If you enjoy making from-scratch versions of store-bought favorites, you will love these homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Like my chocolate pastry tarts recipe, this is a fun baking project you can absolutely handle if you follow my thorough step-by-step instructions. I have plenty of step photos for you, too.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Tara, commented: “Such a fun project this week, thank you for sharing! We love this flavor pop tart but it’s so nice to make them at home. These were easier than I thought once we got going! ★★★★★”
Allow me to introduce you to a homemade version of the all-time best pop tart flavor in the history of time. Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon—the toaster pastry that puts all other toaster pastries to shame. (Although chocolate pop tarts are a close second!)
These Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts Are:
- Filled with brown sugar and cinnamon, and topped with a sweet cinnamon glaze
- Encased in buttery, flaky pie dough, like these apple hand pies
- Best after they have completely cooled
- An intermediate baking recipe and doable for most home bakers
- Definitely a dessert, but feel free to indulge as a special breakfast treat
My homemade pop tarts taste just like the original, but better. You don’t get a flaky, slightly crumbly, all-butter-crust with store-bought pop tarts. You just get… crumbles.
And you get about twice the amount of filling with my homemade version. And none of the preservatives or mystery additives.
Making pop tarts at home, 100% from scratch, isn’t the quickest. It’s not impossible, nor should this recipe intimidate you… but you have to take your time, read all of the instructions before beginning, and practice patience. There are quite a few steps, but I have plenty of photos to walk you through it. (I feel the same way about homemade eclairs… a labor of love, but totally worth it!)
Here’s what you need:
Start With the Pie Dough
Step 1 is to make the pie dough, which needs to chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out. I always make it a day (or even a couple days) ahead of time, so it’s ready to go on the day I want to make these pop tarts.
I recommend using my butter pie crust. This crust, while gloriously buttery and flaky, is sturdy enough to bake in different shapes and designs. I also have a shortening & butter pie crust recipe you could use instead; that one holds wonderful shape because shortening has a higher melting point than butter.
Either one works for this recipe.
Both dough recipes yield 2 crusts, and you’ll use both crusts today to produce 9 pop tarts.
How to Assemble Homemade Pop Tarts
After the 2 discs of dough have chilled for at least 2 hours, remove one from the fridge. Roll the disc into a rectangle about 1/8th-inch thick—about 9×12 inches in total size. Trim off the sides of this rectangle as needed. A pizza cutter is really helpful here.
Cut dough into 3 even sections, then cut each section into 3 sections. You’ll end up with 9 rectangles, each about 3×4 inches. These will be the bottoms of your homemade pop tarts.
Place each rectangle onto a lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and repeat this process with the second disc of dough. These 9 rectangles will be the tops of your pop tarts.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart Filling
The brown sugar cinnamon pop tart filling is made with—you guessed it—lots of cinnamon and brown sugar, plus a touch of flour. That’s it, just 3 ingredients.
Before filling the homemade pop tarts, brush the rectangle “bottoms” with a little egg wash. This helps the filling melt down and stick to the crust. It also serves as the “glue” to bind the top and bottom crusts together.
Egg wash = 1 egg beaten with a little milk.
Place 1 heaping Tablespoon of filling onto each rectangle and spread it around. Leave a 1/4-inch border around the rectangle, as pictured above. Brush the rectangle “tops” of the pop tarts with egg wash. Place on top of the filled bottoms, egg wash-side-down.
Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops of each pastry, which allows steam to escape. This helps your pop tart crust get nice and flaky, too. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
Now, place the ready-to-bake pop tarts in the refrigerator. This helps the pie dough firm up, since it has been out at room temperature for so long. Chill for 20 minutes while your oven preheats. Once chilled, brush the tops with egg wash. This is what gives your pastry crust that beautiful golden sheen.
Pop Tart Frosting
The icing is so simple. It’s more of a glaze, less of a frosting. And it’s absolutely incredible paired with the homemade pastry and brown sugar cinnamon filling.
Just a few ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Whisk until slightly thick, but still a little runny—you want it to be spreadable. Use a knife, icing spatula, or the back of a spoon to spread on top of each homemade pop tart.
After completely cooling, the crust is deliciously flaky, the filling has thickened, and the icing has set. If you can manage the self control, wait to eat one until the icing has set (it takes about an hour)… yep, it’s practically impossible.
We actually love these homemade pop tarts even more the next day. The icing slightly hardens, making them taste much more like the originals.
These brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are really more like hand pies. They taste like the store-bought pop tarts (only 1000x better!), but I don’t suggest putting them in the toaster to reheat. If you want to enjoy them warm, I recommend warming them in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Yes. Instead of brown sugar cinnamon filling, try spreading 1 Tablespoon of preserves or a thick jam in the center of the bottom crust. You can top the fruit pop tarts with vanilla icing. Or try a Tablespoon of Nutella, apple butter, or lemon curd; or try these homemade chocolate pop tarts.
More Homemade Versions of Favorite Childhood Treats
If you love a homemade taste of nostalgia, try one of these copycat dessert recipes next!
- Chocolate Cake Roll (Swiss Roll)
- Oatmeal Creme Pies
- Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- Rice Krispie Treats
Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 pop-tarts
- Category: Pastries
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you like Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, you will love this homemade version. They’re made completely from scratch with REAL ingredients and an all-butter pastry crust. Read through the recipe before beginning, and view the step-by-step photos and video tutorial to help guide you. Be sure to chill the pastry dough for at least 2 hours as instructed in step 2.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 1/2 cup (120ml) ice water, plus more as needed
Filling
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed dark or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- egg wash: 1 large egg mixed with 2 teaspoons milk
Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (90g), sifted
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the pastry: This is the same recipe as all butter pie crust. See step-by-step photos in the pie crust post if you need visuals for making the pastry. I usually make the pastry the night before. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is okay). You can also use a food processor, and pulse the mixture together, but be careful not to overwork the ingredients. Drizzle the water over the flour mixture, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir with a spatula after every Tablespoon has been added until the dough begins to form large clumps. Do not add any more water than needed.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, gently bring the dough mixture together into a ball. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels too dry or is too crumbly to form a ball, dip your fingers in cold water and then continue bringing dough together. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle more flour on the dough and then continue bringing it together. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half. Gently flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days (or in the freezer for up to 3 months).
- Roll out the dough: Remove 1 chilled dough disc from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Keep the other disc in the refrigerator. After 5 minutes, place disc onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a 9×12-inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim the sides as needed. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into thirds and each third into thirds again. You will end up with 9 rectangles, each measuring 3×4 inches. Use a ruler to help make this easier and more accurate. Place each of the 9 rectangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The pop tarts will not spread much in the oven, so you may place them near one another. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
- Repeat step 3 with the 2nd disc of dough to make 9 more rectangles. Place each of the 9 rectangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
- Make the filling: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a small bowl.
- Assemble the pop tarts: Remove 1 baking sheet of pastry rectangles from the refrigerator. These will be the bottoms of your pop tarts. Brush egg wash over the entire surface of each rectangle. Place a heaping Tablespoon of the filling into the center of each rectangle and spread it around with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges.
- Remove the 2nd baking sheet of pastry rectangles from the refrigerator. These will be the tops of your pop tarts. Brush egg wash over the entire surface of each top rectangle, then place each top rectangle, egg-wash-side-down, on the filling-topped bottoms. Use your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Reserve remaining egg wash.
- Using a toothpick, poke 6 to 8 holes in the tops of each filled pastry to allow the steam to escape. You can, instead, use a knife to make a few small slits. Seal the edges tightly by crimping with a fork. Refrigerate the filled pop tarts, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Once the unbaked pop tarts have chilled for 20 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let the pop tarts cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. You want a thick glaze, but not too thick that it is hard to spread. If it’s too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Spoon the icing on top of each cooled pop tart, and use the back of the spoon or an icing spatula to spread. The icing will set in about 1 hour.
- Store pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and unfrosted pop tarts freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. To reheat, bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula | Rolling Pin | Pizza Cutter | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush | Whisk
- Pastry: Store-bought pie dough works here, but this homemade version creates that unique flaky, slightly crunchy yet tender texture you know and love from classic pop tarts. You could also use my shortening and butter pie crust if desired. Or feel free to use your own favorite pie crust recipe.
- Filling: Get creative! Use your favorite fillings instead of brown sugar cinnamon. You can use a thick fruit preserves or jam, Nutella, raspberry cake filling, lemon curd, or make chocolate pop tarts instead.
- Adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Love these! This was by far my most ambitious baking project to date but with the detailed instructions it felt like Sally was holding my hand all the way through. Mine turned out perfectly flaky, with super moist and flavorful filling. My tips:
-Think through your setup in advance, especially making room in your fridge for the baking sheets. I put one layer of pastry on top of the other, separated by tinfoil, to save fridge space.
-I used Sally’s all-butter pie crust recipe since I didn’t have shortening and it worked great.
