Lemon Pop Tarts

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Our frosted lemon pop tarts feature a flaky buttery crust, and luscious lemon filling. Make them from scratch or with refrigerated pie crusts and a jar of lemon curd. Decorate with frosting and sprinkles! Enjoy as breakfast, snacks, or dessert. They’re so delicious.

📌 Pin Lemon Pop Tarts

Something I adore about these toaster pastries is how unique they are. Handmade, each one is slightly different. Some are puffier. The frosting on top is not spread in exactly the same shape. The pattern of candy sprinkles varies. Each lemon pop tart is perfectly imperfect!

My go-to method for toaster pastries includes this homemade pastry dough and this easy lemon curd recipe. But when my craving for a lemon hand pie is immediate and deep, I’ll reach for store-bought refrigerated pie crusts and a jar of lemon curd. Immediate satisfaction!

Whether made from scratch or halfway homemade, these lemon pop tarts are 100% more luscious than Kellogg’s pop tarts. The boxed ones with preservatives taste like cardboard. We deserve something more special. A bakery-style pastry with a luscious filling and tasty glaze.

🛒 Ingredients

Homemade Pie Crust

👉🏻 Halfway Homemade: If using the halfway-homemade method, you won’t need the ingredients below. Buy a box of refrigerated pie crusts (I prefer Pillsbury). At the market, look for this product in the refrigerated section.

• All-Purpose Flour: Gives the pastry dough structure. When mixed with water, the proteins interact and form gluten. This elastic framework gives the dough its strength. However, it’s important the flour is not over-hydrated or too much gluten will form. The dough will shrink back when baked, and the pastry will be chewy rather than light and flaky.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Sea Salt: Adds a dimension of flavor to baked goods.
• Unsalted Butter: The fat in this ingredient gives pastry dough a light flaky texture with delicate lofty layers. The unbaked pastry should have small visible bits of cold butter that will create air pockets during baking. If using salted butter, reduce the sea salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
• Ice-cold Water: This temperature is non-negotiable. Ice-cold water helps keep the fat in the butter cold. While handling the dough, we must prevent the butter from warming.
• Large Egg & Splash of Water: For brushing the dough. It’s an edible glue that helps keep the top and bottom crusts together so the pop tart is sealed. It’s also a glaze brushed over the top of the pastries.

Homemade Lemon Curd

👉🏻 Halfway Homemade: Buy a jar of lemon curd. At the market, look for it near the jellies and jams. For the best flavor and texture I prefer Bonne Maman (imported from France) and Trader Joe’s (imported from England).

• Whole Eggs and Yolks: This combination provides the ideal amount of richness without making the mixture too eggy.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness to offset the tartness so the taste is perfectly balanced.
• Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: Provides the bright, fresh lemony flavor that makes these lemon pop tarts absolutely amazing.
• Butter: Provides moisture, richness and a delicious mouthfeel.
• Sea Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Provides a bakery taste and fabulous aroma.

Frosting

• Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar, it’s the main ingredient for this delicious frosting. It’s important to use this specific type of sugar as it dissolves in liquid without any heat.
• Whole Milk: Adds moisture and richness. But you can use heavy cream or half-and-half.
• Lemon Juice: Adds a bright lemon flavor.

Sprinkles

• Sprinkle Mix: For lemon pop tarts I prefer Sprinklefetti Sparkle Yellow Sprinkle Mix because it looks super special. But with the worldwide shipping situation, many products are currently not in stock. So I made my own DIY version (see “Recipe FAQ” section). But feel free to make your own custom mix with whatever you have on hand. You can use edible vermicelles, confetti, nonpareils and white sparkling sugar.

📖 Recipe Steps

Halfway Homemade: Buy a jar of lemon curd and a box of 2 refrigerated pie crusts. Skip down to the Pop Tart Assembly section of the recipe.

🍋 Lemon Curd Filling

HOMEMADE: Make this easy lemon curd recipe.

Homemade Pie Crust

RECIPE PREP: Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour cold water over the top. Put it aside for 15 minutes. Chop butter into small cubes. If no food processor, see the “Recipe FAQ” for instructions.

1. Add flour and granulated sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add chopped pieces of butter to the bowl.
2. Pulse until no chunks of butter are visible and the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add ice-cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in clumps. It should not come together into a ball. When pressed between your fingers it should be moist, but not wet and crumbly. With a spatula, check the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure there are no dry pockets of flour. If there are, add more water and pulse again.
4. Remove dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Shape each half into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap each piece in plastic. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour (or overnight).

🔖 Kitchen Notes: The biggest tip for the pastry dough is to keep it cold at all times.

⏲ Pastry dough prep time: 5 minutes. Chill time: 1 hour.

Assemble the Lemon Pop Tarts

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly flour a large board and a rolling pin. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Find a ruler. Pull out a long, sharp kitchen knife.

1. Remove 1 disk of homemade dough (OR 1 refrigerated pie crust) from the fridge and unwrap it. Transfer it to the prepared board. It’s important to work quickly. Roll the dough into a rough 10″ X 13″ rectangle, 1/8-inch thick. Use your ruler to measure. Trim the dough into a perfect 9″ x 12″ rectangle. Slice the rectangle into nine 3″ x 4″ pieces. Gently lift and transfer the pieces to a prepared baking tray, leaving room between the rectangles.
2. In a ramekin, whisk the egg with a splash of water. Brush egg wash around the edges of each rectangle (this will glue the top and bottom pieces of the pastry together). Add 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon filling in the middle of each rectangle. Do not overfill. Leave an empty border around the edges so we can close and seal the pop tarts.
3. Repeat the rolling and slicing process with the second disk of dough. Arrange the 9 pieces on top of the filling-topped rectangles. With your fingertips, press firmly around the edges of each pastry to seal it closed. With the back of a fork, crimp all the edges to secure the filling inside. Poke a set of 4 holes on the top of each pop tart so steam can escape. If time allows, chill the pastries in the fridge for 15 minutes.
4. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Bake 20 to 25 minutes (rotating the pan halfway through baking), or until pop tarts are golden. Cool completely before frosting.

🔖 Kitchen Notes: Although the pastries don’t spread in the oven, we leave space between the pop tarts in case some of the filling leaks.

⏲ Pop tart assembly: 15 Minutes. Bake time: 20 to 25 minutes.

• STEP 5: Make the frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice. Working with 1 pastry at a time, spread icing over the top. Immediately decorate with candy sprinkles.

🔖 KITCHEN TIP: Only frost and sprinkle the pop tarts you’ll be serving today. Refrigerate the remaining unfrosted pastries in an airtight container. When ready to enjoy, reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Frost and decorate.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making lemon pop tarts and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🧑🏼‍🍳 More Pop Tart Recipes

It’s fun to make pop tarts in different flavors. If you enjoyed our lemon pop tarts, you’ll love these too. Add them to your recipe arsenal.

• Strawberry Pop Tarts
• Pumpkin Pop Tarts
• Blueberry Pop Tarts
• Apple Pop Tarts
• Mummy Halloween Pop Tarts
• Chocolate Pop Tarts

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taste testers rated these the BEST homemade lemon pop tarts. They gave these flaky toaster pastries 2 thumbs up. They adored the luscious lemon filling with delicious mouthfeel. The frosting and sprinkles sealed the deal.

If you agree these toaster pastries are 100% better than Kellogg’s pop tarts, give this recipe a 5-star rating in the comments. Then share it with a friend. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

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Lemon Pop Tarts 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Are you excited to make these lemon pop tarts? Will you enjoy them for breakfast, snack time or dessert? Share your thoughts on homemade toaster pastries in the comments below.