Easy Homemade Sweet Potato Pop Tarts with Brown Butter Icing: A Delicious Holiday Treat
Indulge in a nostalgic favorite with a delightful autumnal twist! These homemade sweet potato pop tarts are surprisingly easy to create, thanks to clever shortcuts like store-bought pie crust and frozen sweet potatoes. They’re an absolute must-try for a comforting holiday breakfast, a festive brunch, or a sweet snack anytime you crave a taste of the season. Imagine a flaky, golden pastry embracing a warmly spiced sweet potato filling, all crowned with a rich, aromatic brown butter icing. This recipe promises not just a treat, but a heartwarming experience perfect for sharing with loved ones.
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If you adore the cozy flavors of these sweet potato pop tarts, you’ll also love exploring more delicious recipes. Be sure to try my Cinnamon Roll Apple Pies for another delightful pastry, check out the whimsical Pop Tart Gingerbread House for a fun project, and for a healthy start to your day, don’t miss my Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit!
Crafting the Perfect Sweet Potato Pop Tarts: A Step-by-Step Guide
For many of us, Pop Tarts evoke cherished childhood memories – that quick, sweet treat that fueled countless mornings. Imagine taking that nostalgic concept and elevating it into a gourmet, homemade delight. This sweet potato pop tart recipe does just that, transforming a simple breakfast into an extraordinary fall indulgence. It’s more than just a pastry; it’s a warm hug in food form, perfectly capturing the essence of the season.
Each pop tart is generously filled with a velvety smooth sweet potato puree, exquisitely seasoned with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. These classic spices enhance the natural sweetness of the potato, creating a filling that is both comforting and vibrant. This delightful mixture is then carefully encased in a wonderfully flaky pie crust, baked to golden perfection. But the magic doesn’t stop there! Once baked, each pastry is lovingly topped with a rich, nutty brown butter icing that melts subtly into the warm crust, adding an irresistible layer of complex flavor and sweetness. These sweet potato pop tarts are truly exceptional and are guaranteed to become a beloved tradition in your holiday baking repertoire.
One of the best aspects of these homemade pop tarts is their incredible simplicity. We harness the convenience of store-bought pie crusts, saving you precious time without compromising on flakiness. The use of frozen sweet potato chunks is another ingenious shortcut, allowing you to whip up the flavorful filling in mere minutes. This makes them a wonderfully straightforward option for a quick and satisfying breakfast on the go, a delightful afternoon snack, or an effortless dessert that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
These sweet potato pastries are particularly ideal for special occasions. Picture them as a standout item at your Thanksgiving morning breakfast or a charming addition to a Friendsgiving brunch. They’re sure to be a crowd-pleaser, impressing guests with their homemade charm and incredible taste. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need to assemble these irresistible sweet potato pop tarts:
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Essential Ingredients for Your Homemade Sweet Potato Pop Tarts
Creating these delightful sweet potato pop tarts requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that perfect balance of flavor and texture. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what you’ll need:
- Pie Crust: For ultimate convenience, I highly recommend using store-bought pie crusts, such as Pillsbury. They save a significant amount of time and effort, making this recipe incredibly accessible. However, if you prefer, feel free to use your favorite homemade pie dough for an even more personalized touch. The key is to ensure it’s a good quality crust that bakes up flaky and golden.
- Frozen Cubed Sweet Potato: This is truly the star shortcut of this recipe! Frozen sweet potato chunks are a fantastic time-saver. You can often find them in the frozen vegetable aisle of most supermarkets (Aldi is a great source!). If frozen isn’t an option, or you have leftovers, you can easily substitute with cooked sweet potato casserole or soufflé. Alternatively, bake a large sweet potato for about an hour until very tender, then scoop out the flesh. But seriously, the microwaveable frozen option is unbeatable for speed and ease – just 5 minutes and they’re ready to be mashed!
- Brown Sugar: This provides a deep, rich sweetness to our sweet potato filling, complementing the earthy notes of the potato beautifully. Its molasses content adds a lovely depth that granulated sugar simply can’t replicate.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Ginger: This trio of warm spices is the secret to the irresistible aroma and flavor of the filling. They are the same carefully balanced combination I use in my signature sweet potato pie recipe, perfectly designed to enhance and uplift the delicious sweet potato flavor. These spices truly embody the essence of fall and winter baking.
- Vanilla Extract: Always opt for a good quality pure vanilla extract. Its aromatic notes elevate all the other flavors, adding a layer of sophisticated sweetness. This one is a personal favorite for its robust flavor.
- Egg Wash: A simple mixture of one egg beaten with a little water, this wash serves a dual purpose. It acts as a binder, helping to seal the two layers of pie dough together, ensuring your pop tarts stay intact during baking. Furthermore, it contributes to that gorgeous, golden-brown crust and a beautiful flaky texture that is so characteristic of a perfect pastry.
