Last updated on October 15th, 2026 at 05:42 pm
These homemade apple cinnamon pop tarts are filled with flaky all-butter pastry, tender diced apples cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon, and a simple cinnamon-vanilla glaze. This recipe yields eight rectangular pastries with a thick apple filling and fork- crimped edges.
The key to this apple pie pop tarts recipe is letting the cooked filling cool completely, keeping the dough cold and leaving a clean border before sealing. Check out our homemade Pop Tarts recipes for other fillings and finishes.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
These pastries use a classic cold-butter dough, but the apple center gets its own careful preparation. Small apple pieces soften quickly, while brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, lemon juice, and salt cook into a thick spoonable mixture. That matters because raw or watery fruit can steam inside the pastry and push against the seams.
- Cold-butter pastry: Leaving visible butter pieces in the dough helps create flaky layers instead of a uniformly crumbly crust.
- Precooked apple filling: Small apple pieces soften before assembly, while flour binds the juices into a filling that stays spoonable rather than runny.
- Measured assembly: Matching dough rectangles, a level tablespoon of filling, and a clean 1/2-inch border make the pastries easier to seal.
Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pulse flour, sugar, and salt with cold butter until pea-size pieces remain. Add ice water just until the dough holds when squeezed. Divide into two rectangles, wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Add diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, lemon juice, and salt. Cook 7-9 minutes until tender and thick. Cool completely.
- Roll each dough portion into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim and cut each sheet into four 3-by-5-inch rectangles.
- Add 1 level tablespoon cooled filling to eight rectangles, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush borders with egg wash, top, press out air, and crimp firmly.
- Prick each top six times, brush with egg wash, and freeze 10 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25-28 minutes until deeply golden.
- Cool completely. Whisk powdered sugar, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla into a thick glaze. Spread over the pastries and let set 30-45 minutes.
Notes
- Store glazed pastries airtight at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 5 days.
- Freeze assembled unbaked pastries for up to 1 month.
- Reheat in an oven or toaster oven rather than a slot toaster.
Ingredients for Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
These pastries use an all-butter dough, a cooked apple cinnamon filling, and a simple cinnamon-vanilla glaze. The quantities below make eight filled pastries.
For the Pastry
- 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 6–8 tablespoons ice water
Keep the butter cold and stop mixing while pea-size pieces remain. Start with 6 tablespoons of ice water, adding the remaining water gradually only if the dough does not hold together when squeezed.
For the Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 2 medium firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (67 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Choose firm apples such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. Granny Smith adds a tart contrast to the brown sugar and glaze. For more help choosing a variety, King Arthur Baking’s guide to apples for pie compares how different apples soften during baking.
Small, evenly diced pieces fit neatly inside the pastry and cook more evenly than large chunks. The flour binds the released juices, while lemon juice and salt balance the sweetness. Cook the filling until thick, then cool it completely before assembly.
For the Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon milk or water
Whisk these together before brushing the pastry borders and tops. This teaspoon of liquid is separate from the tablespoon of milk used in the glaze.
Apple Cinnamon Glaze for Pastries
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted if needed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or equivalent alcohol-free vanilla flavoring; choose an alcohol-free product
This cinnamon-vanilla glaze complements the apple filling without adding extra fruit or liquid. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and whisk until smooth, adding only a few extra drops if needed. The glaze should spread slowly rather than run over the edges. Apply it only after the pastries have cooled completely.
How to Make Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
For this apple pie pop tarts recipe, keep the dough cold and let the cooked apple filling cool completely before assembly. Measure 1 level tablespoon of filling per pastry rather than piling it onto the dough. The following steps make eight finished pop tarts.
Total time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
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Make and chill the pastry
– Combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the very cold cubed butter and pulse until pea-size butter pieces remain. Alternatively, use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
– Add 6 tablespoons of ice water, then add more a little at a time only until the dough holds together when squeezed. Avoid processing it into a smooth paste.
– Divide the dough into two equal portions, shape each into a flat rectangle, wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. -
Cook and Cool the Apple Cinnamon Pop Tart Filling
– While the dough chills, melt the filling butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, lemon juice, and salt.
– Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7–9 minutes, until the apples are tender and the juices form a thick coating rather than pooling in the pan. If the mixture still looks watery, continue cooking briefly until it thickens.
– Transfer the filling to a shallow bowl and let it cool completely. Warm filling can soften the butter in the dough and make the pastries harder to handle. -
Roll and Cut Sixteen Dough Rectangles
– Lightly flour the work surface. Roll one chilled dough portion slightly larger than 10 by 12 inches, about ⅛ inch thick, then trim it to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle.
– Divide the 10-inch side into two 5-inch sections and the 12-inch side into four 3-inch sections. This gives you eight 3-by-5-inch rectangles from each sheet.
