TEOTWAWKI Breakfast Comfort Food--Homemade Pop Tarts

Kellogg's Pop-Tarts were never a hot item for me. I think I may have had them once or twice as a child, and that was more than enough for me. I was more than a little disturbed to find that my then-boyfriend and now-husband really liked them. (Our children still can't figure out how we got together.) I mean, they're really a lot of sugar and mystery ingredients and something they call fruit inside. And my husband persuaded the kids that they were good. They gobble them up.

Or they used to. Not so much now. Even my husband doesn't buy them much anymore.

Because the homemade ones are so much better.

And you know exactly what is in them. They don't really take all that long to make, and you can make different flavors based on what's available and what you feel like.

Homemade Pop Tarts

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons cold milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• jam

Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk

Combine the flour and salt.  Cut the shortening and butter into the flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly. Add cold milk two tablespoons at a time and mix just until the dough forms a ball. Just for ease in working, divide the dough in half. Roll out one half at a time to about 1/8" thickness.

Now, most recipes will have you cut everything into perfect rectangles so that your pop tarts are just like store-bought. But it's kind of a hassle to cut everything perfectly. I find using a round cookie cutter or glass to be much easier and more effective. No, it won't go into the toaster perfectly, but these are so good they won't last long enough to need re-heating anyway.

Brush the beaten egg onto each bottom pastry. This is to help seal the edges. Then on the cut circles spread a teaspoon or two of jam, depending on the size. Cover with another circle and use a fork all around to seal the edges. Place the pop-tarts on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Prick the top with a fork to let the steam escape and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Let cool a few minutes and then drizzle with glaze, if desired.

Variations:

Brown sugar filling: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 teaspoons flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Chocolate filling: chocolate chips

Nutella filling: Spread 1-2 teaspoons of Nutella.

Bacon and cheese: 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon, 1 egg, 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

 9 november 2019