Dorothy KernApplesauce Pop-Tarts are perfect for breakfast or a snack, and are even better when made with homemade crockpot applesauce!
Last week I asked Jordan what she wanted for breakfast on the first day of school. I knew that, if it wasn’t cereal, I needed to make it ahead of time because really, mama is not a bake-muffins-in-the-morning kind of person.
{In all honesty, I’m an IV of coffee don’t talk to me kind of person. I’m fun. Come sleep over!}
I was expecting to hear muffins! or cinnamon rolls! or pop-tarts! She asked for sprinkle pancakes. Really? I’m a food blogger. Give me some credit. It’s like when she asked for plain chocolate chip cookies.
Anyway, I’ll comply with her. But I’m making these Applesauce Pop-Tarts for me.
The idea for these all started when I was up to my ears in CrunchPak apples. I needed to use up a bag of them before they weren’t good anymore so I decided to make applesauce. I love making homemade applesauce because it makes your house smell amazing, and like Fall.
Have you ever made applesauce in the crockpot? It’s one of my favorite things to do in the slow cooker, and we do it every year.
You simply add you apples to your slow cooker and cover them with water, sugar, and cinnamon. Let them cook all day until they’re soft, and your house smells amazing!
Once the apples are soft enough, you mash them into applesauce. I like my applesauce totally smooth – I’m not a “chunk” person – so I use a hand blender to puree the soft apples. But you can also mash them with a potato masher if you like chunkier applesauce. Once the applesauce is made, you can eat it for dessert, pour it over ice cream, or give it as a gift!
Or…you can make pop-tarts, which is my favorite way to use homemade applesauce!
Of course, if you don’t want to go through the step of making your own applesauce you can use store bought. I won’t tell, I promise.
These pop-tarts are so easy to make. They start with Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts. Once you cut them into rectangles, you fill them with applesauce and bake them up. I drizzled mine with a brown sugar icing, because brown sugar makes everything better.
And sprinkles. You can’t ever forget the sprinkles!
Pop-Tarts for breakfast and crockpot applesauce for dessert. Or the other way around. Whatever, it just sounds like a good day to me!
Apple Pie Poptarts
Ingredients
For the crock pot applesauce:
- 14-16 ounces apples sliced (about 4 medium sized apples)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2Â tablespoons sugar
For the Pop-Tarts:
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts 1 box
- 1/2 cup crock pot applesauce or other applesauce
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Sprinkles if desired
Instructions
Make the applesauce:
- Place apples in a crock pot. Mix water, cinnamon, and sugar in a measuring cup and pour over apples. Cook on HIGH for 3-5Â hours, until the apples are translucent. Mash with a potato masher or place in a blender or food processor to blend with no lumps. (I use a hand blender for this step.)
- Applesauce can be stored in a tupperware in the refrigerator for several days, or frozen for future use.
Make the Pop-Tarts:
- Unroll one pie crust. Use a rolling pin to roll the circle into more of a rectangle shape. Use a knife to cut off the rounded edges, to give you an exact rectangle. Cut the rectangle into six equal rectangles, to form the pop-tart crust. Reserve the edges you cut off. Repeat with second crust, and re-roll the edges to get 2-4 more rectangles.
- Lay out your crust rectangles on a flat surface. Place 1 tablespoon of applesauce in the center of half of them.
- Whisk egg in a small bowl. Use your finger and trace the edges of each of the rectangles containing applesauce with a bit of egg, to help in sealing the pop-tart. Cover the applesauce rectangles with a plain one and seal the edges together with the tines of a fork.
- Place pop-tarts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Poke each pop-tart with a fork a few times so that air can escape while baking, so they don’t exapnd. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool.
- Make the frosting by whisking together the brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and milk. Spoon over the pop-tarts and sprinkle with sprinkles.
- Pop-tarts can be reheated in the microwave or frozen for later eating. Do not toast frosted pop-tarts. You can omit the frosting if you want to toast them to reheat.
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
You might also like:
Sweets from friends:
Apple Pie Pop-Tart Fudge by The Domestic Rebel
Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart Pops by Pint Sized Baker
English Apple Cinnamon Pasties by Something Swanky
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Published on: August 21, 2013
Love applesauce and love poptarts. The two together? Delicious!
These look soo yummy! I would eat them for breakfast everyday!
Okay okay okay, PLEASE tell me that Jordan at least nibbled on a Pop-Tart while you made her sprinkle pancakes! Because, umm, that would totally happen with me. (I’m too indecisive; I want it all! And Pop-Tarts are amazing.) And I absolutely love your idea of crockpot applesauce! I “borrowed” my mom’s crockpot (it’s a teeny tiny one) a few months ago, but I haven’t made anything yet. Applesauce is definitely going on my to do list!
She had one for dessert after dinner! 🙂
Whew, I was gettin’ worried there!! Glad to hear she’s still her mother’s daughter. 😉
Nothing beats homemade applesauce! My kids would love these!
Can’t wait to pick apples this fall! I love the idea of using apple sauce as a Pop Tart filling – genius!
My Bug would go nuts over these. He wouldn’t turn his nose up at the sprinkle pancakes. Of course that is because I am mean mommy who gives him fruit and yogurt or green smoothies for breakfast, but maybe these will be a fun first day of preschool treat.
If only Jordan would drink a smoothie for breakfast! That would make me a happy momma.
Say what?! Crock Pot Applesauce? Now that’s my kind of recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
Enjoy! 🙂 Thanks Julie!
Just photographed poptarts today! Told you, we really do think alike!
These look amazing and the crockpot applesauce? Heck yes!! I have heard of that before but never tried it. I think this year is the year. It looks perfect and stuffed inside these poptarts! YUM!
You must try it! And yes, great minds think alike! 🙂
I LOVE apple sauce made in the slow cooker!! It’s the perfect thing for fall. I never would’ve thought to make it into filling for poptarts!
Of course I think of how to add sugar to sugar. Why JUST make applesauce? LOL 🙂
These sound amazing! If I had a mom who made homemade pop-tarts, I think I would have eaten breakfast much more in school! I’d love to make these and take them to school with me!
Thanks Faith!