Saturday, July 31, 2010

Semi-Homemade Pop-Tarts

Here's my short cut recipe for semi-homemade batch of pop-tarts real quick. You can even do all the prep the night before and pop them into the oven in the morning. 
These are quick & delicious!

1) Store bought pie crust
2) flling of your choice, I used jam
3) egg
4) sugar for sprinkling on top

Rll out your dough real thin, and cut out rectangle shapes.
 
Use your favorite Jam, preserve or Pie filling.


Spread filling on one half
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fold over to make the Pop Tart shape.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seal edges with fork, and cut of extra edge.  Make a few vent holes on top for baking.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar on top. 








Place in a 400 degree F oven on cookie sheet with parchment paper for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

The sky's the limit with these babies--you could fill them with jam and top them with a thin icing with sprinkles for the traditional look and feel of the pop tart. 
This is the same Icing recipe that I use to make homemade Cinnabuns.

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk

1.In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, margarine, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat until creamy.

Spoon mixture into a ziploc baggie, twist one end to force icing into one corner, snip off the end of the baggie & pipe icing over the Pop-tart. You can also just put a spoonful on the poptart & spread with a knife. Add sprinkles.


Another yummy way to make is to go straight for the fatty jugular as my kids like filling them with decadent dark chocolate & topping them with peanut butter icing (photo to come). You're welcome.  Use your imagination, possibilities are endless!





 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Peanut Butter & Choc. Chip Sammies with Fresh Banana

Here's a super easy summer snack to treat the kids with.  While I'm normally not big on store bought/pre made cakes or cookies, these work fine, because once you add all the other stuff you can't tell the difference, & using the prepackaged cookie dough makes them fast & easy for a last minute I love you treat to put a big smile on your kids face before they go to bed! :)



Here you go....


1 roll of  peanut butter cookie dough (or your fav. peanut butter cookie recipe)

1/4 cup sugar for rolling

3 bananas, ripe but firm

1 quart of good quality chocolate chip ice cream (In Cincinnati that is Graeter's)

Directions

Slice enough dough to make into 1-1/2 inch balls and roll all in 1/4 cup sugar to coat evenly & place on baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Gently press the cookies with the back of a fork to create a crisscross pattern (if tines stick, dip fork in cup of warm water in between each cookie). Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until just golden. Transfer to cooking racks and let cool completely before making sandwiches.

Slice bananas into 1/8-inch thick slices & fan slices on bottom sides of 12 cookies. Place 1 small scoop of chocolate chip ice cream on top of the banana slices and top with remaining cookie. Serve immediately or wrap cookies individually in plastic and freeze.

These are so EASY & so yummy, plus the kids like helping.  You can roll the cookie once assembled in crushed cookie crumbs such as Oreo, Graham cracker, or nuts, chopped marschino cherries, sprinkles, I even like to top ours with Reese Choc. Peanut butter shell I put on the bananas before closing up.  Obviously this recipe is good with many different variations, but this is the one we like best!