Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts

This recipe for flaky, buttery Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts is a childhood favorite, but homemade and so much better!

When I was a kid,  Pop-Tarts were not the thing at my house. My Gram was in charge of breakfast before we left for school. During the week it was usually orange wedges, scrambled eggs or French toast with salt and pepper, not syrup, and a vitamin. I don’t think I even tried a store-bought Pop-Tart until I had my boys. To tell you the truth I am not a big fan, but these homemade pop tarts are a totally different story. Totally.

You’ll only need five ingredients for the flaky pastry dough and it comes together quickly. You will need to chill the dough for at least one hour or you can opt to chill it overnight. Once you roll out your dough and cut your rectangles, you’ll top with your preserves, brush the top of the pop-tarts with an egg wash and then crimp the edges before chilling for an additional 20 minutes and then baking.

The peanut butter glaze is a combination of confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, milk and vanilla and it’s HEAVENLY!

These pop-tarts take a little more effort than just popping a store-bought in the toaster, but I’m thinking you’re worth the extra effort, and so are the kiddos! Just remember, don’t worry about getting the perfect rectangle. They are going to taste fabulous even if they don’t look perfect. You really need to give these Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts a go. You won’t be disappointed!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts

Author: Mary Ann Dwyer

Servings: 7 tarts

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This recipe for flaky, buttery Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop-Tarts is a childhood favorite, but homemade and so much better!

Prep Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Ingredients  

Pop-Tarts

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 4 Tbsp. cold shortening, cut into small cubes (I use Crisco sticks)
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
• 1 large egg, whisked with 1 tsp. water

Glaze

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions 

Pop-Tarts

• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt until combined. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter and shortening until coarse crumbs form. Add 1/2 cup cold water and mix together until mixture forms large clumps. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill up to one hour or over night. If chilling over night remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before rolling dough out.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll disc out into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, about 9x12 inches. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 14 3" x 4" rectangles. Transfer to prepared sheet and chill for 15 minutes. Spread heaping tablespoonful of jam on 7 of the rectangles. Leave about 1/2 inch border. Brush edges with the egg wash mixture. Brush edges with the egg wash mixture. Prick the tops of the pastries with a fork so steam can escape. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove from the refrigerator and brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Glaze

• Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Spoon over the tarts. Let set for about 5 minutes.

Notes

I used strawberry preserves for my pop-tarts, but you can use whatever flavor you enjoy.

For the glazed use creamy peanut butter, not chunky, so you get a nice smooth glaze. I used Skippy Peanut Butter.

Keyword: jelly, peanut butter, pop tarts

Cuisine: American

Course: Breakfast, Snack