Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Rub the chilled butter in the mixture, using your fingertips. When it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, add iced cold water, 1 Tbsp at a time, just enough to bind the dough. It can be a bit scraggy at this point but don’t worry, it will come together. Using the palm of your hand, push the dough away from you 4-5 times until its smooth.
Divide the dough into 2. Flatten each half into a disk. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. This should rest for at least an hour.
When you’re ready to bake, keep a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking tray handy and preheat the oven to 180C.
Working with one half at a time, unwrap the dough and flour your work surface well. Roll out the dough into a rough rectangle and cut into 8 rectangles, approximately 2.5" *3.5".Repeat with the second half of the dough.
Once you've got all the rectangles cut out. Spoon 1.5 teaspoons of jam in the center of half of the rectangles. Spread it out a bit, leaving about 1/2" of the edges. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to wet the edges with water.
Place another rectangle on top. Seal the edges with your fingertips and then use a fork to make an attractive pattern around each rectangle. This helps to seal the edges better.
Prick each filled rectangle 4-6 times with a toothpick or a fork. Place the tray in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
Bake the chilled tarts for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown on top.
Once the pop tarts are ready, let them cool completely. Drizzle over some glaze and immediately top with sprinkles, if using. Let the glaze set, about 5 minutes. serve and enjoy!
Lemon Glaze
Combine lemon juice and icing sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and thick.
Notes
The flour, the water, and the butter need to be chilled. If needed, add ice cubes to the water to keep it cold.
Don’t overwork the dough. Instead of kneading, bring it together till it feels sticky and moist.
I recommend making the pastry dough the night before. It’ll make the rest of the easy pop tarts recipe a breeze. Cover it with cling wrap and refrigerate it. I left it overnight, of course, but even an hour will do wonders!
I used a scale to keep the pastry dough pieces somewhat even in size. You can eyeball it, too.
Don’t skip refrigerating the assembled strawberry pop-tarts. It’s the secret to flaky, buttery pastry. When they are chilled, bake till golden brown!
Always line the baking tray with parchment or Silpat for easy clean up as the filling does ooze out.