Homemade S'mores Pop Tarts

How many people are happy that their kids are done or about to be done with school? I'm guessing zero people. I never realized how dreadful summer vacation must be for parents until I spent three consecutive days with my nephews. I feel for your souls.


That's why I've concocted a delicious treat to preserve your sanity over the duration of the next two months. It's the homemade version of a treat you and your kids probably already love.


Pop-Tarts. Of the s'mores variety.


Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and s'mores are basically a food group during the summertime, so I combined the two. Though technically, you could eat these pop-tarts just about any time during the day. I'm pretty sure you'll want to.


The crust is super tender, flaky, and packed with graham cracker flavor. The filling is classic Hersheys chocolate paired with marshmallow creme. And the topping is a drizzle of Hershey's chocolate with even more graham cracker crumbs.


Out.of.this.world. They're amazing when warm, and they stay amazing even after they cool down. So, you don't even need to warm them up! Just POP them in your mouth and enjoy! ;)

Homemade S'mores Pop Tarts

Yield: 9 pop-tarts

Ingredients:

For the pastry crust:
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

1 large egg, whisked with a tablespoon of water (to brush the pastries with)

For the filling:
9 Hershey's snack size bars (0.45 oz each)
1 cup marshmallow crème

For the topping:
2 Hershey's snack size bars
Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

For the pastry crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and salt; pulse a couple times to combine. Throw in the cold, diced butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas.

With the machine running, add the ice water through the opening on top of the lid, in a slow, steady stream, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. It should start to form a ball and come away from the sides. It is very important to not over process the dough. A way to test if the dough is ready is by squeezing a small amount of it together; if it doesn't come together and it's still dry, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into disks and tightly wrap. Place the disks in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Assembling the pop-tarts
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim off the sides of the dough, so that it measures 9×12 inches in size. Cut the dough into thirds, and then cut each third into thirds again. You will end up with 9 rectangular pieces, each measuring 3×4 inches. Using a ruler is very helpful for this step. Repeat with the second disk of dough.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 9 of the dough rectangles on the baking sheets.

Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water to make your egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the entire surface of the first nine rectangles of dough. This will be the “bottom” of the tart; the egg wash will help glue the top rectangle on.

Place one Hershey's chocolate bar in the center of each rectangle. Then, dollop two tablespoons of marshmallow crème right beside it. Brush the second group of dough rectangles with egg wash and then place each one directly over a bottom rectangle, egg wash side face down. Use your fingertips to press firmly around the tart, sealing the dough well on all sides. Crimp the edges of each tart with a fork. This will ensure the tarts do not open up during baking.

Prick the top of each tart five times with a skewer or toothpick; this will allow the steam to escape, so that the tarts will become light and airy instead of flat. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash. Refrigerate the tarts, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Remove tarts from the fridge and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they’re golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let the tarts cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.

Once they have cooled down a bit, melt 2 Hershey's chocolate bars over a double boiler or in a microwave. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops of the tarts. Sprinkle on additional graham cracker crumbs.

 Serve immediately or store the tarts in an airtight container at room temperature.

Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s home baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from Imperial Sugar®, Gold Medal Flour®, Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs and KitchenAid®