Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies (Printable)
Soft sugar cookies stuffed with strawberry jam and finished with vanilla glaze and sprinkles
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Strawberry Filling
09 - 3/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves
→ Glaze & Decoration
10 - 1 cup powdered sugar
11 - 2 tablespoons milk
12 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - Pink or red food coloring (optional)
14 - Sprinkles, for topping
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale, light, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then blend in the vanilla extract.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
06 - Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough and flatten each into a small disc in the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam in the center, fold the dough over the filling, pinch the edges to seal completely, and roll gently into a ball.
07 - Place the filled dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centers still appear slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
09 - Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a drop of food coloring if desired until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the fully cooled cookies and immediately top with sprinkles before the glaze sets.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They capture the sugary nostalgia of childhood breakfasts but taste genuinely homemade, not processed.
- The jam center oozes just enough to surprise people without making a mess of your baking sheet.
02 -
- If the cookies are even slightly warm when you glaze them, the icing will melt right off and pool around the edges instead of staying on top.
- Seal the dough completely around the jam or it will leak out during baking and burn on the parchment, which I learned after my first batch looked like tiny jam volcanoes.
03 -
- Chill the dough for twenty minutes before shaping if your kitchen is warm, because soft dough tears easily when you try to fold it around the jam.
- A slightly heaping teaspoon of jam is the sweet spot between a satisfying filling and a blowout, and pressing the jam slightly into the disc before folding helps it stay centered.