homemade boston cream donut pop tarts
Another day, another pop tart, because I have an obsession, folks.
Giving love to another underrated pastry flavor since I seem to enjoy those more than the classics, and quite frankly, everyone and their mother and father and stepson and twice removed cousin on their mother’s side has scared up a brown sugar or chocolate fudge pop tart. Not to say there’s anything bad about such, those are pretty dope and well-loved amongst the pop tart passionate.
But me? I give love to the black sheep, and as part of The Foul Mouth Flock, I’d imagine you identify with that. Embrace it, kids. Different is divine, and you are my people. Hugs and beer for all.
Homemade Boston Cream Donut Pop Tarts take some pre-planning and a bit of conditioning in your whisking muscle, but they’re certainly not difficult, and the payoff is just plain fucking satisfying. Pastry cream, my favorite pie crust shortcut, and a simple chocolate ganache to spread atop. You definitely won’t want to dump these in the harbor.
Cream of the Crop
I recommend making the pastry cream the day before if you have the time, otherwise, prepare ahead knowing the cream needs to chill a few hours. The prep itself only takes a few minutes, so hang with me and I’ll walk you through it.
First, grab a bowl and whisk sugar, egg yolks, and corn starch. This combination creates the thick custard, so work them muscles and really stir up it to create a creamy, silky consistency. Pretend you’re on a gameshow and the prize depends on the speed of your whisking.
Heat some milk in a saucepan until simmering (not a rolling boil, else the milk will scald). This next part is very important. Steam some of the hot milk into the egg mixture and immediately whisk rapidly to combine. This step tempers the eggs and prevents them from going into heat shock and immediately scrambling.
Once everything is nice and smooth, pour the egg mixture into the milk and whisk continuously until the custard thickens. This should not take more than a couple minutes. Think pudding-like in texture. Move the pot off the heat and stir in vanilla and butter.
Let the pot cool down a bit or transfer the cream into a heat-proof bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
After this period, and when you’re ready to pop tart, remove the cream from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you work on the rest of the components.
If the custard seems really thick and gelatinous, don’t worry! Your cream isn’t ruined. Whisk it up vigorously or, if that’s not quite enough, heat some milk and whisk it into the cream. It should loosen in no time and return it its silky consistency.
Bahston
The cream is the most finicky part of the pop tarts. The rest is rather straightforward and forms much like my Homemade Frosted Maple Waffle Pop Tarts from a couple weeks ago.
As per uje, I simplify the process with storebought pie crust. Thaw them and throw one in the fridge. Roll the second out on a floured surface and cut eight rectangles. You may need to re-roll the crust to eek out the final couple. Lay these on a baking sheet and brush with a whisked egg. Roll out the second sheet, cut, and brush.
Spoon a big blob of pastry cream in the center of the pastries on the baking sheet. Spread to distribute but leave 1/4 inch border. You will most certainly have more cream left over. Lay a second pastry on top, crimp the edges together with a fork, and throw the pan into the fridge to chill.
After the pop tarts have their cryotherapy session, bake em up until crispy. Cool the suckers on a wire rack.
Pish, Posh, Homemade Ganache
The fudge frosting is a ridiculously easy ganache, which I just make in my microwave. Melt dark chocolate chips, stir in heavy cream and vanilla, and kablooey. Amazing silky goodness.
Spoon a nice amount on each pop tart. Let the pastries harden for about an hour. I actually found that mine were pretty well set after 30 minutes, so check them every so often to see if they’re too your liking. You can also put the tray in the fridge for a quicker process.
I love a bit of flaky salt on my Boston cream pop tart, but you can omit it if you’re not a fan. Throw one into your kid’s lunch box, or your own snack pack, for a delightful and surprising midday treat. You’ll be that cool mom or dad who earns the admiration of the whole school yard. Or the cool, put-together coworker in the office who don’t need no boxed pastry. Fuck yeah.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More lunchbox-worthy treats:
Better than Bakery Chocolate Chip Muffins
homemade boston cream donut pop tarts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt, to top
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan to a simmer. In a separate large bowl, vigorously whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and corn starch until very creamy.
- When the milk is simmering, pour 1/4 cup of the milk into the egg mixture and whisk aggressively to temper. Work fast to prevent the eggs from scrambling!
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan and heat over medium, whisking constantly, until a pudding-like consistency, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours.
- When you're ready to make the pop tarts, remove the pastry cream from the fridge.
- Thaw the pie crusts for 15 minutes on the counter. Pop one back in the fridge.
- Flour a work surface and roll the other pie crust to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out eight 3 x 4 inch rectangles (I use a ruler for accuracy). You may need to re-roll some of the crust out to achieve 8 pop tarts. Lay the rectangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the rolling and cutting with the second sheet of pie crust.
- Brush each pastry with the egg wash. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of pastry cream into the center of the pastries on the baking sheet and spread, leaving 1/4 inch border. Lay the second set of pastries, egg wash-side down, on top of the filling.
- Crimp the edges of the pastries with a fork to seal. Poke a few holes in the top of each pastry and set the pan in the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes. While the pastries chill, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the baking sheet from the fridge. Bake the pastries for 15 minutes until golden on top and crispy. Move to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the ganache, zap the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir until the bowl is no longer warm and, if needed, heat again in 15 second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted. Whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla. If the ganache seems too thick, add cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin.
- Spread a layer of ganache on top of each pastry. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Let sit at room temperature to harden for 1 hour. Store the pop tarts in the fridge for up to a week.
