Cookie Butter Pop Tarts

Makes 8 pop tarts

Pie is one of my all-time favorite things as is. But individual, handheld pies? Even better.

These are reminiscent of the store-bought brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts I grew up on. But way, WAY better. The pie crust is the flakiest, most tender one I’ve made. The homemade cookie butter filling is decadent, cinnamon-y, and delicious. Topped with a cream cheese glaze, I could eat these all day long.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

INGREDIENTS

Pie Dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (370 g)

  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar (36 g)

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold & cut in small cubes (254 g)

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp sour cream (265 g)

  • Egg wash (1 egg whisked with a splash of water)

Cookie Butter Filling

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter (56 g)

  • 4 oz Lotus Biscoff cookies (about 15 cookies)

  • ½ cup light brown sugar (100 g)

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon

  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 2 ½ tbsp heavy cream

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temp

  • ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy (60 g)

  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

  • 3 tbsp heavy cream

  • Pinch kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Make the Pie Crust

  1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until butter is broken up but still coarse. Add the sour cream and continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together into a flattened rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Make Cookie Butter Filling

  1. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often until butter foams, then browns, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.

  2. In a food processor, blend the Biscoff cookies until very finely ground. Add the browned butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and pulse until mixture is combined. With the food processor running, drizzle in the heavy cream.

Make the Glaze

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a spatula. Add the vanilla, heavy cream, and salt and stir to combine.

Assemble & Bake

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line two half-sheet trays with parchment paper.

  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a 12” x 18” rectangle. Use your hands to keep the rectangular shape as you roll. Trim the edges to make them straight. Using a pastry wheel, cut 4 even strips along the length (4.5” each), and 4 even strips along the width (3” each). You should have 16 rectangles. If the dough is getting soft, transfer to the sheet trays and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

  3. Put 2 ½-3 tbsp of filling in the center of half of the rectangles. Press down the filling with the back of a spoon or offset spatula, leaving a small border around the edges. Lightly brush the edges of the filled rectangles with egg wash. Top with the remaining rectangles, pressing down to adhere the edges of the dough together. Crimp the border with a fork to seal together. Cut an X in the top and brush with egg wash.

  4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. If baking on different racks in your oven, rotate the pans after 20 minutes.

  5. Allow the pop tarts to cool, then spoon the icing on top, spreading with an offset spatula. Top with extra crushed Biscoff cookies if desired.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

  • Before I add the cubed butter, I like to pop it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes so it’s very cold. Having small pieces of butter in the dough is the key to a flaky crust. The butter melts and creates steam in the oven, which is what pushes the layers of dough apart.

  • When working with the dough, make sure to keep it chilled. If the dough gets soft, it’s harder to work with. I like to chill the dough after rolling and cutting, before I fill and seal them.

  • When sealing the top of the pop tart with pie crust, make sure you are putting the non-floured side down. If you try to seal together pie crust dusted with flour, it won’t want to stick.

  • This pie crust is adapted from Zoe Bakes’ Strawberry Hand Pies recipe. I’ve made many hand pies, but this crust with sour cream is easily the best, flakiest, most tender one I’ve tried. This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal and try with different fillings.

  • To be precise and consistent when baking, I recommend using a Digital Food Scale. The one I linked is relatively inexpensive and in my opinion, a great investment for any home kitchen! But if you don’t have one, I’ll always include cup measurements as well.