homemade boston cream donut pop tarts
Yet another underrated pop tart flavor that needs some love in the kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 pie crusts
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt, to top
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan to a simmer. In a separate large bowl, vigorously whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and corn starch until very creamy.
- When the milk is simmering, pour 1/4 cup of the milk into the egg mixture and whisk aggressively to temper. Work fast to prevent the eggs from scrambling!
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan and heat over medium, whisking constantly, until a pudding-like consistency, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Transfer to a heat-proof bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours.
- When you're ready to make the pop tarts, remove the pastry cream from the fridge.
- Thaw the pie crusts for 15 minutes on the counter. Pop one back in the fridge.
- Flour a work surface and roll the other pie crust to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out eight 3 x 4 inch rectangles (I use a ruler for accuracy). You may need to re-roll some of the crust out to achieve 8 pop tarts. Lay the rectangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the rolling and cutting with the second sheet of pie crust.
- Brush each pastry with the egg wash. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of pastry cream into the center of the pastries on the baking sheet and spread, leaving 1/4 inch border. Lay the second set of pastries, egg wash-side down, on top of the filling.
- Crimp the edges of the pastries with a fork to seal. Poke a few holes in the top of each pastry and set the pan in the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes. While the pastries chill, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the baking sheet from the fridge. Bake the pastries for 15 minutes until golden on top and crispy. Move to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the ganache, zap the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir until the bowl is no longer warm and, if needed, heat again in 15 second intervals until the chocolate is fully melted. Whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla. If the ganache seems too thick, add cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin.
- Spread a layer of ganache on top of each pastry. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Let sit at room temperature to harden for 1 hour. Store the pop tarts in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
*To fix gelatinous pastry cream: Pastry cream will thicken as it cools in the fridge. If needed, warm some milk in the microwave and add 1-2 tablespoons to the cream, whisking vigorously with each application, until the cream loosens.