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These chocolate pop tarts are a comforting, nostalgic treat made from a flaky homemade pastry filled with creamy Nutella. Each tart is finished with a bright strawberry glaze and a sprinkling of crushed freeze-dried strawberries for color and extra flavor.
Perfect for an indulgent weekend breakfast or an afternoon baking project, these homemade pop tarts taste far better than store-bought versions because of the fresh ingredients and flaky crust. The recipe is straightforward: a simple pastry dough, a Nutella filling, and a quick strawberry glaze.
Making the pastry for pop tarts
The dough is a classic, easy-to-make pastry. If you have a food processor, it speeds things up: pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together, then add cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter. Cold ingredients are essential for a flaky result.
Add ice-cold water gradually while the processor runs until the dough just starts to come together. If needed, add extra water a tablespoon at a time to avoid over-hydrating the dough. When a loose ball forms, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal discs. Wrap each disc and chill for about 30 minutes.
Roll one chilled disc to roughly 1/8 inch thick, about 13 x 11 inches. Trim the edges to make a neat 12 x 10 rectangle and cut eight 3 x 5 inch rectangles for the tart bases. A pizza cutter works well for clean cuts. Place the pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you roll and cut the second disc.
Assembling the pop tarts
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of Nutella onto the center of each bottom rectangle, spreading it to leave a 1/4-inch border. Top with another dough rectangle, press the edges to seal, and crimp with a fork. Poke a few vents in the tops to allow steam to escape while baking. Chill the assembled tarts in the freezer for 20–30 minutes or in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking to keep the crust from spreading.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 23–25 minutes, or until the pastry is lightly golden. Allow the pop tarts to cool completely before glazing.
Strawberry glaze
For the glaze, puree fresh strawberries with a little lemon juice until smooth. Press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds, yielding about 1/3 cup of seedless strawberry puree. Whisk the puree with powdered sugar until the glaze is pourable. Adjust thickness by adding powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time if it’s too thin, or more puree if it’s too thick.
Spoon about a tablespoon of glaze onto each cooled tart and spread gently with the back of the spoon. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle crushed freeze-dried strawberries over the top for color and an extra concentrated strawberry flavor.
Tips for making the dough
- Cold butter and water: Using cold butter and ice water keeps the dough cold and helps the pastry stay flaky. Chill assembled tarts before baking so the butter doesn’t melt prematurely.
- Don’t over-mix: Stop pulsing when the butter pieces are about pea-sized. Those small bits melt during baking and create steam pockets that make the crust flaky.
Freezing or refrigerating the unbaked tarts firms the butter and helps the dough hold its shape, producing a flakier crust that spreads less in the oven.
No. A food processor makes the process faster, but you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two forks or a pastry cutter until pea-sized crumbs form, then add cold water and bring the dough together by hand.
Yes. Freeze assembled tarts on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a sealed bag and bake from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time. Baked tarts can be frozen between layers of parchment paper and thawed at room temperature.
An unglazed tart can be warmed in a toaster, but glazed ones will make a mess. A toaster oven works, though the glaze may soften if heated too long.
Store cooled pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.
This recipe is a fun project to share with kids or to enjoy as a solo baking session. The combination of flaky pastry, rich Nutella, and bright strawberry glaze makes these pop tarts a delightful homemade treat.
For more nutella recipes, check out:
- Nutella Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Nutella Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Nutella Babka
- Nutella S’mores Cake
Tag me on Instagram @themarblekitchenblog if you make these, and leave a rating and comment below! Enjoy!
Chocolate Pop Tarts with Strawberry Glaze
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
- 6-8 tablespoon ice cold water
Filling
- 1 cup Nutella
Strawberry Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup strawberries sliced in half
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Decoration on Top
- ½ cup Freeze dried strawberries for decorating optional
Instructions
Dough
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Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add cold butter and pulse until the crumbs are about pea-sized.
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With the processor running, add 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water and process until the dough begins to form a ball. Add additional tablespoons of water if needed until the dough comes together.
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Turn the dough onto a floured surface, form into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
Assembly
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Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Roll one dough disc to about 1/8 inch thick and trim to a 12 x 10 inch rectangle.
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Cut eight 3 x 5 inch rectangles from the dough.
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Place rectangles on the prepared sheet and refrigerate.
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Repeat with the second disc and return the sheet to the refrigerator.
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Place 2 tablespoons of Nutella in the center of each bottom rectangle, spreading to within 1/4 inch of the edges.
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Top with the remaining rectangles, crimp edges with a fork, and poke vents in the tops.
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Freeze for 20–30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.
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Bake at 350°F for 23–25 minutes, until lightly golden.
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Cool completely before glazing.
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Spoon about 1 tablespoon of glaze over each cooled tart and spread as desired.
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Coarsely crush freeze-dried strawberries and sprinkle over the glaze while it’s wet.
Glaze
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Puree strawberries with lemon juice until smooth.
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Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds; you should have about 1/3 cup of seedless puree.
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Whisk 3 tablespoons of the puree with the powdered sugar until the glaze is pourable. Adjust with more puree or powdered sugar by the teaspoon until you reach the desired consistency.