Last updated on October 21st, 2026 at 04:49 pm
Homemade cookies and cream pop tarts combine tender chocolate pastry with a creamy filling made from cream cheese and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. A white vanilla glaze and cookie crumbs finish the dark pastry with a familiar cookies-and-cream contrast.
This recipe makes eight pastries from scratch. Keep the dough cold, measure the filling, and leave room for a firm seal. Allow about 3 hours 15 minutes, including chilling, cooling, and glaze setting. For other fillings and pastry styles, browse these homemade pop tart recipes.
Table of Contents
Why These Homemade Cookies and Cream Pop Tarts Work
- Two cocoas build the chocolate-cookie flavor. Black cocoa gives the pastry its dark color and sandwich-cookie character, while Dutch-process cocoa adds a more familiar chocolate flavor.
- The filling stays thick enough to portion. Block cream cheese and fine cookie crumbs help the chilled filling hold a mound. Cornstarch helps it set during baking.
- Cold pastry is easier to seal. Chilling keeps the dough manageable, while a clean border, firm crimp, and small vents help contain the filling.
Homemade Cookies and Cream Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pulse the flour, black cocoa, Dutch cocoa, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse until the pieces are pea-size. Pulse in the cold egg, then add ice water one tablespoon at a time just until the dough holds when squeezed.
- Turn out the shaggy dough, press it together without kneading, and divide it in half. Shape each half into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla just until smooth. Fold in the five finely crushed cookies. Refrigerate while rolling the dough so the mixture becomes scoopable and firm.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Roll one dough half between lightly floured parchment to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut eight 3-by-4 1/2-inch rectangles, rerolling scraps once. Repeat with the second half for 16 pieces total and chill them for 10 minutes.
- Place eight bottoms on the prepared pan. Spoon 1 1/2 level tablespoons of filling onto each, keeping a clean 1/2-inch border. Beat the egg with water and brush the borders lightly. Add the tops, press out large air pockets, seal with fingertips, and crimp all four sides with a floured fork.
- Cut four small vents in each top and brush thinly with egg wash. Refrigerate the tray for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 375 F. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating once, until the surfaces are matte, the rims feel firm, and the bottoms release cleanly.
- Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla into a thick, spreadable glaze. Spoon over the centers, sprinkle with two crushed cookies, and let the glaze set for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Refrigerate completely cooled pastries in an airtight container within 2 hours. Keep for up to 4 days, separating layers with parchment.
- Freeze baked, unglazed pastries in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer container for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and glazing.
- Warm an unglazed pastry in a 300 F oven for 6 to 8 minutes or a toaster oven at 300 F for 4 to 6 minutes. Microwave for 10 to 15 seconds for a softer result. Never use a vertical slot toaster.
Ingredients and Notes
These homemade chocolate pastry pop tarts use a cocoa dough, a cookies-and-cream cheese filling, and a simple vanilla glaze.
Chocolate Pastry
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 grams) black cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons (12 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg, cold
- 2–4 tablespoons ice water, added gradually
Black cocoa gives the pastry its dark sandwich-cookie character. Dutch-process cocoa contributes a different chocolate flavor. King Arthur Baking’s guide to cocoa types explains these differences.
If black cocoa is unavailable, replace its 25 grams with 25 grams Dutch-process cocoa, keeping the original 12 grams of Dutch cocoa as well. The pastry will be lighter in color and will taste different.
Keep the butter cold. Add only enough ice water for the dough to hold together when squeezed; it should not become wet or sticky.
Oreo pop tart recipe cream cheese filling
In this Oreo pop tart recipe, cream cheese makes the filling thick and creamy. You will need:
- 6 ounces (170 grams) full-fat block cream cheese, softened just enough to mix
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or flavoring
- 5 regular chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed with their cream centers included
Use dense block cream cheese rather than whipped cream cheese or a soft spread. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla just until smooth, then fold in the cookie crumbs.
Choose regular Oreo-style cookies rather than double-stuffed varieties to keep the filling consistent. Crush them finely so the crumbs distribute evenly without creating large bumps beneath the pastry top.
Refrigerate the filling while rolling the dough. It should be cool and firm enough to hold a mound when spooned onto the pastry.
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
This egg is separate from the egg used in the dough. Beat it with the water and brush the borders lightly before sealing, then brush the assembled tops.
Avoid puddles along the edges. The pastry still needs firm pressing and crimping to close the seams.
Vanilla Cookie Glaze
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1½ tablespoons milk, plus more by the teaspoon if needed
- ½ teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or flavoring
- 2 regular chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed, for topping
Add the milk gradually. The glaze should spread slowly and stay on top of the pastry rather than run over the edges.
Use the two topping cookies separately from the five cookies in the filling.
Ingredient Checks
The main recipe contains wheat, milk, and egg. Sandwich cookies may contain soy and have other allergen warnings, so check the package you are using. Different cookie varieties do not necessarily have the same ingredients.
How to Make Homemade Cookies and Cream Pop Tarts
You will need a food processor, a large rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, a rolling pin, a ruler, a sharp knife or pastry wheel, a fork, a pastry brush, mixing bowls, and a cooling rack.
