Description
Cranberry orange pop tarts bring back memories of weekend mornings with grandma’s freshly baked treats. Flaky pastry filled with tangy cranberry and zesty orange spread creates a delightful homemade breakfast that beats anything from the store shelf.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon orange liquor
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy whipping cream
Finishing Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon cranberry orange filling
Instructions
- Mix 2 cups flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Cut 16 tbsp cold butter into small pieces and work into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Whisk 1 large egg with 2 tbsp milk, then fold into the flour mixture. Knead gently until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Combine 1 cup cranberries, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup orange juice, orange zest, ½ cup water, and 1 tbsp orange liquor in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens and cranberries break down.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut into 3×4-inch rectangles.
- Place 1 tbsp cranberry filling in the center of half the rectangles. Brush edges with water and top with remaining dough rectangles.
- Crimp edges with a fork to seal. Prick the top of each pop tart several times with a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Arrange pop tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until edges are golden brown and crisp.
- For the frosting, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp cranberry filling until smooth. Add orange zest for extra flavor.
- Let pop tarts cool completely, then drizzle with cranberry frosting. Allow frosting to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chilling the dough helps create flakier, more tender pastry with better structure.
- Use fresh cranberries for the brightest flavor, but frozen work equally well if thawed completely.
- Adjust the liquor in the filling to your taste – bourbon adds warmth, while Grand Marnier enhances the orange notes.
- For a gluten-free version, swap regular flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend and ensure your butter is cold and high-quality.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Tarts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 to 4
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg