If you ever get the chance to take a cooking class with Rebecca Rather, you gotta do it. And the same holds true for being in the same room as David Lebovitz. You won’t be sorry.

I’ve taken two cooking classes with The Pastry Queen recently and walked away from the last class with my husband’s new go-to breakfast: homemade pop tarts. At the Rather Sweet Bakery, homemade pop tarts are all the rage. They’re served as dessert with a scoop of ice cream. Yum! In this house, we’re mostly eating them for breakfast. And as mid-afternoon snacks. And possibly one was snagged from the cake plate and called dessert.

The Foodie Groom and I had a chance to chat with Rebecca Rather after class for a few minutes. We talked pop tarts, Project Pastry Queen, and olive oil. She is busy, busy, busy working on the accompanying cookbook for a PBS documentary about olive oil production (Texas Olive Trails). We agreed that I would make and blog her pop tart recipe, so here it is. Like all of the goodies at Rather Sweet, it’s a by-hand recipe but I’ve added notes where Cuisinart and I might have automated it just a tad 🙂

I have been making half the batch peach and the other half fig. They’re incredibly flaky – nothing this good could ever come out of a box. And no weird ingredients that send you running to Google. I’ve been baking a batch every weekend since getting my hands on the recipe… when they run out, it’s cereal for breakfast again.

Is there anything better than a warm, flaky pastry crust? If you want “authentic,” mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with just enough water (think teaspoons) to make a thick glaze. Spoon over the still warm pop tarts.

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Homemade Pop Tarts

Nothing beats a fresh, homemade pop tart filled with your favorite fruits and preserves.

Ingredients

• 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (cold)
• 4 Tbsp ice water
• 12-14 Tbsp good quality peach preserves/jam (or other favorite fruit)
• 2 cups chopped peaches
• 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add butter and mix with fingers until it resembles coarse meal.
3. Add ice water and mix lightly and form into a ball.
4. Or, shred the cold sticks of butter with your food processor. Remove the grater attachment and place the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Add the the dry ingredients to the bowl fitted with the dough blade and pulse a few times to mix. While running, add ice-cold water by the Tablespoon just until the dough mostly forms a ball. (You might need a little more water.)
5. Divide in half; shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
6. Roll 1 disk at a time on a floured surface to about 13x11 inches. Trim to 12x10 and cut into 5x3-inch rectangles.
7. Place 4 rectangles on each baking sheet. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of preserves onto the center and top with chopped peaches.
8. Cover with second dough rectangle and gently press the edges to seal.
9. Crimp edges with a floured fork and poke a few holes on top.
10. Cover tarts and freeze for 2 hours or up to 1 week (I froze overnight and then baked the next morning).
11. Whisk egg and water and brush over tarts right before baking.
12. Bake frozen tarts at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
13. Sift powdered sugar over tarts or frost with powdered sugar icing.
I bake the entire batch at once. I supposed you could bake them fresh every morning but it's hot. I keep the oven use to a minimum. Plus, they keep really well in a covered cake plate on the counter for 4 days. 2 people + 8 pop tarts = 4 days.

Notes

Yields: 8 Servings

Adapted from The Pastry Queen

Estimated time: 4 hours

Nutritional Information
Calories: 275.8 | Fat: 23.1 | Fiber 2
WW Points: 7