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 these 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.
Made this for my kiddos while money was tight, 3 of 5 loved them! My other 2 aren’t fans of BS&C lol…
They are great, thanks for the recipe!
These are delicious! The only bummer is all that work for only nine treats (I must have rolled mine too think—I only got
6-1/2. But worth it!
I made this recipe tonight for my husband as a father’s day treat. I tweaked the fillings to make his favorite pop tart that we can no longer find. Maple bacon it was sooooo good. And I’ve never been good at making pie crust but your recipe was easy and was the best crust I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for posting this ❤️
Would puff pastry work?
Hi Kristy! It would, but you’d have a totally different pastry on your hands. For pop tart tasting treats, stick with pie crust.
Hi Sally, any reason why I can’t freeze the *unbaked* pop tarts (without the egg wash on top), then thaw a bit, add egg wash and bake later? I’m thinking the fresh baked element really adds to the experience. Thanks!
That should work, Mel! Let me know if you try it!
I have never made pie crust, but I decided to make this recipe exactly as you described. I was a bit frustrated with the rolling out bit (it kept sticking to the rolling pin, & my husband suggested put a LOT more flour on the rolling pin, & it worked), then I measured them incorrectly & cut one batch wrong, so the bottoms weren’t fitting the tops…but all in all, I am thrilled with the outcome. Just happy as can be. THIS is an accomplishment for me. THANK YOU for pretty precise instructions, & a really delicious breakfast treat.
I’m so happy you decided it was time to try pie crust! This is such a fun recipe for your first time! Can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂
Hi Sally,
We are planning to bring these to a Thanksgiving party (my daughter is sooo excited), so I need at least double the yield.
Can these be cut into smaller rectangles? or do we need to double the dough, etc.
thanks!!
p.s. your recipes are always so delish:)
Hi Priya! Thank you! Both ways work. You can cut the rectangles smaller or make a double batch.
Deliciousness! My children and I ate these up in 2 days. I selfishly thought about hiding them because they were going so fast (I love food)! Going to make these again today! Just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe. `
These were awesome. Don’t know if I can go back to store bought pop tarts ever again! Can’t wait to try another combo. I’m thinking blueberry lemon next. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Hello Sally! 🙂
I have been scouring the Internet looking for a” Cinnamon” Pop-Tart Recipe and found your site. I made them yesterday and they were FANTASTIC!!!!
I made a pie crust the night before and used it for a Pumpkin Pie, but had quite a bit left over and stored it in the fridge. Found this recipe and knew I had to make THESE POP TARTS – – the husband loves, loves, loves the Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. I was out of shortening (I am the same as you – – I love using both shortening and butter) and had to use all butter instead. They still came out Great!!
I made half with the Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and I had some Strawberry Preserves on hand and made the other half with that. I drizzled the Icing in a zig-zag pattern from corner to corner. With his first bite, I heard and saw the flaky – amazing “crunch” as he bit into the delicate pastry layers!!!! I made mine smaller and rolled a little thinner, so they ended up being like “puff pastry” hand-held pastries!! (Note: I didn’t have enough pie crust dough left-over to make them bigger…ha.) The husband ate 5 in one-sitting…lol.
I plan on making Blueberry Pop-Tart pastries, Cherry filled, I am going to attempt to make Mince Meat filling, Nutella Pastries, Chocolate Cream, Pumpkin Pie Pastries, and got to make some Apple Pie filling pastries also. Making them smaller and arranging on a beautiful holiday platter would be perfect for a “get together” for the holiday’s along with some Coffee, Cocoa, Hot Tea, Eggnog, etc.. I’ll have a platter of these to add along with my Christmas Cookies and Treats for the Holiday’s! (***Can drizzle them with red, and green vegetable dye Icing along with the white – ha!)
Thanks SO MUCH for this recipe!!!! It was PERFECT.
Angela M.
Look at you and all your flavor ideas!! I absolutely love your enthusiasm and I’m inspired to make these again with a new flavor. I LOVED reading this comment today, thank you!
Is it okay to refrigerate the dough cut into pieces overnight? Thanks
Sure is!
I live in Germany and have been CRAVING brown sugar pop tarts for three years! I made them to your recipe (except I had to make the brown sugar myself too with white sugar and molasses) and they were delicious, they were better than out of the box!!…and they looked beautiful too!
A thousand thanks for posting this recipe, I can now stop with this craving, and think about other things! Lol
Sally, I just made these, and they are wonderful! This was the flavor that always got eaten first when I was growing up (4 kids), and the strawberry and cherry would be left to linger much longer. It turns out that in my husband’s house, it was just the opposite! Since he didn’t like the original, I wasn’t sure what he’d think of these, but he loved them. As I was making them, I thought that it might be better to just take the easy route and roll up brown sugar-cinnamon with pie scraps, but I was wrong. These are definitely worth making, and I’ve frozen the rest so we can have one fresh every morning. Delicious! Thanks for posting these and thanks for giving King Arthur Flour credit (I love them too).
