Blueberry Pop Tarts
Delicious hand pies filled with fresh blueberries. Baked until the berries are oozing out the sides, and the pastry dough is lightly golden. Fresh tangy lemon and sweet blueberry frostings adorn each pie.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 256 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 12 grams granulated sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 6 grams kosher salt (1 teaspoon)
- 230 grams unsalted butter (1 cup OR 2 sticks), cold and cubed
- 50 grams egg (1 large)
- 30 grams half and half (2 tablespoons)
Blueberry Filling:
- 166 grams fresh blueberries (1 cup)
- 10 grams fresh lemon juice (2 teaspoons)
- 3 grams cornstarch (1 teaspoon)
Egg Wash:
- 50 grams egg (1 large)
- 15 grams half and half (1 tablespoon)
Lemon and Blueberry Frostings:
- 56 grams unsalted butter (1/4 cup OR 1/2 stick)
- 120 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 5 grams fresh lemon juice (1 teaspoon)
- 1 drop lemon extract, optional
- 1 drop yellow food coloring gel
- 5 grams blueberry puree (1 teaspoon)
Instructions
Dough:
- Add all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and kosher salt to medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter for several minutes until mixture resembles crumbs in texture.
- Add egg to small bowl. Whisk briefly. Add half and half to beaten egg. Whisk to combine. Add egg mixture to dough. Stir to combine.
- Press the dough into a rectangle, and let rest for 30 minutes before rolling out. Alternately, you can wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling out.
- Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured flat surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Lightly flour the rolling pin, if necessary. Move the dough every so often, lightly flouring the surface of the dough and board. Flipping the dough over will also help to ensure its not sticking to the board.
- For these blueberry pop tarts, I went with a 4 x 3-inch rectangle shape.
- Cut your sheets of dough into square, rectangle or circular shapes. Using a spatula, or a bench scraper, transfer the dough shapes to a parchment lined sheet tray. Roll out the second piece of dough and cut into matching pieces.
Blueberry Filling:
- Add the fresh blueberries, fresh lemon juice and cornstarch to a small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until the berries release some of their juices and begin to simmer. Remove from the heat and stir to ensure the cornstarch has dissolved. Allow to cool. Set aside.
Egg Wash:
- Add egg to small bowl. Whisk briefly. Add half and half to beaten egg. Whisk to combine.
Pop Tart Assembly:
- Spoon the cooled blueberries on to the pop tart dough pieces resting on the parchment paper, leaving 1/2-inch of space around the edges. Brush the egg wash around the uncovered edges.
- Place a matching piece of dough over the filling covered piece. Use your fingers to crimp the edges to ensure a good seal. Alternately you can use a fork.
- Prick the tops of the pop tarts with the tines of a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Bake pop tarts for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm, or cool completely before applying frosting.
Lemon and Blueberry Frostings:
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
- Add the powdered sugar to the stand mixer and beat on medium speed for an additional 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
- Remove a small amount of the frosting and place in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the fresh lemon juice, lemon extract, and yellow food coloring gel to the stand mixer bowl. Beat for 1 minute on low speed, or until the color is consistent.
- Add the blueberry puree to the reserved frosting in the small bowl. Stir with a fork or spoon until the bluish purple color is consistent.
- Decorate the cooled pop tarts with the lemon and blueberry frostings using a small offset spatula, or the back of a tablespoon.
- Best served at room temperature.