Name: Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 1 h 43 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups (268 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; ½ tablespoon granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup (1 stick) cold salted butter, cubed; 1 large egg; 1-2 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed; 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar; ½ cup light brown sugar, packed; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted; 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash; ½ cup powdered sugar; 2-4 teaspoons milk; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt

Jump to Recipe

Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are a sweet treat the whole family will love. Flaky pastry holds a buttery brown sugar cinnamon filling and a simple cinnamon glaze.

These Pop-Tarts are easy to make and taste so much better than the boxed kind. These pastries are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.

Don’t let the ingredient list scare you off! It may look a little long at first glance, but most of the ingredients are simple pantry staples. Plus, these homemade Pop-Tarts are much easier to make than you might think. Once you get started, they come together in no time. And trust me, that first bite makes it all worth it!

Ingredients At A Glance

all-purpose flour
granulated sugar
salt
salted butter, cubed
egg
ice water, plus more as needed
distilled white vinegar

Filling:

light brown sugar, packed
ground cinnamon
salted butter, melted
all-purpose flour
salt
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Glaze:

powdered sugar
milk
ground cinnamon
salt

Significant Substitutions & Ingredient Details

Homemade Pop-Tart shells: If you are short on time, you can use premade pie crusts from a 14-ounce package. One box usually includes 2 rolled pie crusts. Just roll out the dough and cut out your rectangles. It won’t have the same flaky Pop-Tart shell, but it works if you want to make your Pop-Tarts more quickly.

Cold Butter: Extremely cold butter creates steam pockets during baking, resulting in a flaky crust. Cold butter also helps you achieve the right consistency while you make your pastry. If the butter is warm or room temperature, the pastry will be extra sticky, and you may end up needing to add flour, which can dry out your pop tart shell.

Light Brown Sugar: You can substitute dark brown sugar for a deeper, molasses-rich filling flavor.

Milk: Any milk (dairy, oat milk, or almond milk) works for adjusting the glaze to your desired thickness. I used 2% milk.

Flour in filling: The 2 teaspoons of flour absorb the melting sugar and butter so the filling stays inside the pastry instead of running out onto the pan.

How To Make Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts

Here’s a quick look at how to make these homemade Pop-Tarts. You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.

Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, and salt, then add the cold cubed butter.

Slowly work the dough to incorporate the butter until you have pea-sized pieces throughout. Stir in the egg, 1 tablespoon ice water, and white vinegar until the dough just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until firm.

Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, flour, and salt until combined.

Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness, then cut it into an even number of matching 3×5-inch rectangles.

Place half of the rectangles on the baking sheet and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the brown sugar filling into the center of each.

Top each with a remaining dough rectangle and crimp the edges firmly with a fork to seal. Use the fork to poke holes in the top of each rectangle.

Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush the tops of each Pop-Tart with the egg mixture.

Bake until lightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mix together the glaze ingredients and spread over the cooled Pop-Tarts.

How To Store Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts

Store unglazed or glazed Pop-Tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 4 days, separated by parchment paper.

For that authentic warm toaster-pastry experience, warm unglazed Pop-Tarts in a toaster or 350-degree F toaster oven for 3 to 5 minutes before icing. Do not put glazed Pop-Tarts into a toaster.

You can also freeze unbaked assembled pastries on a baking sheet, store them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months, and bake them directly from frozen (add 3 to 5 minutes to the bake time).

Helpful Tips

Keep the dough as cold as possible. If the dough softens or the butter warms while you roll and cut, pop the cut rectangles onto a baking sheet and freeze for 5 minutes before filling. This will not only make them easier to handle, but it will also result in the flakiest Pop-Tart shell.

If you are concerned about losing some of the brown sugar filling, you can also egg-wash the inside borders of the Pop-Tart shell before adding the top layer. Brushing egg wash on the inside borders before crimping acts as a sticky glue, preventing brown sugar syrup from coming out the sides during baking. I didn’t experience this issue when I made them, but the extra step won’t hurt the final Pop-Tart.

Poke steam vents. Pricking the top pastry with a fork lets internal steam release cleanly, so the top crust stays flat rather than ballooning up.

Cool completely before glazing. Make sure the pastries are at room temperature before icing. Warm Pop-Tarts will melt the powdered sugar glaze and make it run off the edges. It’s worth the wait for the thick layer of glaze you can add to the top.

Looking for more delicious recipes? Try my Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie or 2-Ingredient Cinnamon Roll Apple Pies.

Yield: 6-8 Pop-Tarts