-I used tinfoil since I didn’t have parchment paper or silicone mats. Don’t do this! It was very difficult to separate the poptarts from the tinfoil. (Sally, do you have a better substitute baking surface recommendation?)
-I did half with the brown sugar cinnamon filling and frosting from this recipe. The other half I filled with raspberry jam and made frosting from powdered sugar + raspberry jam + milk. The two flavors were equally delicious, and I’m sure you could do this with any flavor jam.
My only complaint is that the edges on most of mine split. This didn’t really seem to affect the flavor, and they all held together enough to eat in one piece, but they weren’t as perfect as they could have been. I think the problem was that the filling seeped into the egg wash and spread closer to the edges, making them harder to seal. My plan for next time is:
One at a time, add filling to bottom rectangle, then brush egg wash just around the edges, then egg wash the top rectangle, seal it on, and stick it in the fridge. Then move to the next one. Sally, do you think this would help reduce seepage of the filling?
Hi Jess! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. Your idea for filling the pop tarts next time you make them could definitely help. What I also find helps is crimping the edges with a fork right before baking and right after chilling the shaped tarts. Colder pastry is easier to crimp and seal.
Thanks! I crimped before chilling. Will try crimping after chilling next time.
These were fun to make, and they tasted good. The only change I’d make is not letting the refrigerated dough warm up for 15 minutes before rolling it out. The colder dough was much easier to work with. We had visible chunks of butter in the dough, and I was worried about that, but we did NOT get oozing butter or filling when we baked. The pastries were all perfectly self-contained and looked great.
These were delicious! Worth the extra effort. Next time I’ll use my own pie crust recipe though. This crust recipe was flakey when baked, but initially crumbled when I rolled it—added water and it improved.
These were so fun to make! A fun challenge with all of the steps, but the recipe was very easy to follow. And they turned out amazing – can’t wait to make them again!
These were amazing!! Followed the recipe as written and they came out perfect – with the effort. Will definitely be making again.
I made these twice and will agree with someone else’s comment on how awful these are. There’s to much flour going on leaving you with a very dry pop tart taking away the flavor. It’s like having a mouth full of sand. I used your pastry dough recipe the 1st time and then I used my pastry recipe. Both came out dry. Yours more than mine which is unusal because my recipe is just a standard pie crust recipe straight out of a recipe book that I’ve used for over 20 years. The problem is with the brown cinnamon filling. Perhaps if you remove the flour and use just a dot of butter to that brown cinnamon filling it will add some moisture to the inside giving you that flavor instead of just a dry rub taste. Please don’t get offended with my comment. We all learn from each other and part of our learning is by helping each other.
Such a fun project this week, thank you for sharing! We love this flavor pop tart but it’s so nice to make them at home. These were easier than I thought once we got going!
I have a scratch pie dough recipe use frequently. The dough in this recipe is AWFUL. I left it in the fridge for THREE days and it was still too sticky to roll and I had to trash it all. My thoughts are: 1) shortening never gets “cold” (even after being in fridge overnight) and does not cut in like butter and you’d be better off using actual lard; 2) with only 2T of iced water added, there is no way too much water made the dough sticky and 3) 3 days of dough refrigeration should be sufficient to keep dough cold and rollable after 15 min of “thaw”…..it was nothing but a hot sticky mess on my floured Silpat and cloth covered rolling pin. I am not sure where my user “errors” were but I have never had issues with pie crust before. Too bad as the recipe looks great.
Hi Jill, 2 Tablespoons of liquid in pie dough isn’t enough. I expect the dough was too sticky because the fats were worked into the dough too much. Was the shortening cold as well as the butter? Thanks for trying it!
I was busy making some peach hand pies and had a fair amount of dough left over, so I thought I would give these a shot. I did your recipe for the brown sugar and some with my wife’s home-made prickly pear jelly. Very tasty and I will be making them again.
If you have not tried homemade puff pastry dough give it a try. Once you do it you won’t go store bought.
Made these today and they’re sooo yummy. I will definitely make them again.
I’ve always been pie crust phobic, but this makes me want to give it one more try! I mean.. home made pop tarts? What could be better?
Taste just like the ones in the store, but fresher! Super easy to make, and will definitely experiment with other fillings now
Hi Sally, I’m going to *attempt* to make these yummy poptarts tomorrow for hubby’s birthday. I couldn’t get all the ingredients for homemade pie crust at the store right now but did find premade rolled Pillsbury crust. I grabbed a box and am hoping it’ll work okay. Anything I need to do differently to accommodate the switch? Will they be moist enough to help melt down the filling? Thank you!