Once your sweet potato pop tarts emerge from the oven, cooling to perfection, it’s time to prepare the crowning glory: an incredibly simple yet profoundly flavorful brown butter icing. If you’re new to making brown butter, don’t be intimidated! It’s a game-changer for enhancing flavor. I highly recommend reviewing my dedicated How to Brown Butter post for detailed, step-by-step instructions. It’s truly a straightforward process that yields incredible depth. Once your butter is perfectly browned and cooled slightly, you’ll simply whisk together the following icing ingredients:
- Brown Butter: The star of the icing, providing a nutty, complex flavor that elevates the entire pop tart.
- Powdered Sugar: The base of any smooth, pourable icing, ensuring a fine texture.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch more vanilla to round out the sweetness and nutty notes.
- Whole Milk: Used to achieve the perfect consistency for drizzling or spreading.
Essential Tools for Making Homemade Pop Tarts
While this recipe is quite beginner-friendly, having the right tools can make the process even smoother and more enjoyable. You won’t need highly specialized equipment, but a few key items will be very helpful:
- Rolling Pin: Essential for evenly rolling out your pie dough to the perfect thickness, ensuring a consistent bake.
- Pizza Cutter or Sharp Knife: Ideal for cleanly and quickly cutting the pie dough into uniform rectangles, which is crucial for neat pop tarts.
- Pastry Brush: A must-have for delicately applying the egg wash to seal the edges and achieve that beautiful golden-brown finish. This one is a reliable choice.
- Light-Colored Sauté Pan: Crucial for browning butter. The light interior allows you to easily monitor the color changes, preventing it from burning.
- Lined Baking Sheet: For even baking and easy cleanup. My Nordicware Baker’s Big Sheet paired with a Silpat ¾-sheet liner is the perfect size for these pop tarts, promoting consistent heat distribution and preventing sticking.
Expert Tips & Delicious Variations
To ensure your homemade sweet potato pop tarts are absolutely perfect every time, here are a few expert tips and ideas for delightful variations:
- Don’t Overfill: While it’s tempting to add a lot of filling, too much can cause your pop tarts to burst during baking. Stick to the recommended amount, leaving enough space around the edges for a good seal.
- Chill the Dough: If your pie crust becomes too warm and sticky while you’re working with it, pop it back into the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Cold dough is much easier to handle and results in a flakier crust.
- Perfect Crimping: Use a fork to firmly crimp the edges of your pop tarts. This not only creates a pretty border but also helps to seal the filling securely, preventing leakage.
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the unbaked pop tarts and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or freeze them for up to a month. If baking from frozen, you might need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
- Storage: Baked and iced sweet potato pop tarts are best enjoyed fresh, but they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them.
- Spice Adjustments: Feel free to adjust the amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to suit your taste. A touch of allspice or a tiny pinch of cloves could also be added for extra depth.
- Nutty Crunch (Variation): For added texture, consider finely chopping some pecans or walnuts and sprinkling them into the sweet potato filling before sealing the pop tarts.
- Cream Cheese Glaze (Variation): If brown butter isn’t your preference, a simple cream cheese glaze made with softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract would also be heavenly.
More Delightful Recipes to Explore
If you’re enchanted by the flavors and simplicity of these sweet potato pop tarts, then you’re in for a treat with my other recipes! This easy sweet potato pop tarts recipe draws inspiration from my renowned Brown Butter Black-Bottom Sweet Potato Pie. This pie is a perennial favorite during the holiday season, always stealing the show with its rich flavors. It features perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, glorious brown butter, and a unique black-bottom blind bake, a nod to the legendary Patti Labelle! It’s a more involved bake, but absolutely worth the effort if you’re looking for a showstopper dessert.
For another incredibly simple handheld pastry, you absolutely must check out my Peach Turnovers recipe. This one utilizes convenient store-bought puff pastry, proving that you can create impressive, delicious treats with minimal fuss. It’s perfect for a quick summer dessert or breakfast.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Pop Tarts with Brown Butter Icing
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Equipment You’ll Need
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Measuring Cups and Spoons
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Mixing Bowls
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Immersion Blender
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Potato Masher
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Cooling Rack
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Parchment Paper
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¾ Sheet Baking Pan
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Whisk
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Pastry Brush
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Silicone Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 1 10-oz package frozen sweet potato chunks – or two medium sweet potatoes, baked skin on (see note)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar – packed
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground ginger
- 2 pie crusts – store-bought or homemade (see note)
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour – for dusting
- 1 large egg – beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Cinnamon Brown Butter Icing
- 3 tablespoons brown butter – (see note)
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar – sifted (180g)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons whole milk – plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
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Cook the frozen sweet potatoes. If using a steamable bag, microwave according to package directions until they are very soft and easily mashable.
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Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to purée them until smooth, or mash thoroughly with a potato masher until no lumps remain.
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Add the brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to the puréed sweet potatoes. Whisk all the ingredients together until the mixture is completely smooth and well combined. Set this flavorful filling aside.
