Fun Food Ideas: DIY Animal Pop Tarts

Last week, I intended to make a chicken pot pie so I took out a pre-made pie crust from my freezer. It was so warm last week that we ended up grilling the chicken instead, leaving me with a pie crust...




Then I came across some Wilton animal cookie cutters and I thought of the pie crust and decided I could make something fun for the kids for the last week of school. My kids have NO idea what a Pop Tart actually is, but I found a few posts from people who had made them and used some ingredients that were healthier that the boxed version.

So, here we are!!!

The filling

 (Note: Although easy, this part takes some time!! I failed to realize this when I started this food adventure at 9:45pm!!!!)

Growing up, my Mom always made her own strawberry jam and I remember how much sugar she added (which as a kid is awesome....as a parent, not so much!). This recipe only uses honey and I have to tell you (don't tell my Mom!) that I prefer it to my Mom's sugar heavy recipe!

Ingredients:
3 Cups frozen berries
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

• Put all ingredients into a pot
• Simmer on medium heat until it starts to bubble
• Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes (stir it often)
• The jam is done when it is smooth (although I like to have a few chunks of berries left!)

The Pop Tart

Since I used pre-made crust, I didn't have to roll out the dough until I used the scraps. Just like Noah's Ark, cut the animal shapes out two by two!!








Put a small amount of the berry filling onto the first cut out, spread it around and then place the matching animal cut out on top. With a fork, seal the edges.

I finished off the Pop Tart with an egg wash (one egg and some water whisked together and then painted each animal for a brown finish).

Set the oven to 350, bake the pop tarts on a baking sheet (use parchment paper). Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve them warm or you can heat them in the microwave or toaster oven before serving!!

Since I did the egg wash, I didn't top them with an icing glaze - you can do this if you wish by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar and milk (add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired consistency).

Last week, I intended to make a chicken pot pie so I took out a pre-made pie crust from my freezer. It was so warm last week that we ended up grilling the chicken instead, leaving me with a pie crust...




Then I came across some Wilton animal cookie cutters and I thought of the pie crust and decided I could make something fun for the kids for the last week of school. My kids have NO idea what a Pop Tart actually is, but I found a few posts from people who had made them and used some ingredients that were healthier that the boxed version.

So, here we are!!!

The filling

 (Note: Although easy, this part takes some time!! I failed to realize this when I started this food adventure at 9:45pm!!!!)

Growing up, my Mom always made her own strawberry jam and I remember how much sugar she added (which as a kid is awesome....as a parent, not so much!). This recipe only uses honey and I have to tell you (don't tell my Mom!) that I prefer it to my Mom's sugar heavy recipe!

Ingredients:
3 Cups frozen berries
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

• Put all ingredients into a pot
• Simmer on medium heat until it starts to bubble
• Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes (stir it often)
• The jam is done when it is smooth (although I like to have a few chunks of berries left!)

The Pop Tart

Since I used pre-made crust, I didn't have to roll out the dough until I used the scraps. Just like Noah's Ark, cut the animal shapes out two by two!!








Put a small amount of the berry filling onto the first cut out, spread it around and then place the matching animal cut out on top. With a fork, seal the edges.

I finished off the Pop Tart with an egg wash (one egg and some water whisked together and then painted each animal for a brown finish).

Set the oven to 350, bake the pop tarts on a baking sheet (use parchment paper). Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve them warm or you can heat them in the microwave or toaster oven before serving!!

Since I did the egg wash, I didn't top them with an icing glaze - you can do this if you wish by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar and milk (add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired consistency).