– Repeat with the second dough portion to make sixteen rectangles total: eight bottoms and eight tops. If the dough becomes soft or difficult to lift, refrigerate it briefly before continuing. -
Fill and Seal the Pastries
– Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of milk or water to make the egg wash.
– Arrange eight dough rectangles on the prepared sheet. Place 1 level tablespoon of completely cooled apple filling on each, spreading it within a clean ½-inch border. Save any excess filling rather than overfilling the pastries.
– Brush the bare borders lightly with egg wash. Place the remaining eight rectangles over the filling, gently press around each mound to release trapped air, and press the edges together. Crimp firmly with a fork. -
Vent, Chill, and Bake
– Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
– Prick each pastry top six times with a toothpick or skewer, piercing the top dough layer to let steam escape. Brush the tops lightly with egg wash, then freeze the assembled pastries for 10 minutes.
– Bake for 25–28 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The pastries are ready when the tops and edges are deeply golden and the bottoms look dry and browned. Use these cues alongside the baking time. -
Cool and Add the Cinnamon-Vanilla Glaze
– Transfer the pastries to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
– Whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla until smooth and thick. If necessary, add milk a few drops at a time until the glaze is spreadable but not runny.
– Spread the glaze over the cooled pastries, keeping it inside the crimped edges. Let it set for 30–45 minutes before stacking or packing them.
The filling should be cool before it touches the dough. Warm apples soften the butter in the pastry, making the rectangles harder to move and more likely to split. If the cooked mixture still looks loose, return it to the skillet for another minute or two before cooling.
Tips and Variations
- Cut matching pieces. Use a ruler to make even 3-by-5-inch rectangles. Matching tops and bottoms are easier to seal and bake evenly.
- Keep the borders clean. Leave a ½-inch border free of filling, brush it lightly with egg wash, and press the dough layers together before crimping. Avoid soaking the edges.
- Remove trapped air. Press gently around the filling before crimping with a fork. Prick the tops so steam can escape during baking.
- Keep the dough cold. If the rectangles become soft or difficult to lift, refrigerate them briefly before continuing.
Pop Tarts With Store-Bought Pie Crust
To make pop tarts with store-bought pie crust, use refrigerated pastry made without lard or other pork ingredients. Keep it cold and cut matching tops and bottoms. Package sizes vary, so the yield depends on how many matching rectangles the dough provides.
For each 3-by-5-inch pastry, use the same 1 level tablespoon of completely cooled apple filling and leave a ½-inch border. Follow the recipe’s egg-wash, sealing, venting, and 10-minute freezer-rest instructions.
Bake at 375°F (190°C), checking for deeply golden edges and dry, browned bottoms. If you make smaller pastries, reduce the filling and begin checking for doneness earlier.
Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Options
- Dairy-free: Replace the butter in both the pastry and apple filling with a baking-style plant-based butter. Use water or dairy-free milk in the egg wash and dairy-free milk in the glaze. The egg remains, so this variation is not vegan.
- Gluten-free: Use a pastry recipe specifically formulated without gluten rather than assuming a gluten-free flour blend will behave identically in this dough. The tablespoon of flour in the apple filling also needs a suitable gluten-free replacement.
Keep the filling layer low and even rather than forming a tall mound. The top rectangle should meet the bottom without stretching; if it does not, remove a little filling before sealing.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
Storing Baked Pastries
Let the pastries cool completely before covering them, and allow the glaze to set before stacking. For a conservative storage approach, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use within 4 days of baking. Place parchment between layers to prevent the glaze from sticking.
For general guidance on storing homemade fruit-filled pastries, see Iowa State University Extension’s pie-storage recommendations.
Freezing Before Baking
Arrange the sealed, unbaked pastries on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until firm. Transfer them to an airtight freezer container, separating layers with parchment, and freeze for up to 1 month. Leave them unglazed.
Bake directly from frozen at 375°F (190°C). Allow additional time beyond the recipe’s usual 25–28 minutes, checking for deeply golden edges and dry, browned bottoms. Cool completely before adding the glaze.
Reheating
Place the pastries on a lined baking tray in a 325°F (165°C) oven or toaster oven. Begin checking after 6–8 minutes and continue until warmed through; refrigerated pastries may need longer.
The glaze may soften during reheating. If preparing pastries ahead specifically to reheat, leave them unglazed and add the topping after reheating and cooling.
Do not use a slot toaster. Glaze or apple filling can drip onto the heating elements.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Pop Tart Ideas
- Classic jam filling: Homemade strawberry pop tarts pair an all-butter crust with strawberry filling and strawberry glaze.
- Another cooked-fruit option: Homemade blueberry pop tarts use a thick blueberry filling and blueberry icing.
- Another fall flavor: Homemade pumpkin pie pop tarts have a pumpkin-spice center and vanilla-maple glaze.
Save These Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Save these homemade apple cinnamon pop tarts for a weekend baking project or a fall breakfast spread. For an individual dessert with the same apple-and-cinnamon pairing but a creamy filling, try our mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes.
