HOMEMADE FIG POP-TARTS

One of our favorite parts of the upcoming holidays are all of the delicious seasonal pies. We can’t get enough of the buttery, crumbly crust! And with family and friends coming into town, there is nothing better than a freshly baked sweet treat at breakfast or brunch.

These homemade pop-tarts combine perfectly flakey crust with a flavorful fig center and topped with our creamy fig spread. Not a pastry chef? Just pick up some store-bought pie dough and skip ahead in the recipe. Sprinkles are obviously a moose have.Top these treats with whatever color your heart desires… rainbow, holiday or go all white for a more sophisticated look.

For a light and tasty twist, we opted to use chickpeas as the base for this salad, but if you’re craving a more classic chicken salad recipe, you can easily swap or add shredded chicken. Also instead of serving on toasted bread, we recommend using crisp butter lettuce cups, which can even be rolled up and enjoyed on the go as a wrap!

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed into small pieces
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold half and half
1 large egg (used after dough is rolled out)

Filling:

3/4 cup fig preserves or jam
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (or cornstarch), whisked with 1 tablespoon water

Icing:

1 container Blue Moose of Boulder Fig Spread
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Sprinkles

Instructions:

Prep:

Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Work the cubed butter into the dry ingredients with hands or food processor. Do not over blend, the mixture should have visible pieces of butter and hold together if you squeeze a small amount in your hand.
In a separate small bowl, whisk 1 egg and 2 tablespoons (1oz) half and half together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Knead a few times on a floured surface if needed. If the dough seems dry and crumbly add an additional tablespoon of half and half and knead. (Hint: You should still see little lumps of butter dispersed throughout the dough, avoid over-kneading!)
Divide dough in half and shape into rectangles. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
While chilling, add water and starch mixture to a small pot along with the fig preserves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk or stir gently while boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Assembly:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Then flour your work surface and gently roll the dough out to a 1/8 inch thickness and trim to 8×12 inches and remove edges. Slice lengthwise down the center and then slice widthwise every 3 inches, so each pop-tart rectangle is 3×4 inches.
Move dough to your baking sheet. Whisk the additional egg in a small bowl and brush each rectangle evenly with the egg wash. Place a dollop of the fig mixture in the center of each rectangle (about 1 tablespoon).
Roll out remaining dough exactly as you did with the first half and place the second rectangle of dough on top of the first. Press firmly around all cut edges with your fingertips and then with the end of a fork. Also prick the top of each pop-tart with the fork (making sure to fully poke through the top layer) a few times.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 350°F. Then remove from fridge and bake for 20-28 minutes, until light golden brown. While baking, whisk together the fig icing. Set aside.
Let pop-tarts cool. Spread or drizzle with fig icing and top with sprinkles!

Highly doubt you’ll have any leftovers… but if you do, they can be refrigerated for 2-3 days in a sealed container after fully cooled.