Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts
Rhubarb season is upon the Midwest and the South is in an uproar over this unique vegetable. It’s extremely tart, extremely delicious, and extremely difficult to find here! My goal several months ago was simple: make strawberry rhubarb jam. It was still early yet in the season, so I gave it some time and kept my eyes peeled for rhubarb at the store. A dear friend finally found some for me at Fresh Market!
The jam I use for all of these pop tarts is this strawberry rhubarb jam. It takes about 2 hours to make, and although I had my toddler with me during the prep, most of the stovetop cooking couldn’t involve her, so I would recommend preparing and canning the jam ahead of time OR using store bought strawberry jam (gasp!).
I have been trying to think of ways to include my daughter more in cooking and with this recipe a huge part of that was simplifying the many components of a pop tart. In order to make this a toddler friendly adventure I made the jam ahead of time, used defrosted puff pastry instead of homemade pie crust, and cut the dough squares by eye instead of measuring. With an older kid it might be a super fun thing to break out the measuring tape while baking, but with a 2 1/2 year old it was exhausting to even think about.
I made these pop tarts once without my daughter, and followed this recipe exactly and made 8 pop tarts. There were numerous issues and frustrations with a homemade pie dough that I felt would make it unfeasible to accomplish with a toddler. However, if you would like that more traditional pop tart crust, it did turn out really yummy.
The recipe that follows is much less time consuming and relatively hassle-free (I did it in under two hours with my toddler) but it results in a pop tart that feels a bit more like a toaster strudel because of the puff pastry. It makes 6 pop tarts that are still absolutely delicious!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup strawberry jam *see notes about what we used
For the crust
- 1 package defrosted Pepperidge Farm puff pastry (2 sheets) **see notes about alternatives
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
For the icing
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles
Instructions
Make the filling
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Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small pot over medium-low heat.
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Add in the jam and bring to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
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Remove from heat and let cool.
Assemble the pop tarts
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Unwrap the puff pastry and lay out one sheet on a large cutting board.
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Fold the sheet in half evenly to create three, even seam lines and six rectangular quadrants.
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Cut along the lines to make six rectangles.
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Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl and brush all the rectangles fully with the mixture.
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Add a dollop (~1 tbs) of cooled jam to the center of THREE rectangles.
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Lay the other three rectangles carefully on top and use your fingers to press down on the edges.
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Use a fork to press into the seams around all the edges for a firmer seal and then prick the top several time with the fork.
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Lay out these three pop tarts onto a large parchment covered baking sheet and repeat this process with the second sheet of puff pastry to create six total pop tarts.
Bake for 25 minutes on 375F.
Ice
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Let pop tarts cool before icing.
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Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until icing forms.
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Spoon out over pop tarts and sprinkle immediately with sprinkles (once icing cools and sets, sprinkles will not adhere).
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Icing should set in about half an hour, but they can be enjoyed immediately for a messy treat!