Hi Morgan, Don’t skip the egg wash and they should still turn out with store bought crust. I hope he has a great birthday!
Hi Sally! I don’t have vegetable shortening handy – but can I use coconut oil since that’s a fat that’s solid at room temp? I can’t wait to try these!!!!
Hi Catherine! No– instead I recommend my all butter pie crust.
I’m just wondering if the filling changes consistency when baked, because with just sugar, cinnamon and flour it sounds like it could be dry.
Hi Carla! The butter from the pie crust melts down and keeps it moist.
These pop tarts were amazing! You definitely need patience and time to get through the recipe, but it is well worth the effort. I decided to add 1/2 teaspoon of homemade bourbon vanilla to the filling for added flavor 🙂
My family loved these!!! Have you ever tried any other filling? Thanks! 🙂
We love using jam as a filling, too!
I made these today, but I had a pie crust in the freezer that was left over from Christmas. I bake all the time and my husband just told me these are probably one of his favorite things I have ever made. They were amazing!
These taste amazing! So happy to have something so delicious during our statewide “stay home initiative.” Making these is definitely a daunting task, but thankfully, I had two left over pie crusts I had prepared at Christmas and didn’t end up needing.
I am keeping the unglazed pastries in the fridge. I take one out for a few minutes then pop it in the toaster, which I lay on its side because I’m worried the filling will travel to the bottom if it’s upright. I also watch the pastry while its toasting so it doesn’t burn. The result is a piping hot flaky pastry which I then put a spoon of glaze on top of and let it melt all over. Best part of our by far.
Thank you for another great recipe! I hope you, your family and your team all stay safe.
I think I read everything. My icing is a very unattractive shade of beige/brown. No one else seems to have this problem. Any idea what I did wrong? It tastes fine but less than appealing.
Hi Kim, I’m glad you like the way these taste! The color of the icing could simply be from using a dark brown vanilla extract.
I added a raspberry jam on top of the brown sugar layer. Amazing! What a great recipe and my kids loved making them as much as they loved eating them!
The process of making these are not fit the faint of heart- it is A JOURNEY. BUT! They are insanely delicious and worth all the effort. I’ve had four all by my lonesome, just today…
Yum! My husband was so thrilled. Perfect instructions and SO much better than any pop TART you can buy.
As Always,
Thank you!
Cheryl
I’m not normally a hater, but I am extremely disappointed with this recipe. Not only did this take longer than instructions said(though some may be my fault) but nevertheless I followed this recipe to a T. And the poptarts in my opinion are unappetizing. The crust tasted just like pie crust nothing like poptarts. The taste of the crust overcomes the taste of the filling(which wasnt very good to start with) and glaze. Now I’m sure that Sally’s baking addiction is an amazing baker, and I’m sure maybe some people enjoy, that taste. But these are just not for me.
I agree with Melissa. I don’t believe her flour was bad, as she mentioned the flavour was similar to pie crust, not sour like spoilt flour.
The pie crust flavour and dry sugar filling was missing something. I feel like the filling needed butter, or something to soften it up a bit. I will try it again with some tweaking.
Hi Sally,
Any idea how I would make this crust chocolate?
Sure! Here’s my chocolate pie crust.
Hi — might ask the same question on Instagram since this post is a couple of years old — but wondered if the pastry could be made in a food processor (like Ina Garten does it).
Hi Brad, You can use a food processor to make this butter pie crust, but I strongly recommend a pastry cutter (or two forks) to avoid over-mixing. Food processors are quick to over-work pie dough.
I love this recipe I had a competition with my family this weekend off of who could make a pop tart most simalar to a regular brown sugar pop tart and mine won because i used your recipe thanks so much :,)
Although a labor intensive undertaking, Sally’s Homemade Brown Sugar Pop Tarts are so worth the effort. The buttery crust topped with cinnamon kissed glaze, the infuse is chocked full of cinnamon sugar goodness. Oh my!
Hubby-approved and neighbor- endorsed by an eight, six, four, and 2 year old, you gotta try these!
Ok. Your crust recipe is my only crust recipe. Hands down the best. Having just made your blueberry crumb pie this weekend, I was left with half a crust. My daughter always begs for pop tarts at the store and I never give in. Well I gave in w this recipe. They were a visual fail, but were a fantastic taste. Too sweet for me but the flaky pie crust does its best to balance that!
Absolutely wonderful! Did all teenagers survive on pop tarts? I did, but these are galaxies better…this is also a great way for a novice pie crust maker to practice without committing to a whole pie