These strawberry Pop-Tart cookies are every '90s kid's dream.
I am a child of the ’90s, so you can make a few safe assumptions about me. I considered Nickelodeon cartoons to be religion until the age of 12, I knew all of the choreography to every boy band music video, and I ate a Pop-Tart for breakfast almost every morning. These strawberry Pop-Tart cookies are a tribute to simpler times—when cartoons, pop music and packaged grab-and-go breakfasts were at their own kind of peak.
I can’t tell you the last time I had an actual Pop-Tart, but I can tell you that these cookies taste just like the real deal. Unlike the artificial flavors, preservatives and mystery ingredients of the originals, these soft sugar cookies are filled with nothing but cornstarch-thickened strawberry jam. With a simple, sweet glaze and rainbow sparkling sugar, these cookies can be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee for breakfast or indulged in as a sweet, nostalgic dessert (preferably with a side of old-school ’90s cartoons).
Butter:Cream butter with sugar to lighten the cookie dough, helping ensure the cookies don’t fall flat in the oven.
Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and promotes browning in the oven.
Sour cream: Sour cream adds fat to the dough, making it tender, while its acidity reacts with the baking powder and baking soda to give the cookies the perfect rise.
Eggs: A whole egg plus an additional egg yolk adds extra fat to the dough, making the cookies supremely tender and moist.
Vanilla extract: A whisper of vanilla makes the dough’s flavor sing. Use a high-quality vanilla brand for the best flavor.
Flour: When baking cookies, always take care to not overmix. Doing so overworks the gluten, yielding tough, dry cookies.
Cornstarch: The addition of cornstarch is the secret to achieving ultra-soft, melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies that are nice and thick.
Leavener: A combination of baking soda and baking powder gives the cookies the perfect amount of spread, rise and pillowiness.
Salt: Just a pinch of salt enhances the dough’s flavor and balances its sweetness.
Icing: A simple icing made from confectioners’ sugar and a touch of milk simplifies decorating.
Rainbow sprinkles: A generous smattering of rainbow sanding sugar is an authentic nod to beloved strawberry Pop-Tarts.
Directions
Step 1: Thicken the jam filling
Overhead horizontal image of a hand whisking a dark red sauce in a white saucepan. The saucepan, featuring a wooden handle, rests on a light blue dishtowel. The scene is set on a light-colored marble surface, highlighting the process of combining ingredients.
In a small saucepan, warm the strawberry jam to a low simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water. Add the resulting slurry to the jam, and cook the mixture for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally, until it loses its cloudy appearance. Transfer the filling to a bowl to cool.
Editor’s Tip: Thickening the jam helps prevent it from thinning too much in the hot oven later. Too-thin jam would leak out of the cookies while they bake. Cooking the jam on the stovetop with cornstarch evaporates excess moisture and further stabilizes the filling.
Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until they’re light and fluffy, three to five minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating them well until they’re incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients
Overhead horizontal image of a pink stand mixer with a paddle attachment creaming a yellow batter in a glass mixing bowl. A bowl of white flour with a measuring cup and a spatula with some batter on it are visible on a white countertop.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer set to low, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until no dry patches remain, and taking care not to overmix.
Step 4: Chill the dough and jam
Cover and chill the dough for at least one hour or overnight. Meanwhile, transfer the cooled jam mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small, round tip. Chill it until you’re ready to use it.
Editor’s Tip: You can always fill a gallon-sized zip-top plastic storage bag with a bottom corner snipped.
Step 5: Shape, fill and chill the cookies
Overhead horizontal image of cookie dough balls on a pink baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Some of the dough balls are indented and filled with a red jam-like fruit filling. A piping bag containing more red filling is positioned on the right.
