Autumn in a handheld pastry – apple and cinnamon poptarts that are made by encapsulating spiced apple butter inside a spiced pastry.
How to make a poptart more autumnal – add a tad of spice into the base pastry and then add in a seasonal fruit for the filling. These homemade poptarts will soon become a breakfast favourite in the colder months. Topping the tarts with chopped up apple rings just adds that extra bit of apple flavour. Topping the tarts with chopped up apple rings just adds that extra bit of apple flavour.
These apple and cinnamon poptarts utilise the fruit of the season in my opinion – apples. Apples are used within the spiced butter as well as to decorate in the form of apple rings. Both forms are a great way of preserving apples so that they can be experienced for longer. The poptarts are easily freezable as well, so you can batch and enjoy them later.
For added autumnal spice, cinnamon is included in the pastry. Adding in a sprinkle of this spice echoes the spices that a within the apple butter.
Star Ingredient
The apple filling is king with these poptarts. Spiced apple butter brings the warm of the season almost like a hug that a warm spiced apple drink does. If you make your own apple butter than you can tweak the exact spicing to your preference making these an even more personalised autumn treats.
The filling pays tribute to a classic apple pie without the need for all the apple cutting – at less not at this stage. The sweetness in the filling comes from the combination of apples along with brown sugar. A mix of warming spices then rounds out the flavour.
How to Purchase Ingredients to be Conscious to the Planet
Almost all ingredients in this recipe can be purchased plastic free within zero waste shops or farm shops. Apple rings are the ingredient here that may be not as much noticed within shops. This ingredient (as well as a good option of a snack if needed during the day) are a good example of the dry fruits that can be found in zero waste shops. Majority of dry fruits are traditionally packaged in plastic so you can end up bringing in a lot of plastic into the kitchen. If required, buy in bulk – one packet rather than lots of smaller plastic packets. However, if able order online via a zero-waste shop or go to your local shop and fill your own tub, jar, or paper bag.
The butter used within the pastry can easily be made at home using just one ingredient – double cream. If you purchase the double cream in glass bottles, that would be a bit more plastic that you can reduce in the kitchen. Secondly, if you make your own butter, you end up with buttermilk as well that you can be use within other recipes.
Utilise your zero-waste shop by refilling your spices with them. Pop your empty spice jars shopping bag, and then use the funnels or scoops available in store to fill up as much or as little spice as you need. I use a lot of cinnamon when autumn and winter comes around, so I will potentially take a larger jar when I need to fill up.
Ingredients you can buy Plastic Free
- Plain flour
- Cinnamon
- Butter if homemade
- Apple butter
- Eggs
- Icing / Powdered Sugar
- Apple rings
Equipment You Will Need
- Mixing Bowl
- Knife
- Fork
- Teaspoons
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Tray
- Baking Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Sheet
- Rectangle cutter or Ruler with Pizza Cutter
- Cooling Rack
- Small Bowl
- Small Palette Knife
- Sharp Knife
Tips and Tricks when making Apple and Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Yield of Pop Tarts
This is still the same base pastry recipe that I use for my other poptart recipes with just the addition of cinnamon. I seem to be able to make 6 poptarts with this cinnamon pastry. If you only manage 5 with these or get 6 out of other recipes that is absolutely fine.
If you also prefer not to add cinnamon into the pastry and use just a few plain short crust pastry that is fine too.
Making up your Cinnamon Pastry
I tend to make my pastry by hand so that it isn’t over worked. It is quick process anyways. If you would prefer to keep you hands clean, and you have the means, a food processor could be use. Blitz the flour and butter together to form breadcrumbs. Then drizzle in the chilled water until the dough comes together. Make sure you don’t overwork it so that it stays short.
Adding more Autumnal Flare
If you want to feel very autumnal, you could get creative with the shape of your poptarts. If you have a larger apple cookie cutter, you could use this. Depending on the size of the shaped cutter used, the yield of the poptarts may also vary.
Other autumnal shapes you may want to consider – pumpkins and leaves.
Apple and Cinnamon Poptarts
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Knife
- Fork
- Teaspoons
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Tray
- Baking Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Sheet
- Rectangle cutter or Ruler with Pizza Cutter
- Cooling rack
- Small Bowl
- Small Palette Knife
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
- 150 g Plant Based Butter/Butter
- 75 g Cold Water
- 1 Egg beaten
- Apple Butter – shop bought or homemade
- 75 g Icing Sugar
- 2 Teaspoon Water
- 1-2 Apple Rings depending on size
Instructions
- In a bowl add the flour, cinnamon and cubed butter. Rub together until fine breadcrumbs form (a pastry cutter could also be used for this step)
- Add in about 50g of the water and using a knife cut in and start to bring together – add in a little more water bit by bit if required until the dough can be bought together with your hands, leaving the sides of the bowl clean
- Chill the pastry dough as you would do normally in the fridge for 30 minutes – I flatten and pop back in the bowl and cover with either a reusable bowl cover or silicone bowl cover
- Once chilled, roll the pastry dough out on a floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin
- Using either a rectangle cutter or a pizza cutter, cut out 12 pieces – my cutter is about 8cm by 12cm (you will have a bit of pastry left so this can be used to make a smaller poptart or bake just as is)
- Place 6 onto a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet
- Brush the beaten egg around the edge of the 6 rectangles creating a border
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of spiced apple butter into the middle of each rectangle and spread a little
- Place the other 6 rectangle on top to sandwich in the filling – press gently around the edge
- Using a fork crimp the edges to help seal the poptarts shut
- Chill the poptarts for 30 minutes in the fridge
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
- Remove from the fridge and brush the top with beaten egg wash
- Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
- Mix the icing sugar with the water in a bowl until a thick spreadable icing forms
- Using a spoon or small palette knife, spread the icing over the tops of the poptarts
- Chop up the apple rings into small pieces and then sprinkle over the top of each poptart
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