Is This Taylor Swift’s Pop-Tarts Recipe?

Is there anything Taylor Swift can’t do? Last season, Taylor’s baking skills made headlines after she treated the Kansas City offensive line to homemade Pop-Tarts. Fans think this recipe might have contributed to the Chiefs’ winning season!

As a prolific baker and proud Eras Tour attendee, I needed to know the Taylor Swift Pop-Tarts recipe.

What is Taylor’s secret recipe?

When it comes to Taylor’s actual recipe for homemade Pop-Tarts, I have bad news: That is, dare I say, a blank space. Swifties, football fans and even the Pop-Tarts brand have clamored for the recipe, which she has yet to share.

The only evidence I had to work from was a few photos of the elusive pastries shared on social media. This gave me a good idea of what the decoration should be—classic white icing and rainbow sprinkles. And given that she made them for the Kansas City Chiefs, I bet she makes her Pop-Tarts with red strawberry filling.

As to the pastry, Taylor is known to be a fan of food bloggers like Smitten Kitchen and Joy the Baker. I checked out their dough recipes, which have the same basic ingredients as our highly-rated homemade strawberry Pop-Tarts. I kept the filling simple by using store-bought strawberry jam. Using an egg wash on top of the pastries before baking gives the tarts a golden appearance, and a simple topping of icing and sprinkles completes the look.

Ingredients for Taylor Swift’s Homemade Pop-Tarts

Susan bronson for Taste Recipes

Pastry dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Dash salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk

Egg wash:

• 1 large egg

Filling:

• 1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam

Icing:

• 1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• Rainbow sprinkles

Directions

Susan Bronson for Taste Recipes

Step 1: Make the dough

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until blended. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla and two tablespoons of milk. Add the egg mixture to the food processor while pulsing until moist crumbs form. If the dough is still dry, add more milk one tablespoon at a time, pulsing between additions.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the butter is cold! Cold butter helps keep the pastry flaky.

Step 2: Prep the egg wash

Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk. Set aside.

Step 3: Form the pastries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into eight 3×5-inch rectangles. Transfer the sliced dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat.

Lightly brush the egg wash over the rectangles all the way to the edges. Spoon about one tablespoon of strawberry jam into the center of each pastry, spreading it to within 1/2 inch of the edges.

Roll the remaining half of the dough into another large rectangle. Cut into eight more 3×5-inch rectangles. Place each rectangle over the halves with filling. Press the edges with your fingers, then use a fork to seal.

Lightly prick the tops of the pastries with the fork. Brush the entire top of every pastry with a light layer of egg wash.

Step 4: Bake the pastries

Bake the homemade Pop-Tarts for 15 to 18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and set them on a wire rack to cool.

Step 5: Decorate the Pop-Tarts like Taylor

To make the icing, stir confectioners’ sugar and milk together until smooth. Spread the icing in an even layer over the top of the pastries. Sprinkle generously with rainbow sprinkles. Allow the icing to set before serving. Otherwise, you might shake it off.

Editor’s Tip: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl to prevent any lumps in the icing.