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Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars: Homemade and delicious gooey cinnamon brown sugar is sandwiched between two layers of salted brown sugar shortbread cookie dough, baked until flaky, and finished with a sweet cinnamon maple icing. These easy-to-make pop-tart bars are sweet, salty, very gooey in the center, and heavy on the cinnamon. Finish with a sprinkle of salt for that classic “pop tart” look. Every sweet brown sugar cinnamon bar is so delicious. Some might even say they’re addictive!
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I’ve wanted to make these ever since I made my Chocolate Fudge Pop Tart Bars back in March. I grew up eating pop tarts only on very rare occasions. My favorite was always a toasted chocolate pop tart, and my runner-up was always the brown sugar cinnamon pop tart. I remember them both being so good.
The funny thing is that a few months ago, someone actually sent me a box of brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. They sat on the shelf until I decided to make these bars just last week. It was then that I decided to open a package and see what they looked like up close.
They didn’t smell like anything, and they looked so sad compared to the photo on the box. They needed a homemade upgrade. I can say with so much confidence that these homemade bars are so much better. You have to try these.
For starters, this is a brown sugar shortbread cookie, so it’s sweet, buttery, salty, and has a delicious base. It’s probably one of my favorite types of cookie.
And then there’s the special filling. Since we’re approaching fall, I couldn’t help but double the cinnamon and add a few spoonfuls of apple butter – it’s DELICIOUS!
For the icing, I used an old favorite, my cinnamon maple icing from everyone’s favorite apple cider doughnuts.
Here are the details
Step 1: make the shortbread dough
In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Next, take the cold butter and shred it using a box grater, just like you’d do with cheese. Mix the butter into the flour, then beat in water until the dough holds onto the bowl.
It’s important to use a COLD and SALTED butter. Cold butter will give the dough flakiness and the salt makes it all come together. You have to bake with salted butter.
Step 2: press the dough out
Take the dough and divide it in half. Press half the dough down into a 9×9 inch square baking dish fitted with parchment paper.
Take the remaining dough and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a square that’s just larger than a 9×9 inch square. To help guide you, trace the outline of the 9×9-inch baking dish onto a sheet of parchment paper. Now roll the dough out on the parchment to just past the edges of the outline. Set this aside for a quick minute.
Step 3: the filling
Mix everything in a bowl.
Brown sugar, apple butter, cinnamon, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. These will all smell so scrumptious together.
Step 4: assemble
Spread the brown sugar mix over the dough in the baking dish. Now, invert the reserved sheet of dough over the filling, trimming as needed to fit the dough into the pan.
I like to chill the bars before baking them to ensure they bake up nicely. 15 minutes in the freezer is perfect!
Then bake, bake, bake!
Step 5: the icing
While the bars are cooling, make the frosting.
The frosting is a mix of powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla—simple ingredients that, when combined, are so very delicious.
If you’d like a shiny, glossy finish to your pop tart bars, use a couple of teaspoons of meringue powder. Meringue powder will give your frosting shine. It helps it set up and dry nicely so that the frosting doesn’t smudge when touched. This step is completely optional, though; it’s certainly not required.
Frost the bars and let the frosting stiffen for a few minutes, then sprinkle with pretzel salt. It’s delish and adds a salty crunch with every bite. Again, this, too, is optional though.
Let the bars harden, or enjoy them right away—they’re so yummy! Each bar is flaky and extra gooey. Everyone loves these! They’re perfect for back-to-school and the fall season ahead.
Looking for other homemade versions of childhood favorites? Try some of these.
Homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts
Healthier Homemade Somoas Cookies
Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart
Lastly, if you make these Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, shredded
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- coarse salt or sugar, for sprinkling, (optional)
Instructions
- 1. To make the cookie dough. In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the flour, sugar, and butter. Add the vanilla and 1/3 cup cold water. Beating until just combined, adding 1-2 tablespoons additional water as needed until the dough forms a ball. 3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 4. Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough into the prepared baking dish. Trace the 9×9 inch baking dish out on a sheet of parchment paper. Now, roll the remaining dough out just past the edges of the traced-out square. Set aside.5. To make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Evenly spread the filling dough into the baking dish. Carefully invert the reserved dough square over the filling, pressing down gently to secure. Trim away any excess dough. 6. Freeze the bars for 15 minutes. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool.7. To make the frosting. In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients and 1-2 tablespoons of water until smooth. If your frosting is too thick, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of additional water.8. Spread the frosting over the pop-tart bars. Let set a few minutes, then top with salt/sugar (optional). Let dry, then cut into bars. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made these and promised to share. I lied.
These are SO GOOD!! Made according to the recipe, used applesauce as mentioned in one of the comments. Will make again!
Hey Sondra,
Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Delicious and decadent!! Can you make a berry version?! Then everyone in the house would be happy xD
Thanks so much Elizabeth!! Yes, love this idea, I will definitely work on a berry version! Thanks for your feedback:)
These are so flipping GOOD! Made them last week and my husband requested them again already! Didn’t have apple butter so just used apple sauce and it’s so delicious!! They came out perfect
Hi Alexa,
Yay!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you!🌷 Happy Thursday!
I’d like to make these for a cookie exchange and need A BUNCH! Have you tried doubling in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Misty,
So sorry, I have not tried that. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you though:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays! xT
Easy to follow recipe and they was delicious. Ate them still a little warm. So so yummy!
Thank you so much, Tracey! I love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! xx
As a big brown sugar cinnamon pop tart fan, I think these are a delicious upgrade! The filling recipe seems to really capture the original flavor. From reviewing other recipes and reviews, a common problem can be that the filling dries out too much when baking, but I think the apple butter in this recipe prevents that from happening. Nailed it!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Sunday!! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your feedback! xx
I think you have cinnamon instead of vanilla listed in the instructions for the dough. Then I went to the list of ingredients and you don’t have the water listed there so it was a bit confusing – definitely ruining my first batch lol but I’ll try again
Hi there,
So sorry to hear you had issues with this recipe. There is no cinnamon listed in step 1 for the dough, just the vanilla:) I hope this helps! xx
is there a flour you’d recommend to make this GF? almond or coconut flour? thanks!
Hey Erica,
I would do a gluten free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
In the blog part “step 1” section, it does say cinnamon! It’s all good. Next time I’ll get it
Ahh so sorry about that! I will fix it!
Hello! Having a hard time finding apple butter, is there an alternative?
Hi Steph! Yes, you can use apple sauce! 🙂 xT
These were delicious! I didn’t have maple syrup so I used honey and a little apple cider to thin out the icing which worked great.
Hey Grace,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, love to hear that it was enjoyed! x
I made these and they were decadent. I loved them so much.
The only issue I have was with the dough, it was wet and used some flour to smooth it a little, is that what you also did Tieghan?
Hey Hannah,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! I would just use less water next time in step 1:) xT
This recipe is soooo goood. I baked this for my husbands Uncles birthday and they loved it. He called it danger that’s how delicious it is. The crust, filling and the crust on top is soft when you bite into it. Today I baked it again the second time around was even better. Thank you Tiegan!
Hey Queenie,
Happy Friday!! Thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and your comment! xx