Gourmet Strawberry Pop-Tarts

Could you make homemade Pop-Tarts with store-bought pie dough and ready-made strawberry jam? Absolutely, and we’ve got a recipe to guide you in that direction if you’re so inclined (just skip the dough making part). But when you set former BA staffer Claire Saffitz loose in the test kitchen with the directive to make a gourmet version of Kellogg’s classic toaster pastry, you end up with a DIY Pop-Tart recipe where every element is made from scratch—yes, even the sprinkles.

That’s not to say this recipe is difficult. Just that you should expect to spend a good bit of time pulling it together. Luckily, Claire has broken things into stages, many of which can be done in advance. You’ll start by making a supremely buttery, flaky pie crust, followed by an intensely fruity, twice-cooked strawberry spread (standard jam, Claire found, just wasn’t thick enough).

The topping is royal icing, which hardens as it dries. You’ll use it in two stages: First, you’ll outline distinct rectangles on top of the golden brown pastries. Then, you’ll thin the remaining icing and fill those rectangles from corner to corner. The sprinkles go onto the pastries last, but you could make them first since they need to dry for several hours and can sit at room temperature for up to a week. Could you buy the sprinkles instead? We’d never tell. —The Editors