I just made these today and I swear to you they’re the best thing I ever made. I only wish I hadn’t made them so small by mistake, I want to eat all of them at once! I will never buy my pop tarts again. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I just made these for breakfast this morning and they were delicious! Tasted just like my all-time favorite pop-tart. The only thing is that I guess I didn’t poke adequate holes in some of them because the pastry kind of blew up, but the taste was still all there and I got a good picture of the rest of them. Thanks for the recipe!
These are AMAZING! When you first posted this recipe, I thought “Those look good. Maybe I’ll try to make them one day.” After I tried my first ever cinnamon & brown sugar Pop-Tart I thought, “Oh my gosh! These are so good! I just HAVE to try Sally’s recipe now! I bet hers are a 100x better!” So after panicking over the fact that I didn’t have vegetable shortening, waiting weeks until we went grocery shopping, and begging my mom for Crisco….I finally made these. And I made them on a hot, humid day. Also, me and pastry dough don’t get along quite well. Oh and I had barely any parchment paper. So after I sliced awful, unproportioned rectangles, placed them on a buttered baking sheet in hopes that would be okay, and watching the dough melt on the pan…I popped my sorry excuses for pop-tarts in the oven and prayed like crazy they wouldn’t stick to the pan. (Thankfully, they didn’t stick!) When they came out and I tried one, I thought, “Well, they’re not the prettiest of the bunch….but Sally did an awesome job coming up with this recipe!” Then I made my glaze, and for some reason, it came out a lot browner than yours in the picture. I’m guessing my proportions were off, but it was still super tasty! Thanks again for providing me with a perfect recipe! 🙂
Just made these and my kids LOVED them! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Love your recipe!! Can’t wait to make them. There is just one thing in your ingredients list that is NOT natural and that is the vegetable shortening (a.k.a., Crisco). Sadly, that is made of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, nothing natural about those. Thanks for the all butter recommendation. My pie crust recipe is always yummy and flaky with just butter! I’ll let you know how it turns out! 🙂
Made these tonight because my husband loves PPP tarts. I never buy them from the store because of all the preservatives and additives they contain. These where AMAZING!!!! So much better than your traditional Pop tart. Definatly keeping this recipe!
I live in Israel and we don’t have pop tarts here. We always bring back a few boxes after visiting the States. I baked these yesterday and we were all speechless! So much better than store bought! A dream com true… So good!
Like many others I LOVED the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts as a kid and my kids love them too. So when I found this I was very excited. I made up the pastry dough and then life got in the way. I finally got back to making them and they turned out GREAT even my husband said to make them again. When I ate one I was actually brought back to another wonderful childhood memory. I remember when my mom used to make pies she would take all the leftover pie crust and make us kids “Cinnamon pies” and it really reminded me of those. My daughter has now requested Lemon and Chocolate pop tarts but some of the other flavors people have suggested sound really good too!
I made these yesterday and they came out great! A little rough looking but I was still proud. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I made these using applesauce and butter for the fat part of the crust. Until I tasted them, I had doubts because I could smell the applesauce. They turned out phenomenal. Even my 4 yo kept coming back. He requested strawberry for the nect batch. Any recommendations for the filling?
Hi Alexis. Strawberry jam works– I like to mix it (around 2/3 cup) with a teaspoon of cornstarch that has been mixed with warm water and simmer on the stovetop. this makes the filling thick and set.
started the prep work for these tonight and I’m so excited about serving them tomorrow night! Question- if I were to fill some with jam or jelly, would you still recommend the egg wash?
Yep! The egg wash gives the pop-tarts their beautifully browned, shiny outside. But if you don’t really care about that, you can leave it out. But you will still need it for adhering the top and bottom crust.
I made these tonight and I think I’ve died and gone to heaven… absolutely fantastic and about 1000 times better than a pop tart! I can’t wait for my kids to get up for breakfast LOL
Wow! As cinnamon pop tars were a childhood favorite of mine, I had to try this recipe. I did, and dang! They are incredible! Almost too good, though, honestly. I need to find a dumbed-down version to replicate the chalky crust; these are like eating magnificent little pies! Thanks for sharing!
I made these today and they turned out so good! Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
These were fantastic!! I was nervous when they came out of the oven and looked so plain, I didn’t think they’d taste as good as yours looked, but once I got the glaze on there… so good!! I made these as an anniversary celebration tomorrow with my husband (3 months :D) but I had to sneak a taste at one to “make sure they came out okay” 😉 Which of course they did! Thanks for sharing!
Love these! They taste phenomenal! One thing I did different was add a quarter cup of white and brown sugar and a dash of vanilla to the dough to make these taste awesome through every bite!
I made these tonight and used all butter since I didn’t have shortening. They are amazing and my husband will be the happiest man alive when he gets home from work tomorrow morning!