternatives. You can use either light or dark brown sugar.
• Cinnamon: We use quite a bit in the filling, so feel free to tone it down if you're not the biggest fan.
• Vanilla extract: Technically optional, but it adds extra flavor to the filling. Vanilla bean paste would be even better!

For the Glaze

• Butter: Again, unsalted is best here.
• Brown sugar: Make sure to heat it enough that the brown sugar dissolves so you have a smooth glaze. Otherwise, the undissolved brown sugar will add an undesirable crunchiness.
• Milk: We used regular whole milk, but any kind of milk will work here, including oat.
• Vanilla extract: Again, optional, but adds extra flavor!
• Powdered sugar: We included a range of ½-2/3 cup. The more you add, the thicker the glaze will be and the better it will set up, but it's totally fine to use the lower end.
• Cinnamon: Don't skip it! It makes this glaze extra delicious.

How to Make this Homemade Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts Recipe

STEP 1: In a food processor, pulse together flour, salt, sugar, and butter a few times, until the butter pieces are about the size of peas. Stream in the water, pulsing as you go.

STEP 2: Move the dough to a bowl or lightly floured surface and gently knead into a ball – be careful not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough in half, then wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into a rectangle that's about ½" thick. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 1-2 hours.

STEP 3: While the dough chills, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, vanilla and melted butter until well combined and set aside.

STEP 4: Preheat oven to 300˚F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll each half of the dough into a roughly 14 x 14" square on a floured surface. You should just barely be able to see the lines of your silpat or work surface through your dough, which should be about ⅛" thick. Make sure your surface is well floured, and sprinkle some flour on the dough before rolling.

STEP 5: Cut the dough into roughly 3.5 x 4.75" rectangles. You'll need to two for each pop tart. Combine your scrap dough and roll out again to minimize waste.

STEP 6: Spoon a little over a tablespoon of filling into each pop tart, then spread into a thin layer, leaving about ⅓" around the border. Beat an egg yolk and brush around the border of the filling. Dock the tops of your pop tarts with a skewer or a fork, then place over the bottom, and press down and then crimp the edges with a fork. Use a bench scraper to trim off any messy edges to get a perfect rectangle.

STEP 7: Bake for 25-30 minutes. They should be very lightly browned when you take them out, and the bottoms browned slightly. Let cool slightly before topping with glaze.

STEP 8: To make the glaze, add the butter, brown sugar and milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer for 1-2 minutes, whisking until the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat an immediately whisk in the vanilla, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Immediately spread the glaze onto the pop tarts. It will harden up quickly. If you need to, put it back over medium-low heat to loosen it up again before spreading.

Substitutions and Variations

• Make it gluten free: We have not personally tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but a few readers tried the strawberry pop tarts GF and said they worked! We love and fully trust this gluten free 1:1 flour from Bob's Red Mill.
• Make it dairy free: This recipe should work totally fine with nondairy butter, as long as the butter is well chilled. You can also use nondairy milk (like oat milk) for the glaze.
• Make it vegan: Follow the same steps as above for dairy free, and sub the egg wash with a little bit of nondairy milk. Make sure your sugar is vegan, too!

Equipment

You don't need anything particularly fancy to make these brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, but here are our baking essentials:

• Food processor: This is the one we use. If you don't have a food processor, you can just work the dough with your hands or a pastry cutter. Just be careful not to overwork it, otherwise the butter will start to melt.
• Silicone pastry mat: We use this all the time for rolling out dough!
• Bench scraper: This is a great and versatile tool that everyone should have. We use it to cut perfectly straight edges for the pop tarts.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 6 days. You can also leave them unfrosted and freeze for longer term storage.Make sure to freeze the pop tarts individually before placing them in a freezer bag, otherwise they will stick together.

Tips and FAQ

More tips

• When you're rolling out the dough, be sure to flour both the surface and the pop tart dough. It can get sticky, so be sure to flour liberally.
• To get evenly shaped pop tarts, you can use a stencil. Just measure out 3.5 x 4.75" on a sheet of parchment paper and cut it out, then set that over the dough and use a bench scraper or a pizza cutter to cut out your pop tarts.
• The freezer is your friend: If the dough ever seems unworkable (it's too stretchy and buttery), pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes to solidify the butter. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to transfer the pop tarts to the baking sheet. If they're stretching as you lift them up, stop and place them in the fridge or freezer for a little while.
• Your edges might get a bit messy after crimping, so if you want that perfect pop tart look, use a bench scraper or a pizza cutter to cut off any sloppy edges.

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