Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts 🎃 for our Better Than Store-Bought series!! We’ve shared several classic pop tart flavors and I honestly had no idea they had a seasonal pumpkin pie flavor, so when I saw it, I knew we had to recreate it! Ours has a flaky crust (that doesn’t taste like cardboard!), an easy, homemade pumpkin butter filling, icing and sprinkles. I taste-tested store-bought and homemade side by side and (no surprise) homemade is SO MUCH BETTER! Search ‘crowded kitchen pumpkin pop tarts’ online for the full recipe or head straight to the recipe via the link in our profile! Dough: 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 4 teaspoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ cup very cold water 1 egg yolk, beaten (this is for the egg wash to seal the pop tarts) Pumpkin Butter Filling: 1 15oz can pure pumpkin purée ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed ½ cup water 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon kosher salt Icing: ¾ cup powdered sugar ~1 ½ tablespoons milk Fall-colored sprinkles of choice In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are pea-sized. Stream in the cold water, pulsing as you go, until a crumbly dough forms. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead it into a ball. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 1" thick, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. To make the pumpkin butter filling, add all ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and whisk or stir with a spatula until everything is well incorporated. Bring the pumpkin butter to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the mixture cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 or so minutes, until the pumpkin butter reduces by about 25%. It should be thick, darker in color than when you started, smooth, and more like a paste than a purée. You should end up with almost exactly 2 cups of pumpkin butter. Let the pumpkin butter cool completely while the dough chills. Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. On a well-floured surface, roll one half of the dough into a large rectangle about ⅛-inch thick, then trim it into a straight-edged rectangle that's 14x10 inches. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 rectangles for 8 total rectangles, each roughly 5" long and 3.5" wide. Repeat with the other half of the dough. In total, you will have 16 rectangles of the same size. Note: If at any point the dough starts getting too soft to work with, just pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes, then carry on. Using a the flat end of a wooden skewer or a fork, dock several holes in the center of 8 of the rectangles (these will be the tops). Make sure the holes go all the way through the dough, otherwise the steam will cause the tops of your pop tarts to puff up. Into the centers of the other 8 rectangles, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling and spread into a thin layer, leaving a border around the edges. Around the border of the filling, brush the beaten egg yolk, then place one of the docked rectangles on top, pressing down the edges to secure. Using the tines of a fork, crimp and seal the edges of each tart. Transfer to the sheet pan, then repeat with the remaining pop tarts. Bake the tarts for 30-35 minutes, until very lightly browned on the top and edges and golden brown on the bottom. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. To make the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. It should be thick, but still pourable. Test a small amount on one pop tart. If you can see the dough through the icing, it's probably a bit too thin, so add a touch more powdered sugar. Top with sprinkles and let the icing set before you enjoy! - @crowdedkitchen