Divide the dough into 2-tablespoon-sized balls. Working with one at a time, flatten a ball of dough into a 3-inch disc, then shape it into a shallow bowl. Pipe 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam into the center, then bring up the edges of the dough to completely encase the jam. Pinch the dough to seal the jam inside. Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough. Arrange them, seam-side down, on two 15x10x1-inch parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Refrigerate them at least 15 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: When filling the cookies, imagine you’re wrapping a tissue around a sucker to make a lollipop ghost. Drawing all sides of the dough at once up and around the dollop of jam is the best way to keep the jam centered and prevent it from oozing out as you work. If you want to be very precise with the size of each cookie dough ball, you can weigh them; they should be around 50 grams each.
Step 6: Bake the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the centers appear set and the edges are lightly golden. Remove them from the oven promptly, and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: If your cookies have a domed top when removed from the oven, you can use a glass with a flat bottom to gently flatten each cookie while it’s still hot. This will make icing them easier and yield a cleaner, more professional appearance.
Step 7: Make the icing and decorate the cookies
Overhead horizontal image of round cookies on a metal cooling rack. Some cookies are plain, while others are topped with white icing, some of which also have colorful sprinkles. A small bowl of white icing with a wooden spoon and another bowl filled with vibrant sprinkles are also visible.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and milk until they’re smooth. Spoon 2 teaspoons of icing onto each cookie, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle the cookies with a generous pinch of rainbow sanding sugar. Let the icing set for 10 minutes.
Overhead horizontal image of several round cookies with white icing and colorful sprinkles cooling on a wire rack. One cookie is broken in half, revealing a red jam filling inside. A white bowl filled with rainbow sprinkles is visible in the background.
Strawberry Pop-Tart Cookies Variations
Try another jam flavor: If strawberry Pop-Tarts are not your favorite, you can use another flavor of jam to recreate your favorite Pop-Tart flavor. Cherry, raspberry, mixed berry or blueberry jam would all work well.
Make brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tart cookies: To make a filling that’s just like the one inside another fan-favorite flavor, combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
Use royal icing: For a sharper, more polished appearance, swap the vanilla glaze in the recipe for royal icing made with meringue powder, then flood it onto the tops of each cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with rainbow sanding sugar before the royal icing sets.
How to Store Strawberry Pop-Tart Cookies
Strawberry Pop-Tart cookies should be kept in an airtight food storage container and stored at room temperature. For freshness, enjoy the cookies within one week.
Can you freeze strawberry Pop-Tart cookies?
Absolutely, strawberry Pop-Tart cookies freeze like a dream. Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe container, and freeze the cookies for up to three months. You can also freeze jam-filled balls of dough for three to six months. Separate the layers of dough balls with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
Strawberry Pop-Tart Cookies Tips
Eye level horizontal image of a jam-filled cookie broken in half, resting on a black cooling rack. The cookie halves reveal a vibrant red filling and are topped with white icing and colorful sprinkles, with additional cookies visible in the background.
How do you make sure the cookies stay together in the oven?
Like all filled foods, the trickiest part is knowing the right amount to use so nothing rips or tears, or leaks out of the finished product. In my experience, 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam (about the size of a small marble) is just the right amount.
Another trick that helps is using a gentle hand to smooth and pinch the dough’s seams closed. This dough is pretty forgiving, but if you miss any large fissures of dough, precious jam could seep out.
In a small saucepan, warm the jam to a low simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to the jam; cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture loses its cloudy appearance. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk, beating well until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients, mixing just until no dry patches remain, taking care not to overmix.
Cover; chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, transfer the cooled jam mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small, round tip. Chill until ready to use.
Divide dough into 2 tablespoonfuls. One at a time, flatten a ball of dough into a 3-in. disc; shape into a shallow bowl. Pipe 1-2 teaspoons of jam into the center, then bring up the edges of the dough to completely encase the jam; pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. Arrange, seam side down, on two 15x10x1-in. parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2 in. apart. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the centers appear set and the edges are lightly golden. Remove promptly; let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Spoon 2 teaspoons of icing onto each cookie, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle with a generous pinch of rainbow sanding sugar. Let set 10 minutes.
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