Strawberry Pop Tart Cookie Bars

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Buttery shortbread cookies layered with sweet strawberry jam and topped with icing and colorful sprinkles. It’s like a grown up Pop Tart but way better!

When I was growing up pop tarts were one of those breakfasts we only got occasionally.   They were so sweet and sugar filled that they weren’t a regular item at our house. 

While there are several flavors I enjoy, I always come back to the classic strawberry version with icing and sprinkles on top.  

Now in the past I’ve tried my hand at making homemade pop tarts.  I made a tasty and perfect for fall Apple Pie Pop Tart that is so much better than the store bought version. Another sweet breakfast item I can’t resist is this Iced Berry Breakfast Braid though it takes a whole lot more work. 

What is a pop tart?

A Pop Tart is a rectangular toaster pastry made with a thin crust and a sweet filling inside.  Usually they come in fruit flavors like strawberry, blueberry, or cherry, or dessert style fillings like chocolate or cinnamon.  They can be plain or have icing and sprinkles on them.  They can be eaten cold or toasted. 

I wanted to make a pop tart that tasted like the original breakfast food but was something that could be eaten any time of day.  I’ve seen several recipes for Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies and was intrigued.

The recipe I went with had a shortbread cookie with strawberry jam in the middle of it.  Then it was topped off with icing and rainbow colored sprinkles. 

Can I use a different type of jam?

You can use any fruit flavored jam you would like in order to have the flavor of pop tart cookie you want.  Other good flavors would be blueberry, raspberry, or cherry.   You can also use pie fillings if you are looking for apple or cherry. 

Ingredients:

• salted butter (or unsalted if you prefer)
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract (or almond if you prefer)
• all purpose flour (you can also use a gluten free 1:1 flour if you prefer)
• salt
• baking soda
• strawberry jam (or your favorite flavors)

To make the cookies line an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar together until well combined.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.   Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until a dough forms. 

Press half of the dough into the bottom of the pan.   Spread the jam on top of the dough.   Press the remaining dough on top of the strawberry jam.  Bake at 375 degree for 25 minutes. 

Is there an easier way to put the cookie dough on top?

Yes!   The easiest way to do this is to press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan.  Freeze for 20 minutes then use the parchment paper to remove it from the pan.   Line the pan with more parchment paper and press the remaining dough into the bottom.  Spread the jam on top.   Take the frozen cookie dough piece and flip on top of the jam.  Carefully pull off the parchment and you have easily covered the jam with another cookie layer. 

After the bars have cooled top with powdered sugar icing and sprinkles!  I used colored jimmies but colored sprinkles can be used as well. 

These bars are fairly sweet so I cut them into 16 squares.  You can cut them into 12 bars if you prefer but I think the size of 16 bars was perfect. 

We loved the flavor of the shortbread with the fruity strawberry jam in the middle.  The icing and sprinkles gave it that pop tart flavor to finish it off. 

It really does taste like a grown up pop tart in cookie form.  I could eat the whole pan so make sure you have people to share with!

Do I have to put icing on top?

Nope!  If you are one of those people that prefers a pop tart without the icing on top. It doesn’t need icing but the icing is tasty.

The shortbread cookie is buttery and delicious.   It stays soft because of the jam in between the layers.  The strawberry jam is sweet and sticky.  The icing is sweet and hardens up nicely on top.  The sprinkles add a bit of brightness to the whole thing. 

Strawberry Pop Tar Cookie Bars

Shortbread cookies sandwich a layer of strawberry jam topped off with icing and sprinkles.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Freezing Time:: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 Mixing Bowl
• 1 9 x 9 baking dish

Ingredients

For the Pop Tarts:

• 1/2 cup salted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup strawberry jam

For the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

• Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
• Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until a dough forms.
• Press half of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove the baking dish from the freezer. Carefully lift out the frozen dough using the parchment paper.
• Place another piece of parchment in the bottom of the baking dish and press the remaining dough into the bottom.
• Spread the strawberry jam on top of the cookie crust.
• Place the frozen dough on top of the strawberry jam and peel off the parchment layer.
• Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cookie is firm.
• Remove from oven and cool completely.
• To make the icing whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Spread over top of the cookie bars and sprinkle with the rainbow sprinkles.
• Allow the icing 30 minutes to harden then use the parchment to remove the bars from the pan. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.

Notes

Recipe from Cambrea Bakes

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