The Special Ingredient You Need For The Simplest Homemade Pop-Tarts

Pop-Tarts were a staple of many of our childhoods. The treat, whether you prefer the brown sugar cinnamon flavor or something more fruity, is the perfect snack to satisfy a sweet tooth. And as it turns out, you can make them right at home using a special ingredient that makes the process super simple, easy, and quick.

The special ingredient is store-bought pie crust. By using this, you can skip the step of making dough from scratch, which will save you plenty of time and effort. There are two ways you can use the pie crust. The first is to keep it in a circular shape, making a Pop-Tart "pie." Lay out the first pie crust, then spread out the filling, then top it with the other pie crust; after baking, add the glaze, then cut into triangle slices. The second way is to cut the pie crust into rectangles to make the traditional Pop-Tart shape, then add the filling and continue on. From there, use a fork to crimp the edges and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before you can get to those final steps, you need to choose a filling. The brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tart is a great choice — typical fillings (there are plenty of recipes around the internet) include just a few ingredients, such as cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour. These recipes will come with a simple cinnamon glaze that will likely consist of powdered sugar, cinnamon, and milk.

Or, you could go the fruity route. For a fruity filling, pick out your favorite jam — perhaps strawberry jam or vanilla blackberry jam — and use that for the filling. Or, for something a little more unique, you can turn to Tasting Table's recipe for guava Pop-Tarts and replace the homemade dough with the pie crust dough. Our guava Pop-Tarts recipe also contains a simple glaze that will work well with any fruit flavor that you decide on. You could also use an icing that has the same fruit flavor as the filling – add a little bit of jam to the icing mixture. Or, simply use food dye to match the icing's color to the filling without overdoing it on the fruity flavor.

Finally, finish off the treat with some toppings. Sprinkles are always a fantastic option — after all, many store-bought Pop-Tarts contain sprinkles on top. You can also top the Pop-Tarts with cinnamon and sugar or, for a chocolatey addition, crushed Oreos.