First, make the filling by boiling strawberries, pomegranate juice, and honey until it's thick and broken down.
Then, the crust. Start by pulsing the dry ingredients with room temperature butter in a food processor. Mix an egg with a tablespoon of milk, then add that to the dry ingredients.
Mix with your hands until a dough forms, then divide it into two balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll the crust out, one ball at a time, until it's 1/4-inch thick.
Cut the dough into a big 9 x 12-inch rectangle, then cut nine smaller 3 x 4-inch rectangles.
Transfer to a sheet tray and top with the strawberry filling.
Top each with a second 3 x 4-inch rectangle (from the second ball of dough). Use a fork to cinch the edges and make holes over the center of the pastry.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
Finish with a simple glaze and some sprinkles!
Whole Wheat Strawberry Pop Tarts
Makes 9 pop tarts
recipe by Christine Byrne
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons honey
For the pastry:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 + 1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
For the glaze:
1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
3 tablespoons colored sprinkles or nonpareils (optional)
PREPARATION
For the filling:
Combine all filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mixture is thick and the strawberries break down when you stir them, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
For the pastry dough:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times just to mix. Scatter the butter on top of the flour mixture in the food processor and pulse until the mixture is the consistency of large pebbles, 15 to 20 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk together one egg and the milk and add it to the bowl with the dough, then mix everything with your hands until a sticky dough forms. Divide the dough into two pieces and refrigerate for 30 minutes so that it firms up slightly and is easier to work with.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust a clean, flat surface with flour, then place one piece of dough on the surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour, and roll the dough out into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. Cut a clean 9 x 12 rectangle out of the dough — you'll be trimming away the ragged edges, and maybe a little extra — and either discard the trimmings or reserve them for another use. Cut the rectangle into 9 smaller rectangles, each 3-inches wide and 4-inches long. Lay the rectangles in three rows on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of dough, but leave the 9 finished rectangles on the surface for now.
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of strawberry filling onto the center of each rectangle on the baking sheet then spread it flat, leaving a ½-inch rim around the edges. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl to make an egg wash, then brush the edges of the rectangles with egg wash. Place a second rectangle of dough on top of each one, then press the edges together with your fingertips, all the way around. Crimp the edges by pressing the end of a fork into outer ¼-inch of the rectangles, all the way around. Use the fork to pierce three rows of holes in the center of each pop tart. Brush the tops of the pop tarts all over with the egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven until the pop tarts are golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble through the holes on top just a little bit, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely, then glaze.
For the glaze:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined. The glaze should be pretty thick, but not paste-like and impossible to spread. If it's too thick, whisk in another tablespoon of milk. Pour a tablespoon of glaze on top of each cooled pop tart, spreading it over the whole pop tart as you do so. Finish with sprinkles or nonpareils, if you want. Let the glaze set completely before serving or storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
