PB & J Pop Tarts
Nothing is more nostalgic than Peanut Butter and Jelly. The condiment dynamic duo instantly makes you feel like you are a kid again. The simplicity of PB & J does not take away from the satisfying act of devouring this sandwich. However, I wanted to jazz it up a bit. Staying on the path of yearning-for-childhood-sentiment, I remembered a breakfast treat, that was only allowed to be eaten for dessert in our house growing up… PopTarts!
PopTarts were something that my mom rarely let us get, because they.. well.. aren’t all that good for you. Nothing against PopTarts, but I agree with my mom in the thought that they hardly qualify as a well-rounded breakfast. For families on the go, this recipe will give you a little more piece of mind about what you are feeding your family, while still maintaining the convenience of “toast and go!” For Miles and I, they are a savory treat, with their buttery-flakey crust and gooey inside! The fact that they are SUPER easy to make doesn’t hurt either!
Ingredients
Frozen Pastry Dough
peanut butter
jelly
1 egg white
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp flour
Directions
Preheat your oven at 425 degrees. On your counter top, dust out some flour to lay your pastry dough so it doesn’t stick. Once your dough is defrosted, take a large knife or pizza dough cutter and cut your dough into equal squares/rectangles. Remember, you want an even number for the tops and bottoms of your tarts.
Next, with a small knife, spread out your peanut butter and jelly as seen in the picture below. You want to keep it as much in the middle of the dough, so that you can seal the edges well, without the filling squirting out. Place the dough tops over the peanut butter and jelly filling. You will want to then firmly seal the edges with your finger tips, shaping the tart as you go.
This next part is my favorite because I think it makes the tarts look so beautiful! With a fork head, press down along the edges of the tart, helping to seal the dough while giving it an elegant finish.
Grease your cookie sheet with the butter. Carefully place your tarts on the cookie sheet. To finish up, take your egg white, and with a kitchen brush, paint on the egg wash lightly over the tart dough. Make sure to really get the edges, helping to seal them even more. I unfortunately couldn’t find a kitchen brush for the life of me here in Japan, so like an self respecting dentist’s daughter, I used an extra toothbrush. It got the job done!
Put your Peanut Butter and Jelly Tarts in the oven for about 12-15 mins until they are golden brown. They may start to puff up in the oven, but don’t worry, they will go down once cooled.
Pop them in the toaster, or eat as is. With a glass of milk, or on the run. Either way, I guarantee that you will be making these again!
Love the idea of homemade PBJ poptarts! I love PBJ combos but when my Japanesefriends/family hear about the combination, they give me weird faces…and say “ewww!” You might want to increase the temperature you are baking it at…then results will not be as greasy (I went to pastry school and currently studying as a patissier at a cake shop)…it will be more beautiful in color and fluff up really well.
On a side note: you are quite famous now, it seems! The Japanese ladies are really curious in knowing your age, height, the usual stats. (though it is rude to ask Japanese gals their age, they NEVER hesitate when asking me as I am a foreigner here in Japan…aghhh!)
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/06/17/u-s-baseball-player-joins-tokyos-yomiuri-giants-but-its-his-wife-thats-getting-the-attention/
Be careful about puff pastry in Japan! Most is margarine-laden and not even that tasty. Look for labels with few ingredients.
Japanese foods are also loaded with sucralose and aspartame recently. I suggest you familiarize with those two Japanese words so you can avoid them when checking labels.
🙂 Cheers!
Thank you so much for your tips! It can be challenging for me sometimes when shopping for the ingredients I normally would get due to the fact that I cannot read the language. I try to be as health conscious as I can when cooking and baking. If I can make it from scratch a healthy way, I will always go that extra mile.