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Lightly flour a clean work surface to prevent sticking. Carefully unroll one pie crust and roll it out with a rolling pin to a uniform thickness of about ⅛th-inch. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, trim the edges to form a perfect rectangle.
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Cut the rectangular dough in half lengthwise, from one end to the other. Then, cut it into fourths crosswise. This will yield 8 equally sized rectangles from one pie crust.
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Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second pie crust. Use one of the previously cut rectangles as a guide to ensure all 16 pieces are identical in size and shape. Set aside 8 of these rectangles to use as the top crusts.
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Arrange the remaining 8 pastry rectangles on your prepared baking sheet. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the sweet potato filling into the center of each pastry, making sure to leave approximately ½-inch of pastry exposed around all edges. This border is essential for sealing.
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Gently brush the exposed edges of the bottom pastry rectangles with the egg wash. Carefully place one of the reserved pastry rectangles on top of each filled bottom piece. Press down gently, then use a fork to crimp and seal the edges all around the pop tart. Brush the tops of the assembled pastries with more egg wash for a golden finish and use a toothpick to create several small vent holes on the top of each pop tart, allowing steam to escape during baking.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the pop tarts are beautifully golden brown and the crust is flaky. Once baked, transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before applying the icing.
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To make the cinnamon brown butter icing, combine the cooled brown butter, powdered sugar (sifted for best results), ground cinnamon, whole milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk vigorously until the icing is smooth and free of lumps. If the icing is too thick, add a tiny bit more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired drizzling or spreading consistency. Generously spread or drizzle the finished icing over the cooled sweet potato pop tarts. Serve and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Recipe Notes
Pie Crust Options: For ultimate time-saving, store-bought pie crusts are excellent and deliver wonderfully flaky results. However, if you’re looking for an even more exquisite, buttery, and flaky pastry, I highly recommend making your own homemade pie crust. The effort is minimal for a truly superior texture and flavor.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Black History Month Virtual Potluck 2021
I am incredibly proud and excited to participate alongside over 40 talented Black food bloggers this year, as we share our cherished recipes and culinary traditions in celebration of Black History Month. It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore the rich diversity of flavors and stories that shape our heritage. Below is the comprehensive list of all the participant recipes – I encourage you to delve into them, try them out in your own kitchen, and if you do, please remember to share your creations using the hashtag #BHMVP2021! Your participation helps amplify these voices and traditions.
Passionfruit Coconut Layer Cake | A Classic Twist
Shrimp and Cauliflower Grits | A Girl Called Adri
Malawah (Somali Sweet Pancake) | A Sweet Point Of View
Spicy Okra & Corn Salsa | Beautiful Eats & Things
Peanut Curry Braised Ribs | Britney Breaks Bread
Buttermilk Fried Chicken | Butter Be Ready
Sweet Potato Pop Tarts with Brown Butter Icing | Chenée Today
Homemade Cajun Andouille Sausage with Shrimp and Grits | Cooks with Soul
Suya-Spiced Brussels Sprouts | Dash of Jazz
Stewed Okra & Tomatoes with Chicken Sausage | Dude That Cookz
Buttermilk Cornbread With Southern “Sprinkles” | Erique Berry Co.
Yam and Plantain Curry | Ethically Living
Sourdough Discard Honey Rosemary Cornbread | Feed The Malik
Smoked Jamaica Jerk Chicken | Food Fidelity
Sweet & Tangy Collards | FoodLoveTog
Jerk Shrimp Cakes and Grits | Geo’s Table
Gluten-Free Chicken and Waffles with Maple Bourbon Glaze | Good Food Baddie
Tropical Candied Yams | Handy Chef
Trinidadian Beef Stew | Heal Me Delicious
Cornmeal Coo Coo Recipe | HomeMadeZagat
Caribbean Oxtail | Just Add Hot Sauce
Creole Oxtails Stew | Kenneth Temple
Sweet Potato Bundt Cake | Lenox Bakery
Brown Sugar Cornmeal Waffles w/ Sweet Tea Maple Syrup | Margaritas On The Rocks
Southern Potato Salad | Meiko And The Dish
Sugar Coated Vanilla Peanuts | Murielle Banackissa
Hoppin’ John Fritters | Nik Snacks
Blackened Catfish and Smoked Gouda Grits | Pink Owl Kitchen
Lemon Pepper Honey Chicken Wings | Razzle Dazzle Life
BBQ Lentils over Grits | Rosalynn Daniels
Shito Pepper | Savory Thoughts
Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits | Seasoned To Taste
Black Eyed Peas: A Savory Southern Favorite | Sense & Edibility
Smoky Sweet Potato and Tahini Stew | Supper With Michelle
Authentic Misir Wot | Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew | That Green Lyfe
The Lamin Rice (Afro-Fusion Jollof Rice) | The Food Disciple
Sweet Potato & Coconut Cinnamon Rolls | Vee the Baker
Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs | Whisper of Yum
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