Make your own "Pop Tarts"

Pop Tarts.  Love them or hate them, they are a part of "pop" culture... pun intended.  In our house, our opinions are split; they would be eaten at every meal (if allowed) by my son and husband, but I'd rather never touch one.  All the same, after witnessing the true devotion to Pop Tarts as displayed by my son, I began concocting a plan to make his favorite treat healthier (preferably without him knowing).

Enter my plan.  Step 1: Find or create an easy, repeatable, reliable recipe for homemade Pop Tarts.  Step 2: Find healthier, fruit and/or vegetable fillings to sneak inside under the guise of the Pop Tart shell.  Though I haven't yet ventured into vegetable filling, this recipe which I sourced from multiple sites (below) gets me through at least Step 1 1/2. 

Now, before I get to the recipe, let it be stated that I am NOT a baker.  Some people like to cook, some like to bake, others are great at both.  I am not so lucky, so this recipe uses store-bought refrigerated pie crust.  If the mere thought of that makes you cringe, then, by all means, use your own recipe.  But with that in mind, you probably don't eat Pop Tarts anyway, so let me suggest the easy recipe below.

Semi-homemade Pop Tarts Recipe

Ingredients:

• Refrigerated pie crust
• Jam or preserves- I used strawberry and black raspberry "spreadable fruit"
• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Egg wash (optional)
• Sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Unroll one of the pie crusts onto a lightly floured surface, and cut into rectangles.  I also used cookie cutters on the odd pieces to make fun shaped "pop tarts".

Place jam or preserves (about 1 tbsp) in the center of one rectangle, and top with another piece of pie crust.  Crimp the edges with a fork.  Repeat until all of the pie crust is used.
Bake the "pop tarts" in the 425 degree oven, for about 7-8 minutes (check at 7, could take as long as 9 or 10 depending on your oven), or until slightly brown.  Make the glaze while they're in the oven.

Once cool, spoon the glaze (below) onto the "pop tarts" and decorate with the sprinkles.  If you would rather not add the sugar glaze, you can use an egg wash on the tops with some sugar, or simply leave them plain.
To Make the Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar (or less is you're only making a few tarts)
• milk to thin

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl, and SLOWLY add milk to thin.  You may only need to add 1 tbsp or less.  You want it to be the consistency of thick syrup when you're done.  You can add a drop or two of food coloring to add some fun to your Pop Tarts!

Now you are ready to enjoy this childhood treat, a little more "grown up".  Enjoy!

Now to give credit where credit is due, here are the sites that I pulled from for my recipe:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/hold-the-phone-make-your-own-t-1.html
http://bakememore.com/2009/02/15/sorry-kelloggs-these-pop-tarts-will-make-you-crumble/
http://chezpim.com/bake/how-to-make-you