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!
I ate horribly as a kid.
A child of the late 1970's, I 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. I ate a lot of them.
Then I grew older and my brain and stomach grew wiser, and I can't remember the last time I 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. I'll include some tips at the bottom of the photo series.
Aren't these so adorable? I love how they turned out so much!
And, there's really no "perfect" looking pop tart - you just slowly spread or pour the royal icing onto each baked pop tart and it magically spreads out a bit over the edges and just looks cool. Without even trying.
Top with colored sprinkles or you could even just leave them with the sugar coating.
Mini Pop Tarts: Flavor ideas
I 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. I'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
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, I 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. Just 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, just 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, ½ teaspoon at a time, until you get your desired consistency.
- Slowly add your choice of food coloring. I 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 just 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
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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?
Orana Velarde says
wow you really did amazing with these homemade pop-tarts! the purple icing really hit the spot. I remember having pop-tarts as a kid in Miami and they were like the one in a lifetime snack.
Courteney Noonan says
These are so cute and look so yummy! Also, they actually look quite easy to make so I might try making them with my little sister
Angela Tolsma says
I have always hated the processed tasted of poptarts but have never thought to make my own! This is a great idea. I love your photos!
Blythe Alpern says
I adore homemade treats like these. They are so perfect for parties and so unique. I can see them being a huge hit, especially since you don't see mini pop tarts all that often.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
Oh I love these! I have made a few varieties of homemade poptarts, but never in tiny form like this. These would be so cute for a sleepover breakfast.
@ Hip Mama’s Place says
This is like the best idea ever! My kids would love these, and me too. Im always looking for different ideas for breakfast and things that aren't bad for them either!
Krystel @ Planning The Magic says
These look fantastic. I also like how they are probably so much more healthy than store pop tarts.
Divya says
These are TOO CUTE. I would take these any day over a cake pop!
Cassandra says
These are so darling! I never knew they were so simple to make. I'm going to have to try making some of these with my daughter.
Jennifer (JenuineMom) says
These mini-pops are adorable! These would be so fun to eat. I didn't even know you could make these at home. My son would LOVE these.
Theresa says
These look incredible and simple to make. My daughter would love to eat them.
Jalisa says
These are the cutest. These remind me of my past pop tart days. Where I could consume so much sugar at one time lol.
Terri Steffes says
I love these! How adorable! I am already trying to think of how I could make them with BBQ shredded pork. I wish I had one now.
Rose Sahetapy says
This will be the best treat for kids’ party! I have never made pop tarts before, but you make it look easy. The color of the topping is so sweet, and the sprinkles make this pop tarts look adorable!
Rose Sahetapy says
This will be the best treat for kids' party! I have never made pop tarts before, but you make it look easy. The color of the topping is so sweet, and the sprinkles make this puppet look adorable!