Pop-tarts are an American household staple. A grab-and-go breakfast you can eat right out of the package, microwaved, toasted, or frozen. Anyway, we can get this delicious pastry in our bellies. Making these homemade can sometimes be so much work that sometimes buying them seems like the better option, until today. Introducing Pop-tart BARS! Homemade pop tarts are almost a fully delicious pastry than the boxed variety with this buttery, flakey crumb and addictively chewy filling. Instead of cutting the pastry into tiny pockets, we are going to roll both halves of the pastry to the size of a quarter-size sheet pan, fill it with our brown sugar filling, top it with our second pastry, then bake! Easy as that. Finish with a delicious cinnamon royal icing and just watch how these bars change the way you think about Pop tarts.

Like all delicious pastries, it starts with the dough. We are making a rich dough called pastry dough. You use this type of dough when making mini galettes, fruit tarts, or shortbread bars. It has a higher fat content, which means extra flakey and tender. This dough is fairly straightforward for any beginner baker. Start with a stand mixer by creaming together the fats; butter, cream, and cream cheese with the sugar to create a smooth light batter, then mix in your flour and salt until a dough just comes together. This will create a stiff dough that you will need to fold together until it feels like play dough. Divide dough in half equally and form into an envelope shape for easier rolling, then wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight to develop the best flavor. Pastry dough has a lot of fat to age (let it cool with time), so this is a necessary first step.

The next step is mixing your glaze and fillings, this step is easy and customizable. My favorite Pop tart just happens to be the brown sugar one because of that amazing chew, but if you jam with s’mores or strawberry or blueberry it’s a fairly similar process. When the pastry dough has chilled long enough, roll one half of the dough into a long rectangle, as even as you can roll it. Place it in the prepared quarter sheet pan and form it in all corners. Use a spatula to spread the filling from edge to edge, then roll the other half of the dough. Place the second piece over the filling and use a fork to gently crimp the edges shut. This is a step I didn’t do that is necessary to hold all the filling and give that classic pop tart shape. Now we bake!

The bars are finished after the pastry is beautifully golden. Be sure to remove the pop tart from the pan to a wire cooling rack to ensure all sides of the pastry dry evenly. While the pastry is hot, gently spoon it with your cinnamon glaze and gracefully spread it all over. Decorate with a few pinches of cinnamon if you’d like and let cool completely. Be warned! This will be one of the most delicious things your taste buds will experience, so you may want to take a seat.