Maybe the only thing that beats a homemade strawberry pop tart is a GIANT strawberry pop tart! With a simple homemade pie dough filled with strawberry jam and topped with sweet and sticking icing, making a giant version of this delicious treat makes it so much easier and quicker to whip up than minis.
Can we take a second to just appreciate the existence of giant pop tarts? A giant pop tart is super easy to make and whips up faster than individual sized homemade pop tarts (you can imagine what a time saver it is to not have to cut fill and seal smaller tarts!) I'm so so excited about this recipe because it really is childhood nostalgia in dessert form! And if strawberry isn't your thing, I also have a brown sugar cinnamon version that you can grab HERE!
how to make giant strawberry pop tart
There aren't any crazy ingredients needed to make strawberry pop tarts, and the steps are all very simple and straightforward. First we start by making the homemade pie dough (and if you think that sounds difficult, then think again!)
All we need to do to make the pie dough is cut butter into dry ingredients, then add ice water until it comes together into a dough. That's literally it! The dough is then shaped into 2 rough disks and chilled until firm - this allows the gluten to relax and the butter to solidify, which makes the dough easier to roll and helps achieve a flakey final product after it's baked.
Once the dough has finished chilling, you then roll each disk out into a rough rectangle. Then cut the ragged edges off to get them to about the same size and shape.
Now it's filling time! Place one of the dough rectangles on a large parchment lined baking sheet and spread the strawberry jam on top leaving a 1 inch border around the sides.
Lightly wet the exposed pie dough border with water then lay your second piece of dough on top, pressing to seal the edges together. Use a fork dipped in flour to crimp the edges and really seal in the filling then poke steam holes all over the top using a fork or skewer.
Freeze the filled pop tart for about 20 minutes to firm up and help minimize spreading as it bakes. After it's finished chilling, brush the top of the pop tart with heavy cream and sprinkle over some raw sugar. Bake the tart until it's golden brown on top then cool completely to room temperature before decorating.
To decorate, whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth and combined - I recommend making the icing slightly thicker so it sits nicely on the pop tart. Then pour the icing on top and spread it out to the edges. Top with sprinkles (for a more classic look) or freeze dried strawberries for even more flavor!
egg wash
I chose to use an egg wash substitute using heavy cream and then a sprinkling of sugar, but there are a lot of different egg wash / egg-free options you can use to achieve a golden crust on top of your pop tart. So let's take a quick look at the different options and what you can expect your baked tart to look like:
- egg yolk + heavy cream: This egg wash will give you a deep golden yellow color to your pie crust and gives it a beautiful shine!
- whole egg + milk: A very popular option! This combination will yield a crust that's slightly more matte and a lighter yellow color than the egg yolk option.
- just milk or heavy cream: You can skip the egg and just use milk or heavy cream. Heavy cream will give you a shiner crust than milk, but both will be less shiny than an egg wash that actually features egg. They still work like a charm if you want to keep things egg-free!
- heavy cream + sugar: My personal favorite! This combo involves brushing the tart with heavy cream and then sprinkling sugar on top. This works with granulated but I personally used raw sugar for more crunch. The heavy cream makes the crust shiny while the sugar helps with browning and caramelization. The result is a crust that looks like it has an egg wash but without the need to crack open an egg!
- no egg wash: You could skip the topping altogether and just bake the crust as is. Not brushing anything on the tart will result in a duller finish with a bit more patchy browning (usually concentrated around the corners). If you don't like how your pop tart crust came out, the nice thing about this recipe is that you can use the icing to cover up most or all of the surface of the crust - so it doesn't make a huge difference either way!
There are a lot more options out there for egg washes, but these are just a few that I personally love and use the most.
other homemade pop tart flavors
You can use this same recipe and switch up the filling to make any other pop tart flavors you like! You can also make some of your own flavors with different fillings. When picking a filling, it's important to choose something that's not overly runny (try to stick to fillings with a consistency like jam or slightly thicker). It's also important to pick a filling that doesn't become overly runny when exposed to heat because you run the risk of having it burst out the sides.
check out these other recipes!
• Strawberry Cupcakes
• Gooey Strawberry Cheesecake Butter Cake
• Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
• Easy Lemon Tart
• Chocolate Pudding Pie
• Lemon Brownies
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
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Giant Strawberry Pop Tart
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 giant tart
Description
Maybe the only thing that beats a homemade strawberry pop tart is a GIANT strawberry pop tart! With a simple homemade pie dough filled with strawberry jam and topped with sweet and sticking icing, making a giant version of this delicious treat makes it so much easier and quicker to whip up than minis.
Ingredients
For the pop tart:
- 2 ½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (225g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 6-8 tablespoon ice cold water
- 1 cup (320g) strawberry jam
- 2 tbsp heavy cream + 2 teaspoon raw sugar (for topping) *see above post for more options
For the icing:
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon water
- rainbow sprinkles or freeze dried strawberries (for decorating)
Instructions
Make the Pop Tart:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cold butter.
- 2 ½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup (225g) cold unsalted butter
- Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces are slightly larger than the size of a pea. Try to keep the butter relatively cold for a flakier crust!
- Mix in 6 tablespoons of ice cold water. The dough will appear dry, but if you squeeze it with your fingers, it should stick together. If it doesn't stick, gradually mix in a bit more water until it does.
- 6-8 tablespoon ice cold water
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap then chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until firm.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take one of the disks of dough out of the fridge and place on a lightly floured work surface. Very lightly knead it with your hands to soften it enough to roll - it should still be cool but not too firm.
- Roll the dough out into a rough rectangle shape that's about ¼" thick. Trim off the jagged edges to create a nicer rectangle then carefully transfer the dough onto your baking sheet. Place it in the fridge while you prep the top dough.
- Repeat the process of rolling and trimming the second disk of dough so that you now have 2 similarly sized rectangles.
- Take the baking sheet with first dough out of the fridge and top with strawberry jam. Spread the jam to the edges leaving a roughly 1 inch border around the sides of the dough.
- 1 cup (320g) strawberry jam
- Lightly wet the exposed border with water (to help the doughs stick together) and then lay the second dough on top.
- Use a lightly floured fork to press the edges to seal in the jam and create a crimped pattern. Then use a fork or a skewer to poke steam holes all across the surface of the tart.
- Transfer the assembled tart into the freezer and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Before baking, brush the top of your semi-frozen pop tart with heavy cream and sprinkle sugar evenly on top. Bake your giant pop tart in the center of your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream, 2 teaspoon raw sugar
- Cool completely before icing.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add a tiny splash more water to thin it to your desired consistency.
- 2 cups (230g) powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoon water
- Pour the icing over your cooled tart then decorate with sprinkles or freeze dried strawberries.
- You can slice and serve right away (but it'll be messy!) For cleaner slices, allow the icing to set until firm to the touch (about 1 to 2 hours).
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pies
Enjoy!
Jesse says
Hi, What about apple pop tart?
Mimi says
I'm actually working on a recipe for one coming soon! I just need to perfect the filling! ❤️
Laura says
I really enjoyed this recipe!! Thank you !!!