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(Better than store-bought) Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts. Easy homemade brown sugar cinnamon filling, stuffed between two layers of cinnamon dough, baked until toasted, and finished with a sweet vanilla and cinnamon frosting. These brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are flaky, perfectly sweet, and heavy on the cinnamon. Finish each mini tart with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar or pretzel salt for an added layer of deliciousness. Every bite is roll your eyes back good!
After sharing my homemade chocolate fudge pop tarts a couple of weeks ago, we received so many messages and comments. so many of them were requests for a homemade brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. I had no idea that the cinnamon flavor is apparently everyone’s favorite. Growing up, I always ate the chocolate flavor. It just never occurred to me that you all might actually LOVE the brown sugar pop tarts more.
Well, I heard your requests loud and clear. Today we have homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. And honestly? These really are SO GOOD. Yes, I will forever love the chocolate fudge pop tarts, but I have to admit, I think I missed out on these cinnamon tarts as a kid. The crust is flaky and buttery, the filling is sweet and heavy on the cinnamon…with just a hint of butter, and the frosting is that final layer that completes these little mini tarts.
Admittedly I hesitated to share this recipe so soon after the chocolate tarts. But with everyone baking up a storm right now I figured, why not? These are fun to bake if you’re home with your kids or just need a random Tuesday afternoon project. And most importantly? They’re delicious.
Here are the steps…
These pop tarts are simple. Even simpler than the chocolate fudge pop tarts because the filling is quicker to mix up. This filling doesn’t require any cooking or any time in the fridge to chill. It’s a very simple mix of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla. That’s it, just mix and done.
Once the filling has been mixed, make the dough. I really wanted these pop tarts to be as authentic as possible to the ones from the box…but taste better (of course). But I also didn’t want to use just plain old dough. The boxed tarts have a crust that’s similar to a graham cracker, so I wanted to mimic that look and flavor. To do this use, I use a mix of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon. The whole wheat flour adds a little more crumb and a little more color to the dough. The cinnamon adds flavor.
pop tarts before baking (above), pop tarts after baking (below)
The result? It took a few trials, but I think I got them pretty darn close to the classic look…but with a better taste, thanks to using real ingredients.
I like using the food processor to easily mix the dough, but you can simply use your hands as well.
Roll the dough out and cut into rectangles. Use the back of a spoon to spread the filling over half of the rectangles, leaving a small border around the edge of the dough. At this point, you’ll want to brush the borders of the rectangles with the egg. Using the beaten egg ensures that all of the filling stays inside of the pop tarts while they bake. Add the top piece of dough to enclose the filling. Then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges around the tarts. This seals all that yummy filling inside.
Bake the pop tarts up, and twenty minutes later you’ll have the smell of warm cinnamon wafting in the air. You’ll also have the most delicious homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts!
While the pop tarts cool…
Make the frosting, which is key. It’s a pretty quick mix up of powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Nothing fancy, but it’s a mix of very delicious (sweet) things.
Spread the frosting over each tart. Then let the pop tarts hang out for a bit to give the frosting some time to harden. And that’s pretty much it. Could not be simpler, and the end result is roll your eyes back good.
The real question? Do they taste like the original Pop Tarts?
Well, I don’t know for sure. It’s been a while since I had my last pop tart, but they do taste really, really good. You can really taste the real brown sugar and cinnamon with undertone flavors of vanilla and sweet butter. The crust is flaky and the center filling is soft and gooey.
And everyone’s second question…can you put these in the toaster? I wish I could say yes, but no, I would not recommend it. If you leave the frosting off of the pop tarts, then yes, you can easily toast these in the toaster and enjoy them warm, which I’m sure would be delicious.
And guys? That’s all I have for you. If you take away one thing from the blog post, let it be that these pop tarts are DELISH. So much better than the boxed stuff from the store.
Added bonus? Every single ingredient is a pantry staple. Meaning you have zero excuses to not bake these up today. Tuesday pop tarts anyone?
Looking for other homemade versions of childhood favorites? Try some of these.
Healthier Homemade Somoas Cookies
Homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts
Lastly, if you make these homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, 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!x
Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Servings: 16 pop tarts
Calories Per Serving: 310 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or additional all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling could also use coarse salt - both are optional
Instructions
- 1. To make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 2. To make the dough. In a food processor, combine the flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and butter. Pulse until the mix clumps together to form pea-size balls. Add 1/2 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. If the dough feels dry, add 1-2 tablespoons additional water.3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll out into a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles, about 4 x 3 inches. Place a rounded tablespoon of the brown sugar filling on one half of the rectangles, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Brush the edges with the beaten egg. Lay the other half of the dough over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. Repeat until you've used all the dough.4. Place the pop tarts on parchment-lined baking sheets. Poke a few holes on top of the tarts with a fork. Cover the baking sheets and place in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 20 minutes.5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the pop tarts for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before frosting.6. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. If your frosting is too thick, thin with 1-2 tablespoons additional water.7. Spoon a thin layer of the frosting on top of the cooled pop-tarts. Place on a baking sheet and allow the pop tarts to harden, uncovered for about 2 hours. Sprinkle with salt or sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
If you don't have a Food Processor: You can use use you fingers to mix the butter with the flour until the butter is pea sized. Slowly drizzle in the cold water as directed.
