Cherry Pop Tarts
A super simple homemade fruit preserve gets sandwiched between two rectangles of flaky, buttery pie dough, for an easy, semi-homemade morning treat. Feel free to switch up the fruit in the jam with any stone fruit (peaches would be incredible) or berry (strawberry pop tarts are a classic). I love the combination of fruit and cheese so I added a touch of goat cheese to a few to add a savory, tangy bite that was just perfect, but you could just as easily use cream cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone.
Yields 4-5 tarts
INGREDIENTS
12 oz or 1 1/2 lbs cherries, pitted and finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 package pre-made pie crusts
Goat cheese, optional
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar, optional
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cherry preserve
2-3 teaspoons milk or water
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
To a small pan on medium-high heat, add the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cherries have softened and the syrup has thickened considerably.
Remove the pie crusts from the package, and cut them down into ~8-10 rectangle-ish pieces about 4x6in in size.
Spread a bit of goat cheese onto one piece of pie dough followed by 1-2 teaspoons of the cherry compote, making sure to leave a 1/4inch border around the edges. Top with another piece of pastry, and use your fingers to seal the edges of the pastry, then use a fork to crimp the edges shut and poke a few holes into the top to vent. Brush the top with egg wash, and sprinkle over raw sugar.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 15-20 minute before
Optionally, make a glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, fruit preserve, and milk/water. Just before serving, drizzle the glaze over the pop tarts.