pop tarts...delicious goodness

My mommy came to visit this weekend. She cooked. I would love to say that WE cooked. But, that simply is not the case. She cooked and I worked on Hebrew. I translated and parsed the book of Jonah until the world seemed flat and then I ate. I love it when my mommy visits! I am listing one of the recipes here so 1) I can find it later and 2) so you can make it too...if you so choose.

A couple of years ago PopTarts came up with a new advertising campaign. It was magical, whimsical and just plain fun. Every time this commercial played I was filled with instant happiness...joy. In fact, just between us, I might go through spurts of singing the tune to myself and dancing along. Listen to the clip below and tell me it is NOT instant joy.



You see? Joy. The problem is that I do not like PopTarts. They are overly processed, sugared and filled with articifical colors and flavors. BLEK. That does not sound tasty to me. But then, I found that Trader Joe's carried an organic, real fruit version. They are wonderful. Yes they still contain copious amounts of sugar but two out of three isn't bad for an occasional treat.

So, on the occasion that I eat one of these PopTarts, I might dance around the kitchen singing this song (and drinking coffee because a PopTart without coffee is like a brownie with out milk). It is blissful.

Yesterday, my mother made my life even better. She made homemade PopTarts. They are the most amazing food ever. Yes, the evoke LOTS of singing and dancing. I am sharing the recipe here because I know they will bring joy into your life too.

Homemade PopTarts
Recipe adapted from Sugarcrafter
It is no surprise that there are not any pictures. But ours look pretty much like hers...so if you need to see a picture, check out the other blog.

Ingredients
2c flour (consider White Whole Wheat)
1 Tbs Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 egg + 1/2 Tbsp water (to brush on pastry)

Fillings
I like preserves/jams...the all fruit kind.
I also thought about peanut butter and jelly

Directions:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in medium bowl.
Use a pastry blender to work the pieces of butter into the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Stir the egg mixture into the dough and knead lightly to incorporate. Divide the dough in half and rool out each half on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thickness.
Cut the dough into rectangles about 3x4".
Beat the additional egg with the water and brush it over the surface of the bottom pieces of dough. Place the tablespoon of the desired filling on the center of each piece of dough, adn then place another piece on top.
Use a fork to seal the edges
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. prick the top of each pastry multiple times with a fork.
Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.