Homemade Toaster Pastry Recipe

Even though I love healthy options, especially for little ones, I also enjoy giving my kiddos little treats every now and then. And if ever there was a time for treats, December is it! One thing that my little ones have seen both at friend’s houses and down the grocery store aisles that have piqued their interest: boxed toaster pastries. So I made a simple, homemade (or at least semi-homemade) version. The kids loved them, as did my hubby and I, and I also loved that I knew exactly what was in them.

Read below for the full homemade toaster pastry recipe and instructions and enjoy this fun little treat with your own family! And as a bonus, this recipe is super simple, so it is an easy one that you and your kids can make together.

Ingredients

Yields 6-8 pastries, depending on their size

• 2 pre-made refrigerated pie crusts
• 1/2 cup fruit jam of choice
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 egg plus a little water for an egg-wash
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp heavy cream or half and half
• Sprinkles
• Food coloring

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set off to the side.
2. In a small bowl mix together jam and cornstarch until well-combined. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, crack an egg then mix with a little water and whisk (this is for your egg-wash). Also set this aside.
4. Next, flour your workspace and lay pie crusts down. Roll dough out a little more; thinning it a bit. You want your crust to be pretty thin, but still thick/sturdy enough to be able to cut out, picked up and transferred.
5. Using either a pizza cutter or cookie cutter, start to cut your tops and bottoms. Cut an even number so that each top will have a bottom. I made 16 circles total (enough for 8 pop-tarts), however exact number will depend on the size of the shape(s) you cut. You can easily cut rectangles with a pizza cutter if you want a more traditional looking toaster pastry.
6. Spoon a small amount of jam mixture into the center of each of your bottom shapes only. Ensure that you have enough mixture to fill the inside but be sure not to overdo it.
7. Next, brush each top with a bit of your egg-wash around the outside/bottom of the shape, and lay on top (egg-wash side down) of the bottom/ jam pieces. Use your fingers to lightly seal the tops and bottoms together. Set any remaining egg wash aside.
8. Then, using a fork, crimp the edges all the way around to fully seal (see picture above). Repeat until you have all of your finished pastries sealed.
9. Carefully move them to your prepared baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes until edges are golden brown.
10. Then, remove from oven and brush a little of the remaining egg wash onto each top/edges of your pastries.
11. Put the tray back in the oven, and bake for an additional minute or so.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further.
13. While cooling, combine powdered sugar and heavy cream (or half and half) and mix until you have a smooth icing/glaze. If desired, divide into small bowls and create different colors using your food colorings.
14. Spoon icing on top of each semi-cooled pastry then immediately sprinkle with sprinkles. Let icing full dry before serving.

Serve and enjoy! Yum! Yum! (easy too!) These are perfect for Christmas time (use some festive colors and sprinkles!) or anytime you just want to serve up a yummy, fun treat – healthier and with considerably fewer ingredients than the store-bought varieties!

POST BY LUNCHES + LITTLES

Lunches + Littles focuses on quick, healthy and fun meal options for little ones while sharing practical tips & tricks on how to make meals enjoyable, all the while keeping things simple. A lover of colorful plates and an advocate for getting kids in the kitchen, Lunches + Littles is also a great resource for parents of picky eaters, parents looking for healthy family and toddler recipes and those mamas (dads too!) who are short on time. A mantra of sorts: Making meals fun doesn’t have to be hard! With 3 little ones (3 and under) it can’t be! Follow @lunchesandlittles for all of the above… And more!