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Puff. Pastry. Pop. Tarts. (THIS IS NOT A DRILL)
The inspiration for these flaky little beauts came from my obsession with The Great British Bake Off; anyone who watches the show knows that the bakers spend an inordinate amount of time making “rough puff” / puff pastry. And honestly… a guy can only watch people make puff pastry so many times before deciding to tackle the task himself.
What is puff pastry?
Puff pastry is a type of laminated dough. The term “laminated dough” refers to any pastry dough that has been rolled and shaped in a way in which many layers are created of dough alternating with fat. There are various techniques for how the dough is “laminated”, but all laminated doughs go through a series of repeated folding and rolling in order to create these many layers. Now, before you back away from this recipe (because I know making puff pastry sounds intimidating)… I want you to know that one of Bon Appétit’s senior food editors, Claire Saffitz, has such a foolproof rough puff recipe with step by step photos. And if that's still not enough to convince you, then you’ll be happy to know you can use store-bought puff pastry sheets and still end up with a delicious result!
Strawberry Cardamom Jam
Now, let’s talk about my latest obsession, and the true star of the show: strawberry cardamom jam.
Guys... where do I even begin? It has the softness and spreading power of jam and yet the translucence, if you will, of jelly; the seeded look of fig or raspberry jam and the fragrance of heaven (from the sweet/spicy/intense aromatic that the vanilla and cardamom gives the jam). It’s arguably the best jam I have ever made.
Okay, maybe it’s the only jam I’ve ever made… but let’s keep that part a secret.
In all reality, this strawberry cardamom jam is really, really simple to make. All you need in addition to the ingredients is a bit of time to stand & stir your pot on the stove. In no time at all, you’ll have created a delicious jam that you’ll be wanting to put on everything.
If your jam doesn’t set properly, there can be varying reasons as to why. It might have needed to cook longer on the stove or there is the chance that the strawberries don’t have enough natural sugar (it’s the cooking time, sugar and lemon juice, which is naturally high in pectin, that help the jam set). If you followed the directions and it didn’t set up properly, let it sit overnight in the fridge. If that step still doesn’t get it to stiffen up and set, you might try re-cooking it for a tiny bit longer and either adding in a bit of pectin or a bit more sugar and lemon (not much, just give it a taste test.)
As always, I encourage you to read the entire recipe before beginning and be sure to tag @mikebakesnyc on Instagram if you try this recipe out! Have fun and get baking!
Strawberry Cardamom Puff Pastry Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the Pop Tarts:
- 16 oz strawberries hulled & coarsely chopped
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 vanilla bean
- 6 cardamom pods slightly cracked
- 2 sheets of puff pastry
For the Strawberry Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1-2 tablespoon strawberry cardamom jam
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottom pot, mix the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cardamom pods, and vanilla bean. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a rolling boil.
- Stir frequently, mashing the strawberries as you stir. Continue to boil until jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover the surface of the jam (about 10 minutes); the jam should reach 220°F.To check if your jam is done, use the wrinkle test. Before cooking the jam, put 3 or 4 small heatproof plates in the freezer. Once your jam has boiled for several minutes, take the pan off the heat and carefully spoon a little jam onto one of the cold plates. Let it stand for a minute then push the blob of jam with your finger, if the surface of the jam wrinkles then it has set, if it is still quite liquidy then put the pan back on the heat and boil the jam for another 3 to 5 minutes before testing again on the next plate.
- Once jam has set, remove the vanilla bean and cardamom pods, and spoon the jam into clean jars. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take your thawed puff pastry, and cut each sheet into 6 rectangles. Evenly fill half of the rectangles with the chilled strawberry cardamom jam.
- Lay the remaining 6 rectangles over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. Repeat until you have 6 tarts.
- Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and brush the tops of the tarts with water. Transfer to the oven and bake the tarts for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and deep golden brown. Let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the milk, powdered sugar, and strawberry cardamom jam. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of milk or jam at a time to thin the glaze as desired. Drizzle the glaze over the pop tarts and allow to set at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Cattz
I made these Pop Tarts today but I used smuckers sugar free apricot jam because we both have type 2 diabetes. They are beautiful except a lot of the jam ran out of the tarts. I'm unsure if that happened because it's sugar free or perhaps I used too much jam. Looks like I'll make more so I can figure it out. 😉
Mike Johnson
Sounds yummy! Leakage can happen if too much jam is used, but can also happen if the jam is thinner and/or the tarts aren't sealed well enough as well! I've not had that particular jam, but if you feel it's a bit on the thinner side, you could put some aside in a bowl and add a tiny bit of cornstarch to it (maybe 1-2 teaspoons) and then fill your pop tarts with that. The jam will thicken even further as it bakes. Hope this helps!
Frankie
The jam portion of the recipe helped elevate my basic strawberry jam. I used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead of granulated sugar. I also added a tablespoon of chia seeds to the mix. I sliced open the vanilla pod before infusing it to make better use of an expensive ingredient. The consistency and taste were great!
Sonia Powell
Excellent recipe the jam alone is very tasty on scones and other baked goods!!
Veronica
Great recipe the kids love them. But I was wondering….Can you assemble these ahead of time and freeze them until ready to use?
Mike Johnson
I've never tried it, but considering that jam *can be* frozen and puff pastry naturally resides in the freezer, it should work out fine! I would try assembling them and freezing them on the baking sheet until solid, and then you can transfer them to a ziplock bag or airtight container.
Veronica
Thanks Mike. I tried it and the kids have had it all week for breakfast and it was a WINNER!!
Mike Johnson
SO glad to hear it!!
Leah Hindel
Would it work to use ground cardamon and vanilla extract?
Thanks!!
Michael Johnson
Yup! I would just stir them in towards the end when your jam is basically ready! 🙂
Nicole
These are gorgeous! Look great!