Pecan Pie Pop Tarts

Pecan Pie Pop Tarts

Frosted and sprinkled with pecans

Pecan Pie Pop Tarts

The Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 large egg, beaten lightly
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon butter flavor/extract

Instructions:

• Make the filling at least 3 hours before planning to make the pop tarts because you want it to be as viscus as possible.
• In a medium size saucepan over medium-low heat, place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and egg. Stir ingredients to incorporate and continue stirring while it cooks.
• Cook until the mixture comes to a gentle boil/simmer and thickens slightly. 
• Once it boils, remove from the heat and add the pecans along with the vanilla and butter flavor/extract. Stir completely.
• Transfer mixture to a heat-proof container (like a clean mason jar), allow to cool, and then refrigerate until needed.

The Crust

Ingredients:

• 200 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 32 grams cornstarch
• 30 grams powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 56 grams cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 90 milliliters cream

Instructions:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Pulse a few times to blend the dry ingredients.
• Add the butter and pulse a few more times until you get a sandy-looking mixture with possibly a few small chunks of butter left.
• Pour in the cream and pulse a few times to disperse the cream. Then process for 30 to 60 seconds until the dough comes together and starts forming a ball, or at least cohesive chunks.
• Get a square piece of plastic wrap and set aside (you'll need two pieces of plastic wrap total).
• Weigh the dough and then divide into two equal portions.
• Working with one half of the dough at a time on the plastic wrap, pat into a ball, and then flatten the sides of the ball to sort of form a dough cube.
• Flatten the cube while trying to maintain the square shape as much as possible. 
• Once it's about 1/2 inch thick, place onto the plastic wrap and try to neatly fold the dough into the plastic wrap so you get squared off corners with the plastic wrap.
• Gently use a rolling pin to roll the dough in the plastic wrap so the dough squishes into the corners. It probably won't create a perfect square, but the more square you can get it now, the easier the rolling will be later.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough.
• Place dough in the refrigerator for about an hour, or up to 2 days.

The Pop Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 batch (in 2 pieces) pop tart dough (see above)
• 1 cup (approximately) pecan pie filling
• 90 grams powdered sugar
• 3-4 teaspoons water, plus more for sealing pop tarts
• 2 tablespoons crushed toasted pecans and or 2 tablespoons crushed toffee bits

Equipment:

• baking sheet
• parchment paper 
• rolling pin
• stiff ruler, plastic or metal
• pizza cutter
• fork
• knife or offset spatula
• small pastry brush
• whisk

Instructions:

• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lightly dust your rolling surface with flour, and turn out one of your dough pieces. Flour your rolling pin and gently swat the dough to soften it up--tap a few times in each direction side to side, top to bottom, and diagonally both ways. Turn the dough over and swat it on that side too.
• Start rolling the dough out into a rectangle and about 1/8" or 2 mm thickness, keeping the corners as square as possible. If the dough is cracking a lot, let it sit a few more minutes to soften before continuing to roll.
• Using the ruler and the pizza cutter, cut the edges of the dough to make a clean-looking rectangle, preserving as much area as possible. You can bake off the scraps later or throw them away.
• Measure the height and width of the sheet of dough and divide by 3. Then cut into 9 rectangles that are as equally sized as possible. Move the rectangles to the parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.
• Repeat the swatting and rolling with the second piece of dough, going just a little bit thinner to make a slightly larger rectangle. Repeat the measuring and cutting as well.
• Using a floured fork, carefully poke holes into each piece of top crust.
• Get your pecan pie filing, and using a spoon or offset spatula, spread about 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling onto the pieces of dough on the pan. Leave at least a quarter inch around the edge clear of filling. Repeat with remaining bottom crusts.
• Using the pastry brush and water, lightly moisten the edges of dough around the filling. 
• Place a top crust onto each of the bottom ones, gently pressing the edges together. Once you've done this with all of the pop tarts, dip a fork in flour and crimp all of the edges of each pop tart.
• (If you're using crushed toffee for the topping, lightly brush the top crusts with water and sprinkle evenly with crushed toffee.)
• Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until edges are starting to brown.
• Move pop tarts to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once pop tarts are completely cool, whisk the 90 grams powdered sugar with 3 teaspoons water. Add the last teaspoon of water if the mixture is too thick and/or dry. This mixture should not be runny. 
• Using an offset spatula or a knife, spread about a teaspoon of frosting onto each pop tart and then immediately sprinkle with crushed pecans, if desired. 
• Allow frosting to set before enjoying.
• Eat or freeze within 3 days.
• Only toast the pop tarts if you do not frost them. This frosting will burn in a toaster.

Here's a video of how I made cherry pop tarts. Same basic process applies with the Pecan Pie Pop Tarts. 

The filling

Topped with crushed toffee bits