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
Awesome recipe. When I sell blueberry filled pop tarts, I use your recipe and leave out the cinnamon in the dough. I make scratch blueberry jam for the filling. White icing and rainbow sprinkles. People love them!
Hey Steven,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! So great you can make these with other flavors! xx
If you want a cookie baking contest winner….this is the recipe! It’s not an easy one and is time consuming. Helpful hint: make and assemble, do not bake. I left my pop tarts in the fridge for 2 days before baking. I brought them out as i warmed the oven to bake and continued the recipe as written. I won best cookie for over all taste!
Hey Barbara,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go! xT
All I can say is WOW. I have been craving these, and while I was very intimidated by the recipe, the craving overcame my hesitancy! The recipe truly wasn’t even that hard or complicated, and the outcome is seriously SO GOOD. I want to eat them all right now! I made them exactly as written, wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
Hi Rachel,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great weekend:)
hello I was wondering if this recipe can be baked as 1 giant pop tart ( like the chocolate Fudge pop tart recipe). A girl that I work with loves frosted brown sugar pop tarts and this recipe would be a perfect and unique replacement for a birthday cake for her. Would the baking time need to be altered?
Hi Luchia,
Sure, that would work! Just follow the bake time for the chocolate pop tart:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi! Can you put the dough in the fridge? About to make these ahead of time before vaca
Hi there,
Totally! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Oh my goodness – DELICIOUS! I’m not a perfectionist so the icing wasn’t as pretty as yours but we loved these. I’m not a fan of rolling out dough because it always sticks to the counter, is messy, and I get frustrated with it all. This was worth my negative anticipation, deep sigh and resolve to push through to do it anyway. My husband who “doesn’t eat sweets” (so he says), has asked me to make these nearly every other week. I’m a recipe cook so make exact according to your directions. I made the strawberry ones too with the wheat flour! Nummm!
Hey Jan!
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! Hope you’re off to a great weekend:)
Tasted like a waste of good crust. Not bad, just a waste. The filling became like a hard biscuit instead of a soft filling. And a TABLESPOON of vanilla extract??? I should have known better. The frosting has that strong liquer-like taste that extracts have.
Hi Ariel,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Made these months ago. Got request to make again for Father’s Day. Obviously a crowd favorite!!
Hi Claire,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xxT
Do you have a suggestion for freezing and reheating? I’d love to make a big batch of these and have them in the freezer for the kids to do quickly, but would the frosting melt off in the toaster?
Hey Emily,
I think it would probably be best to freeze without the icing OR you could try freezing with the icing and reheating in the oven, but I still think it would melt off! I hope this helps, let me know what you end up doing! xT
Haven’t even made this yet but I know they will be good. Got the strawberry pop tart recipe today, which led me to these…I actually buy brown sugar pop tarts ( so embarrassing, I’m over 70!) but the kind without frosting. I’ve been trying not to bake, but here goes my resolve…and the nutter butters caught my eye too. Your recipes are terrific!
Thanks so much for your kind message Janet!! I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi Tieghan! Your strawberry pop tart recipe uses hot milk for the frosting but this one uses water. I’m wondering what the difference is and what one tastes better, and why two different ingredients for similar frosting. Thanks in advance!
Hey Caitlin,
The hot milk just helps the frosting to set faster:) Either one will work! Let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xT
These were amazing. I got 11 out of mine. I did half with brown sugar filling and half with blue berry jam (Stonewall Organic from Costco) – if you want to do all brown sugar double the filling recipe.
I forgot to fridge mine for an hour before and they still turned out great.
I also did a lesser frosting recipe – 3/4 cup powder sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1.5 tablespoon of whole milk. Had left over frosting because I just sort of drizzled it. It was WAY too sweet to slather the poptarts in.
So good – thank you for ANOTHER bomb recipe. My dad said these were the best things I’ve ever made – and I make a LOT lol.
Hi Katie,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Have a great week:) xx
Curious if it would be possible to get to step 4 an then keep the dough in the fridge overnight to cook first thing in the morning. Do you think the results would be the same? Thanks!
Hey Diana,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made these this morning and just had my first taste after icing them, and they are a very tasty treat! More like a little hand pie. The sprinkle of salt on top adds a nice balance with the sweetness too. Will be hard to resist eating the rest of the pan…
Hey Alissa,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
We stopped eating poptarts over a decade ago due to questionable ingredients. This recipe has been on my list to try for so long but I thought it might be too time intensive. I was wrong. Recipe was incredibly easy and quick to put together and the results were amazing. The taste is spot on but my husband said the filling is better than he remembers because it doesn’t taste “fake sweet” from corn syrup. Will definitely make again!
Hey Andrea,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy New Year!? xxT
Hi! I’ve made these a bunch and they’re always a crowd favorite! Are they able to be stored in the fridge or freezer if I want to make them ahead of when I need them?
Hey Winnie,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Yes, you can totally store in the fridge or freezer. I hope you have an amazing week! xTieghan