Mini Lolli-Pop Tarts for a weeknight

These Homemade Mini Pop Tarts (or Mini Lolli-Pop Tarts!) are a fun homemade twist on an old classic, and are sweet treats for Valentine's Day!

We ate horribly as a kid.

A child of the late 1970's, We was brought up in a household that was holding onto Filipino heritage but also excitedly soaking up American food trends of the time. It was a the tail end of the TV dinner phase and the early inklings of the "Low Fat" craze.

Processed food was king.

Pop Tarts were like these decadent, indulgent beacons of sugary, brightly colored goodness. We ate a lot of them.

Then We grew older and the brain and stomach grew wiser, and We can't remember the last time We purchased Pop Tarts.

But you know, every once in a while, it's okay to give in. Especially if you can make them at home and eliminate some of the icky chemicals and preservatives that come with the packaged variety!

Homemade Mini Pop Tarts: Step-By-Step

Homemade Mini Pop Tarts are simple enough to make, but they do take time. You could make larger pop tarts to save time, since a lot of the work comes in the cutting, filling, and perforating of the individual treats.

The full directions are below in the recipe card, and here's a look at the process of making homemade mini pop tarts. We'll include some tips at the bottom of the photo series.

 

Aren't these so adorable? We love how they turned out so much!

And, there's truly no "perfect" looking pop tart – you simply slowly spread or pour the royal icing onto each baked pop tart and it magically spreads out a bit over the edges and simply looks cool. Without even trying.

Top with colored sprinkles or you could even simply leave them with the sugar coating.

Mini Pop Tarts: Flavor ideas

We used a strawberry jelly but here are some other flavor combos you could try for your mini pop tarts:

• Blueberry
• Raspberry
• Marionberry/Blackberry
• Hazelnut Mocha: use Nutella filling with coffee-flavored royal icing
• Apple Cinnamon: use apple filling with a cinnamon sugar topping

Mini Pop Tarts: Full of Flavor and Fun

These Mini Pop Tarts – or, mini (lolli)-pop tarts – are SO much fun to serve at parties. We've served these at New Year's Eve/Day parties, at kid sleepovers and birthday parties, and these would be perfect sweet treats for Valentine's Day coming up!

Without the lollipop sticks, these mini pop tarts would be wonderful indulgent snacks to serve at a weekend brunch or tea.

Mini Pop Tarts

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 16 pop tarts These Mini Lolli-Pop Tarts are a cute homemade twist on a kid classic! Perfect for Valentine's Day and other celebrations!

Ingredients

• 1 package pre-made pie crust, or your own homemade pie crust, if you prefer
• Fruit jelly, raspberry, strawberry, or marionberry/blackberry work well!
• 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water, lightly beaten together
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water + more as needed
• food coloring
• colored baking sprinkles

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a sheet of parchment paper over two baking pans.
• Thaw pie crust according to package directions.
• Roll out and cut into even strips, then cut into evenly-sized rectangles. *note: to get the scalloped edges, We used a pastry roller cutter with a scalloped edge
• Place half of the rectangles onto baking sheets covered with parchment paper.
• Place one lollipop stick on top of each rectangle, toward the bottom center.
• Top each rectangle with a small teaspoonful of jelly. Simply put enough jelly to cover the middle, leaving room around the sides; you want a little bit to ooze out of the sides, but you don't want a big globby mess when they are done baking!
• Place another rectangle on top of each jellied rectangle, then gently press all sides down to seal. Use the tines of a fork to help secure the pieces together and also create a pattern around the edges.
• Brush each rectangle lightly with egg wash.
• Using the tips of the fork tines, gently poke a few holes at the top of each pop tart.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, simply until the tops are lightly brown. Allow to cool at room temperature.

Make the icing

• In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and water until blended into a smooth icing consistency. If needed, slowly add more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until you get your desired consistency.
• Slowly add your choice of food coloring. We used a light purple Wilton icing coloring and it only took enough coloring to cover the bottom of a toothpick to achieve the color you see here, so start with simply one drop and then add more as needed to get your desired icing color.
• Spread icing over each mini pop tart.
• Sprinkle immediately with colored baking sprinkles.
• Let set for about 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 82 kcal, Carbohydrates: 13 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 48 mg, Potassium: 14 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 15 IU, Calcium: 4 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Homemade Classic Kids' Foods

RECIPE: Homemade Cheez-It Crackers

Homemade 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups

Have you ever made a homemade version of your fave childhood treats?