These Blueberry and Lemon Poptarts are so much fun and are pretty much the best thing ever! The crust is ridiculously flaky, and the filling is a fresh and delicious blueberry compote. Everything is topped off with a lemon royal icing made with freshly squeezed lemon juice. These components all come together to make a familiar yet completely elevated version of our childhood favorite.
Blueberry and Lemon Poptart Ingredients
There are three parts to this recipe: the crust, the blueberry compote filling, and the lemon royal icing. All of the ingredients are outlined below.
The Crust
My favorite part of these Poptarts is definitely the crust (this whole recipe is amazing, but the crust really is something special). The secret is that the crust is actually pie dough! I came across this recipe for Lisa Donovan's Pie Dough in Food & Wine magazine several years ago, and it has been a staple ever since. It's so incredibly flaky and buttery, and it's the absolute best pie crust. It's almost like a puff pastry without all of the effort. Plus, the ingredients are really simple. It only uses flour, kosher salt, unsalted butter, and some ice-cold-water.
The key to this recipe (besides an almost absurd amount of butter) is to use your hands instead of a stand mixer to bring the dough together. This keeps the butter cold, which is the most important part of making a perfectly flaky crust. The other important part is to use a technique called "fraisage" to cut the butter into the flour. You essentially smear the butter into the flour with your fingertips to create flakes. These flakes, in turn, create little pockets of steam when baked. These pockets are absolutely crucial to creating the flaky texture we're after.
Blueberry Compote Filling
If you think the pie crust was easy, the blueberry compote filling is super easy. Add fresh blueberries, sugar, corn starch, water (not pictured above), lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Add all of these ingredients to a pan, and heat on medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes until the juices from the blueberries release, and you have a moderately thick mixture.
Lemon Royal Icing
The topping on these Poptarts is a lemon royal icing. This uses confectioner's sugar, egg whites, lemon juice, and a small pinch of salt. Royal icing can be made with meringue powder; however, I opted to use egg whites for this recipe.
Begin by beating the egg whites on medium-high speed for several minutes until frothy. Add ¼ cup of the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, and mix until combined. Slowly add in the rest of the sugar while mixing on medium speed until incorporated. Beat on high until soft peaks form, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly add in the fresh lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time, until the correct consistency is reached. It should look like the picture below, with slightly runny ribbons that slowly "melt" back into themselves.
Poptart Assembly and Baking
Once all your ingredients are finished, it's time to assemble and bake. Roll out your pie crust into a rectangle that's approximately 10 inches tall by 15 inches wide. The dough should be about ¼ of an inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 or 5 equal strips. Spread some egg wash around the perimeter of each rectangle, and then place a few tablespoons of the filling on half of the dough. Fold the top edge of the dough over itself, covering the filling. Crimp the edges shut with your fingers or a fork. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and optionally chill for an additional hour in the fridge to allow the butter to set up. Brush some egg wash over the tops, and cut a small hole in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape. If you forget this step, the poptarts will have a tendency to leak. Bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool on a wire rack. Top each poptart with the lemon royal icing and a generous sprinkle of granulated sugar. The icing will set up fairly firm in about an hour.
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Recipe
Blueberry and Lemon Poptarts
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- Piping Bag & Straight Wide Nozzle
Ingredients
Lisa Donovan's Pie Crust
- 1 ½ Cups Unsalted Butter 3 Sticks
- 2 ⅓ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 ¼ Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 2 Cup Measuring Cup filled to the brim with ice and topped with cold water
Blueberry Compote Filling
- 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries 12 oz Container
- 2 Tablespoon Corn Starch
- ½ Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Cups, Plus 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Water
Lemon Royal Icing
- 1 ½ oz. Egg Whites From Approx. 1 ½ to 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice Juice from 1 Lemon
- Pinch Fine Sea Salt
- Raw or Turbinado Sugar for Garnish
Instructions
Lisa Donovan's Pie Crust
- Fill a 2-cup measuring cup with ice. Top measuring cup off with water (at least ½ cup). Set aside.
- Cube butter into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces with varying rough chops. Toss together flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Toss butter cubes into flour mixture, and separate cubes with your fingers before beginning to work together. Work in butter using your hands, making smears and buttery flakes. Do not use a machine or a pastry cutter; using your hands will help you discern the temperature and feel of the flour. You are looking to incorporate all the butter into the flour without overworking. Every piece of butter should be smeared with some flour before you begin to add the ice water; there should be no untouched pieces of butter. Doing this deftly is key; if the butter starts to feel too warm, use your refrigerator as a tool-place bowl in freezer or refrigerator at any time to cool off. Preferably, though, you will be able to work the butter in quickly without too much fuss.
- To incorporate the ice water, start by drizzling about 3 tablespoons water (do not add ice) into flour mixture. Using your hands slightly cupped as paddles (do not use your fingers or do any kneading), toss the water into the flour until it is fully absorbed. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, paddling with hands between each addition, until mixture begins to form a shaggy dough. You will likely use about ¼ cup to ⅓ cup water total, depending on the humidity. The dough should feel moist but not wet or sticky. Turn dough out onto a clean work surface. Give dough a few strong kneads to work it all together (about 4 turns). Your dough should feel tacky and supple but not sticky.
- Divide dough evenly into 2 pieces (about 12 ounces each). Form each piece into a flat disk and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator at least 1-hour or up to 3-days.
Blueberry Compote Filling
- While dough is resting, heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add all ingredients and bring to a bare simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until blueberries have released their liquid and the sauce is smooth.
- Remove from heat allow to cool.
Lemon Royal Icing
- Add egg whites to bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until frothy.
- Add ¼ Cup of powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.
- Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar on medium-low speed, scraping down the sides until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Increase the speed to high and whisk until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Slowly add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. This should be fairly thick and hold its shape, yet still be slightly runny. (The blog post shows a picture of the consistency you're looking for.)
Egg Wash
- Combine beaten eggs and water in a small bowl. Set aside for assembly and baking.
Assembly and Baking
- Preheat an oven to 375°F.
- Remove one of the pie dough disks from fridge and roll into a 10-inch tall by 15-inch wide rectangle with a floured rolling pin. Slice into 4 or 5 equal rectangles.
- Brush a small amount of egg wash around the perimeter of each poptart.
- Top one half of each rectangle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the blueberry compote filling, leaving about ½-inch around the border.
- Fold the top half over the filling and crimp the edges of the dough with your fingers or a fork. Repeat with remaining poptarts.
- Brush each poptart with egg wash, and transfer to a baking sheet. Cut a small hole in the center of each poptart to allow steam to escape. (This will help to keep these from breaking open and leaking while they bake.)
- Optionally, chill the shaped poptarts uncovered in the refrigerator for 30-minutes up to 1 hour prior to baking. This will allow the butter to firm up again, which will help create a really flaky crust.
- Bake for 20 to 25-minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to completely cool, approximately 1-hour.
- Repeat the poptart assembly process with the remaining dough while your first batch of poptarts is in the oven.
- Bake the second batch of poptarts for 20 to 25-minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once all of the poptarts are cool, spread icing over the top with a spatula, a spoon, or a knife. Optionally, use a piping bag and wide nozzle to pipe icing over the top of each poptart. Add a generous sprinkle of granulated sugar, and allow icing to set until firm, approximately 1-hour.
Michelle says
WOW! These look so good that my mouth is watering!! I can't wait to try this one for sure~