Strawberry Gin Smash Pop-Tarts
These homemade Strawberry Gin Smash Pop-Tarts are bursting with strawberry sweetness, the fresh flavor of mint, and the surprise hit of a little bit of gin. With a flaky, buttery pastry, there is no contest–these are way better than the store-bought kind (with the added benefit of gin, of course). Yields: 8 pop-tarts
Servings
8pop-tarts
Cook Time
20-25minutes
Servings
8pop-tarts
Cook Time
20-25minutes
Ingredients
Pastry*
Strawberry Mint Gin Jam
Mint Gin Icing
Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until you’re left with pea-sized pieces of butter coated in flour. In a measuring cup, stir together the water, ice, vanilla extract, and vodka. Add this mixture 1-2 Tbsps at a time to your bowl of pastry dough and stir with a knife until the dough just begins to come together (this should be about 6-10 Tbsp–be careful not to get it too wet!).
  2. Once the dough begins to come together, use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Squeeze and pinch the dough with your fingertips to bring it all together. Split the dough in half and shape into two flat discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.
Strawberry Gin Jam
  1. In a large saucepan, mash the strawberries. Add in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, finely chopped pieces of 5-8 mint leaves, 1/4-1/2 cup of gin, and 1 Tbsp lime juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Lower to medium heat and allow to simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chia seeds and allow to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the jam begins to thicken. Dip a spoon in the jam and drag your finger through it, if the jam doesn’t run, it should be good to remove from the heat and leave to cool. Transfer to a large shallow dish or bowl (I usually use a large pyrex tupperware)** and allow to cool completely.
Strawberry Gin Smash Pop-Tarts
  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Remove one disc of pastry from the refrigerator and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to soften. Lightly dust your work surface, and a rolling pin, with flour and roll out the pastry dough until about 2mm thick. You should have a rectangle about 8″ x 12″. Cut into 3″ x 4″ rectangles and line on the prepared baking sheet–these will be the bottoms of the pop-tarts. Pop the baking sheet into the freezer to chill and repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other disc of dough–these will be the tops of your pop-tarts.
  2. Remove the pastry rectangles from the freezer. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the jam into the center each square. Top with a second square of pastry and use your fingers to press the pastry down around the jam, setting the jam in place while you fill the rest of the pop-tarts. Repeat until you have 8 filled pop-tarts. Using a fork, press down around the edges of the pastry. Return the pan to the freezer for 10 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Whisk together 1 egg with 1 Tbsp of water. Brush the tops of the pastries with this egg wash. Prick the top of each pastry 6-8 times with a fork so that the steam has somewhere to escape.
  4. Bake 15 minutes. Rotate the pan in the oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the tops are a light golden brown and the pastries are fully cooked through (if you lift them up, the bottom will be a light golden brown as well). Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Mint Gin Icing
  1. Sift 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add 5 finely chopped mint leaves, 2 Tbsp gin, and 1-2 Tbsp of milk. Whisk together until smooth and pourable. Using a spoon, spoon the icing over the top of the pop-tarts, spreading slightly to the edges. Allow to set.
Recipe Notes

*If you don’t want to make your own pastry, you can always use store-bought pie crust to make your pop-tarts.  (I definitely recommend making your own though!).

**Pouring the jam into a dish with a large surface area will help it cool faster.

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