Total time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
-
Make the Chocolate Pastry
– Pulse the flour, black cocoa, Dutch-process cocoa, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined.
– Add the cold butter and pulse until pea-size pieces remain. Add the cold egg, then pulse in the ice water one tablespoon at a time, using only enough for the dough to hold together when squeezed.
– The mixture should look shaggy, not smooth or wet. Avoid processing it into a paste. -
Chill the dough
– Turn the dough onto the work surface and press it together without kneading. Divide it into two equal portions.
– Shape each portion into a rectangle about ½ inch thick, wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
– Prepare the filling during this chill. -
Mix the Cookies-and-Cream Filling
– Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and alcohol-free vanilla just until smooth.
– Fold in the five finely crushed sandwich cookies. Refrigerate the filling while you roll the dough so it becomes cool, firm, and easy to portion.
– Do not add milk to loosen it. A runny filling will be harder to keep away from the sealing borders. -
Roll and Cut Matching Rectangles
– Line the baking sheet with parchment.
– Roll one dough portion between lightly floured sheets of parchment to approximately ⅛ inch thick. Cut eight rectangles measuring approximately 3 by 4½ inches, gently gathering and rerolling the scraps once as needed.
– Repeat with the second portion for sixteen pieces total. Pair similarly sized tops and bottoms, then chill the cut pieces for 10 minutes.
– If the pastry becomes shiny, sticky, or difficult to lift, refrigerate it before continuing. -
Fill and seal
– Arrange eight pastry bottoms on the prepared sheet.
– Place 1½ level tablespoons of chilled filling in the center of each, leaving a clean ½-inch border. Keep the filling layer low enough that the top can meet the bottom without stretching.
– Beat the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush the bare borders lightly with egg wash.
– Add the pastry tops and press gently around the filling to release trapped air. Press the borders together, then crimp all four sides with a lightly floured fork.
– Refrigerate any remaining filling separately rather than increasing each portion. -
Vent, chill, and bake
– Cut four small vents in each top and brush lightly with egg wash.
– Refrigerate the assembled pastries for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 375°F (190°C).
– Bake for 18–22 minutes, rotating the sheet once. Dark pastry will not develop an obvious golden color. Look for dry, matte tops, firm crimped edges, and bottoms that lift with a spatula without sagging.
– Continue baking if the pastry still looks wet or feels soft underneath. -
Cool and glaze
– Cool the pastries on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack and let them cool completely.
– Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and alcohol-free vanilla into a thick, spreadable glaze. Add extra milk only by the teaspoon if needed.
– Spread the glaze over the cooled centers and sprinkle with the two crushed cookies. Let the glaze set for approximately 20 minutes, allowing longer if it remains tacky.
– Because the filling contains cream cheese, follow the refrigeration guidance below rather than leaving the pastries out indefinitely while the glaze sets.
Shortcut and Dietary Options
Store-bought pie crust
For easy cookies and cream pop tarts, use two refrigerated pie crusts and cut 16 rectangles. The pastry will be pale and buttery rather than Oreo-dark; dust the rolled dough lightly with Dutch cocoa for a chocolate hint. Bake at 400 F for about 16 to 18 minutes.
Vegan option
For vegan cookies and cream pop tarts, use plant-based block butter, vegan cream cheese, dairy-free milk, and sandwich cookies labeled vegan. Replace the dough egg with 3 tablespoons ice water as needed and brush the seams with plant milk. Expect a more delicate dough.
Cocoa choice
All black cocoa gives the darkest shell but a milder chocolate flavor. The black-and-Dutch blend keeps the signature cookie note while adding enough cocoa depth to balance the sweet center.
Storage and Safe Reheating
Refrigerator
Up to 4 daysRefrigerate in an airtight container within two hours. FoodSafety.gov recommends keeping perishable food at 40 F or below.
Freezer
Up to 1 monthFreeze the baked pastries before glazing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm gently and cool before decorating.
Best reheat
300 F for 6-8 minutesUse an oven or toaster oven for an unglazed pastry. Microwave 10 to 15 seconds for a soft center. Never put these in a vertical slot toaster.
More Homemade Pop Tart Recipes
Choose another filling or cooking method:
- For chocolate and marshmallow: Homemade s’mores pop tarts combine cocoa-graham pastry, chocolate filling, and gelatin-free marshmallow creme.
- For a different cooking method: Air fryer homemade pop tarts use refrigerated pie crust and a mixed-berry filling. They are a separate recipe, not air-fryer instructions for this cream-cheese version.
- For a warm-spiced filling: Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts have an all-butter crust, a spreadable cinnamon filling, and cinnamon glaze.
- For a fruit-filled alternative: Homemade strawberry pop tarts pair strawberry jam with all-butter pastry and strawberry glaze.
Save these homemade cookies and cream pop tarts for a baking afternoon. Keep the dough cold, give the filling room inside each pastry, and cool completely before glazing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Save This Cookies and Cream Pop Tart Recipe
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