• PIE-FILLED POP TARTS •

That's right...we made some scrumptious pie filled pop tarts.  The recipe is a bit long and it is a bit time consuming, but they are worth it!  Here is a link to one of our favorite pie crust recipes from Martha Stewart which you can use to make the outer flaky pop tart crust .  Follow the recipe at the end of the post and you'll be sure to please your holiday guests!

Caitlin's version with apples, pears and walnuts mixed with sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

I don't know about you, but in my house growing up we were denied yummy, sugary treats like poptarts and other high fructose corn syrup laden cereals and treats. Little did my parents know, I pigged out and hoarded them whenever I slept over my friends' houses - hahaha. But now that I'm all grown up with my own family, I see why they didn't buy them - there's enough sugar and preservatives to last a lifetime. I, too, keep them out of our house and I know someday my son will pig out and hoard them at sleepovers, just as I did. Hopefully while he's gorging on sugary treats he'll remember these homemade pop tarts and think that mine were way better...

Here are some prep pictures I took which should help with assembly. Funny story about the pictures: I was getting ready to clean off my kitchen counter before I took these, then I thought 'who am I fooling?' I work full time, I have an 8 year old son playing sports, a French exchange student living with us, and I try to maintain some sort of social life - yes, my kitchen is often a mess! On this particular day there are curtains I was planning to get hemmed, my son's sweatshirt and jacket thrown on the chair, flour strewn about the counter, leftover tortilla chips and Tabasco sauce from nachos the night before and piles of books/papers from work {which I might've strategically left out}. Enjoy.

After making the dough, flatten out two discs about this size

While the dough is refrigerating, make the filling. I cut up small apples and pears then mixed them with crushed walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, flour and cloves

Flatten out the discs into equal sized rectangles, cut into six pieces and put the topping in the center. Make sure the two discs are cut into the same size rectangles (I put them on top of each other and cut them at the same time).

Place other half on top, pinch edges down and voila!

The holidays have arrived and we can indulge a bit, {with moderation of course}...and why not indulge with some homemade pop tarts?!  

Monica's pumpkin pie pop tarts!

Truth be told, I am not a fan of the rectangular frosted concoctions you find in a box {never have been}, but I am a fan of these homemade delights!  If you have time to do some baking over the holiday season but want to skip some of the traditional cookie and pie recipes, I highly recommend these flaky and delicious treats. You can also make them bite-size so that you don't over-indulge, yet satisfy a sweet craving you may have.  

I decided to do a traditional pumpkin pie filling because it is seasonal and I love pumpkin pie! I glazed my pop tarts with a spice glaze and it was the perfect amount of extra sweetness without being too sweet.  

Filling the pop tarts & topping them w/crust

There is time involved in constructing these rectangles of pie, but it is all worth it in the end...trust me!

They are also easy to transport and might be a good option for a cookie exchange party you may be hosting or attending.  

Okay, since Christmas is here and for those of you celebrating, we've come up with a few holiday inspired suggestions you might enjoy listening to while you bake:

1)  Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan

2)  2000 Miles - The Pretenders

3)  Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight) - Ramones

4)  O' Holy Night - Mahlia Jackson

5)  White Christmas - Otis Redding

6)  The Christmas Waltz - She & Him

7)  Christmastime is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio (aka: A Charlie Brown Christmas)