Homemade Poptarts!

Who doesn't love poptarts?  I personally do not care for the glazed kind.  Just try and find some that are not glazed or filled with unrecognizeable ingredients.  While perusing my cookbooks for berry recipes I accidentally came across a recipe for Blueberry Toaster Pastries found in "The Joy of Blueberries" ISBN: 1-59193-012-X, page 99.  There is no logical reason why you couldn't substitute any kind of jam for the blueberry jam...I am envisioning Apricot, Raspberry, even Pineapple Marmalade.  Keeping a lookout for anything new and unusual, I currently have on my shelves a Spanish Grapefruit Marmalade, Lemon Curd and even a Fig Jam.  I should label these "Adult Poptarts!"

This recipe wasn't that difficult and the dough is super easy to work with.  This would be an easy-do project to do with students.  This is what you will need:

Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
Blueberry Jam or any preserves of your choice


Egg Wash:
1 egg white, beaten with 1 TBSP milk
Sugar

Preheat the oven to 355.  Beat sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir this into the mixture to form a dough.

Divide dough into 16 equal parts.  Use a plastic wrap over the top of a part and roll out to a 3 1/2" x 5" shape.  Spread preserves on dough leaving about 1/4" crust around the edge.   Roll out another part of dough and place over the top of the dough with preserves.  Use a sharp knife to cut away the rough edges (save the dough to make more).   Crimp all sides with the tines of a fork.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Beat egg white with 1 TBSP milk.  Brush the tart with egg white wash and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Prick the top of the tarts with tines of a fork.  Place in oven and immediately turn down to 350.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and prick again with a fork.  Bake 15 more minutes (edges will be brown).  Remove from baking sheet, to a flat surface.  Cool and wrap in plastic.  Store in the refrigerator.

I got 10 poptarts out of this recipe and used 1/2 pint of blueberry jam.