I’ve been trying to come up with new and exciting rhubarb recipes before the season ends, and I LOVE how these pop tarts came out. It’s so easy! This dough comes together super quickly in a food processor. The jam and cream cheese filling are made separately, then it’s piped and covered with the top pastry. I reserve a little rhubarb jam to make an easy rhubarb glaze to top. I love the pink color, it’s perfect for spring. The flavor of these pop tarts are great too- tart rhubarb with a sweetened cream cheese filling encased in a buttery and flakey enriched pie dough? Yes please. I’ve downsized this recipe to yield 5 pop tarts, so fair warning: they may go quickly. Take advantage of rhubarb season and make some pop tarts today!
My boyfriend and I are taking a little road trip this week to Zion National Park in Utah! I am pretty excited about this for a couple of reasons. First, I don’t think I’ve ever been on a road trip, not as an adult anyway. Second, this place looks GORGEOUS and I’m ready to soak up all the natural beauty. And third, it will be a nice little getaway with my favorite person. I think a lot of us are feeling eager to get out of our quarantine and live a little. It’s nice yet also a little scary now that things are starting to open up again, but we have to start somewhere!
Oh also, how is already almost JUNE? Happy Monday friends!
Rhubarb & Cream Cheese Pop Tarts
Yield 5 pop tarts
Pastry Dough
Flour 1 cup
Sugar 1 ½ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Cold butter ½ cup (4 oz.)
Milk 1 T
Yolk 1
Rhubarb Jam
Rhubarb 1 ½ cups (about 2 stalks)
Sugar 2 T
Brown Sugar 2 T
Juice of 1 orange
Cream Cheese Filling
Cream Cheese, room temperature ¼ cup
Powdered Sugar, sifted 2 T
Salt pinch
½ tsp vanilla
Rhubarb Glaze
Powdered Sugar ½ cup
Corn syrup 1 T
Reserved Rhubarb Jam 1 T
Milk 1 tsp +
Egg Wash
Egg 1
Water 2 T
Directions:
First, make the rhubarb jam. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot and cook over medium low for about 10 minutes or until thick. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until needed. When jam has cooled down enough, transfer to a pastry bag.
To make the pastry dough, combine all ingredients into a food processor and combine until dough comes together in a ball. Remove and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make cream cheese filling, mix cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Add salt and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag and set aside.
Mix egg wash together in a small bowl by whisking egg and water together. Set aside.
Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8” thickness. Cut 2×3-inch rectangles, as many as you can. You can re roll out the dough once to get a few more rectangles. You should get 10 rectangles total.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and place 5 rectangles of dough 1 ½ inches apart from each other. The pastry will not spread during the bake, so it doesn’t need too much space. Use a pastry brush to brush the entire rectangle of dough. Pipe straight lines of rhubarb jam, followed by cream cheese, ½ inch away from the edges. Reserve 1 T of jam to create the glaze later. Continue to do with all of the bottom pieces of dough. Carefully cover the bottom with a rectangle top. Use a fork to press down and crimp sides. Continue with remaining pieces of dough. Brush the top of the pop tart with egg wash. Freeze pop tarts while preheating the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a pairing knife to cut 2 slits into the center of the pop tarts to release steam while baking. Bake for 24 minutes total, rotating the pan half way through.
Make glaze by mixing sifted powdered sugar, corn syrup, and reserved jam. Whisk together and add 1 tsp of milk as needed to create the consistency you like. Set aside.
Once pop tarts are baked, cool down at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Use a spoon or offset spatula to smooth over the rhubarb glaze. Let it cool completely at room temperature until glaze is set, about 1 hour.
Rhubarb & Cream Cheese Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 yolk
Rhubarb Jam
- 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- juice of 1 orange
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temp
- 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Rhubarb Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp reserved rhubarb jam
- 1+ tsp milk
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- First,make the rhubarb jam. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot and cook over medium low for about 10 minutes or until thick. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until needed. When jam has cooled down enough, transfer to a pastry bag.
- To make the pastry dough, combine all ingredients into a food processor and combine until dough comes together in a ball. Remove and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- To make cream cheese filling, mix cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Add salt and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag and set aside.
- Mix egg wash together in a small bowl by whisking egg and water together. Set aside.Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8” thickness. Cut 2x3-inch rectangles, as many as you can. You can re roll out the dough once to get a few more rectangles. You should get 10 rectangles total.
- Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and place 5 rectangles of dough 1 ½ inches apart from each other. The pastry will not spread during the bake, so it doesn’t need too much space. Use a pastry brush to brush the entire rectangle of dough. Pipe straight lines of rhubarb jam, followed by cream cheese, ½ inch away from the edges. Reserve 1 T of jam to create the glaze later. Continue to do with all of the bottom pieces of dough. Carefully cover the bottom with a rectangle top. Use a fork to press down and crimp sides. Continue with remaining pieces of dough. Brush the top of the pop tart with egg wash. Freeze pop tarts while preheating the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a pairing knife to cut 2 slits into the center of the pop tarts to release steam while baking.Bake for 24 minutes total, rotating the pan half way through.
- Make glaze by mixing sifted powdered sugar, corn syrup, and reserved jam. Whisk together and add 1 tsp of milk as needed to create the consistency you like. Set aside.
- Once pop tarts are baked, cool down at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Use a spoon or offset spatula to smooth over the rhubarb glaze. Let it cool completely at room temperature until glaze is set, about 1 hour.
