CARAMEL APPLE PIE POP TARTS – Cinnamon-spiced apple filling surrounded by a flaky pie crust glazed with caramel and sprinkles. My idea of a homemade pop-tart.
They’re a cross between pop-tarts and apple turnovers. A hand-held pie bursting with fresh apples, tender crust and a brown sugar caramel glaze.
Beats out any pop-tart you can buy in a box.
I grew up eating pop-tarts. My favorite flavor was brown sugar followed closely by blueberry then cherry. In high school my best friend tried to get me to eat toaster pastries instead. You know, those frozen puff pastries filled with fruit that you frost yourself?
They just weren’t the same.
The reason being is I’m a crust girl. I lust after it. There was a time when I didn’t like pie, well, really the mushy fruit filling, so I would scrape it out and eat the crust.
Eating a pop-tart is just like eating a slab of pie crust.
Pop-tarts are nothing more than pies for crust-lovers.
Caramel Apple Pie Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 + 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces chilled butter cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup chilled shortening
- filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups apple peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- glaze:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Sift flour and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry blender or two knives used scissor fashion until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 4–5 tablespoons of ice water until dough just holds together.
- Divide into 2 even balls and pat each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; add the apples, lemon, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook 20 minutes stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water.
- On a floured surface roll the pie crusts out (one at a time) to a 10 x 13 inch rectangle. Use a pastry or pizza cutter to cut 9 (3 x 4 inch) rectangles out of each. Then reroll the scraps to make 2 additional 3 x 4 inch rectangles.
- Place 6 of the crusts on the baking sheet 1 or 2 inches apart. Place a rounded tablespoon of apple filling in the center and gently spread out leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Brush egg white around the edges and top with another piece of crust. Crimp the edges all around with a fork. Brush with egg white all over. Repeat until you have 10 pop-tarts.
- Refrigerate the pop-tarts on the baking sheets for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake one sheet at a time 15-16 minutes until golden brown all over. Remove to wire racks to cool.
- To make the glaze add the brown sugar, butter and milk to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. Brush over tops of the pop-tarts and decorate with sprinkles.