As a kid and during my zero money college period, I turned to Pop-tarts a lot. There are 400 calories in a single packet. 400 calories is okay for breakfast but these calories were coming from fat, carbs and sugar. They contain little protein, fiber or other important nutrients. I decided to make a lighter Pop-tarts that I could enjoy with a piece of fruit or a side of eggs for breakfast.
The flavors of Pop-tarts can be endless. I threw together ingredients I already had hiding in my kitchen. You could swap any of these ingredients.
- Black Cherry
- Light Lemon Curd
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon
- Smores
- Blackberry Jam
- Sweet Green Apple
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Banana Cinnamon
- Coconut Almond Cream
- Dark Chocolate Latte
- Sweet Peach
- Apple Pie Oats
Recipe For Pastry Dough:
- 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 Tbsp Baking Stevia
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 3 Tbsp Plain or Vanilla Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter Diced at Refrigerator Temp.
- 3 Tbsp Skim Milk or Almond Milk (add more if the dough is dry)
(1 tbsp of olive oil for the top of dough)
- In a mixer combine butter, Stevia, yogurt, and vanilla. .
- Slowly add in the flour and other dry ingredients.
- Roll up dough and wrap it with plastic wrap.
- Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
Ingredients For Fillings:
- Blueberry Cobbler: 1 Tbsp Fresh Blueberries, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar, 1 Tsp light Cream Cheese
- Sweet Peach: 1 Tbsp Peaches Diced, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar (You can use any fruit.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 1 Tsp Cinnamon 1/2 Tbsp light Cream Cheese
- Blackberry Jam – Jam (Use any flavor)
- Banana Cinnamon– 1 Tbsp Thin Banana Slices, Sprinkle Cinnamon
- Lemon Curd – 1 Tbsp Light Lemon Curd from can (find in baking aisle)
- Apple Pie Oats- 1 Tbsp Quick Oats, 1/2 Tbsp Green Apple Diced, 1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
- Cherry Cream– 1 Tbsp Fresh Cherries Diced, 1/2 Tbsp light Cream Cheese, 1 Tsp Stevia
- Coconut Almond Cream– 1 Tbsp Shredded Coconut, 1/2 Tbsp light Cream Cheese, 1/2 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
- Sweet Green Apple– 1 Tbsp Green Apple Dices, 1 Tsp Brown Sugar
- Smores- 1 Tbsp Marshmallow Cream, 1 Tbsp Crushed Graham Cracker, 1 Dark Chocolate Hershey’s Square Chopped
- Dark Chocolate Latte- 1 Dark Chocolate Hershey Square, Chopped, 1 Tsp Maxwell Coffee, 1 Tsp Quick Oats, 1 Tsp light Cream Cheese
After all the fillings are prepared take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll out into a thin crust. Cut into 2x2in squares. Before you stack the dough make sure to sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking.
Lay a sheet of wax paper onto a baking sheet and spray with pam. Lay twelve of the dough sheets onto the pan. Add the fillings on top.
You might have to pick up the dough sheets and stretch them to fit. I had to do this several times.
Take the tips of the fork and press down the edges. Working with this dough is kind of like working with clay. The score marks will help the sides stick.
After all the Pop-tarts are assembled make sure to write down on a piece of paper the flavors and their placements. It makes frosting much easier!
Brush olive oil (or butter) on the top of the dough before popping them into the oven!
Bake the Pop tarts 13-18 minutes at 350 degrees.
For the topping:
- 2 Cups Powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp Meringue Powder
- 4 Tbsp Water
- Sprinkles of course!
I you want a much cleaner icing, check out the recipe for my cinnamon rolls. You can replace this recipe with that one.
All the Pop-tarts have 1 Tsp of glaze. It will spread out slowly and look like much more.
I dipped the end of a stick into food coloring and mixed the color right in the Tsp that way I didn’t have to keep cleaning the bowl.
After placing the layer of glaze, I sprinkled the top.
Pour the tsp of glaze in the center of the pop tart. Gently spread the glaze with a spoon. Leave about 1 cm glaze-free as it will spread gradually by itself.
I chose colors that represented the flavors on the inside. It helped me remember which Pop-tart is which.
I baked these before I made the switch to zero artificial colors. In the filling recipe, I have an alternative way to add colors to the glaze.
Natural Coloring Chart! :
Orange: orange peels, grated carrots, or sweet potato.
Blue: blackberries or blueberries
Red: cherries,
Purple: Beats
Yellow: lemon peel
Brown: chocolate powder
Green: spinach, kale
Pink: beets.
The pop-tarts would be perfect for parties or for kids. The fillings and flavors you can make are endless. I’m thinking about doing a peppermint mocha flavor! This is also a great office treat to bring instead of donuts.
I loved how the insides looked. The dough was very flaky and almost looked like Phyllo dough or a toaster strudel. My favorite was the coconut!
I can’t wait to see what flavors you come up with!
Brittany says
Can I premake these, and freeze them? Or would it be okay to wrap them in plastic and keep them in the pantry until ready to eat? How long would these last in either scenario?
Lori says
I’m wondering the same thing. If you freeze them should you do it before you cook or after? How long do they keep after cooked. How do they taste cold or should you heat them up before eating?
Pamela says
this recipe looks great, but the directions are vague. Also, my dough is much drier than yours looks, even though I added 5 tbsp of milk. Any suggestions?
Samantha Jo Williams says
These looks delicious! Love the colors.
Tiffany says
Can you freeze this ahead of time and then pull out and bake directly from the freezer?
Syl says
They look amazing! What’s the calories content on them?