These buttery brown sugar cinnamon pop tart cookies will blow your mind! They taste like a gourmet version of the beloved breakfast treat (but SO much better!). Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You Should Try These Cookies
- Their nostalgic taste will bring you right back to your childhood! We really nailed the brown sugar cinnamon pop tart flavor and look here, right down to the shiny glaze (it’s the same one I use in my homemade brown sugar pop tarts).
- While the glaze dries nice and firm, the cookies are irresistibly tender, thanks to cake flour. Cake flour also makes for a thicker dough, which helps hold in the brown sugar cinnamon filling.
- They are a bit of a labor of love, but you can prepare them in stages so you don’t have to do everything at once. I also include instructions for freezing the dough, which can be done for several months.
- Impressive, bakery-style look and size. These will fly off the table at a bake sale!
Adding another gourmet cookie to my collection today! These brown sugar cinnamon pop tart cookies are equal parts impressive and nostalgic (like my cosmic cookies). They are a bit time consuming but well worth it, just like the rest of my gourmet cookie recipes. I can’t wait for you to try them, so let’s dive right in!
Ingredients
Before we get started, I’ll go over a few of the key ingredients that make these brown sugar cinnamon pop tart cookies so special.
- Flour. We will use cake flour in the cookies and all-purpose flour in the filling. I tend to reach for cake flour when making many of my gourmet cookie recipes; this is because cake flour yields thicker, yet more tender results.
- Brown sugar. I found that dark brown sugar was too rich to use in the dough and the filling, but it worked nicely for color and flavor in the glaze. If you don’t have it on hand, though, you don’t have to run out and get more; light brown sugar will work.
- Cornstarch. This adds structure to the dough and helps it hold in that brown sugar cinnamon filling.
- Milk. This is for our icing; any kind will work. Start with only one tablespoon and add more as needed. You may need that full extra tablespoon, just a splash, or you may not need it at all.
- Corn syrup. Just a bit makes our icing the perfect consistency and gives it that shiny, pop tart look! This is a key ingredient in my sugar cookie icing as well. Remember, corn syrup is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup! Glucose syrup will also work.
SAM’S TIP: You can skip the corn syrup in the icing, but just know that your icing won’t set as nicely or have that pretty shine (and you’d probably need more milk to get the right consistency!).
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pop Tart Cookies
Make the Dough
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add them to the wet ingredients. Don’t add them all at once or you will be left with a very dry, stiff dough. I do this in 4-5 parts.
- Cover and chill the dough in the fridge.
Make the Filling
- Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the dry ingredients, then set aside.
Assemble & Bake
- Divide a large scoop of dough in half and make each half into a nest. Add a scoop of your filling into one nest. I demonstrate this in the video below, if you need more of a visual!
- Add your second half of dough over the filling then seal the dough into a smooth ball. Repeat with your remaining dough and filling.
- Freeze your cookies, then place on parchment lined baking sheets. I work with just 4-6 cookies at a time and recommend you do the same.
- Bake until light golden brown and let cool completely before icing.
Icing
- Whisk the icing ingredients together until smooth, adding more milk as needed until the icing ribbons off your whisk.
- Drizzle over your cookies and let set before enjoying. We found that the cookies seemed too sweet when the icing was still wet, but they tasted perfectly balanced when it was set.
SAM’S TIP: Letting the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet is key to achieving a soft and chewy texture. We will slightly underbake them in the oven and let them finish on their baking sheets. As a result, they are very fragile when they are fresh from the oven, so don’t try to move them while they are still warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but I don’t recommend chilling the dough itself longer than 30-60 minutes, since it becomes very difficult to scoop after chilling. Instead, I recommend freezing the cookie dough balls after stuffing them; you can do this for up to a few months if you follow the instructions in my how to freeze cookie dough post.
This can happen if you didn’t use enough dough when forming your cookies, didn’t place the filling properly (it really needs to be in the center!), or if your dough was too soft/warm. Definitely check out my video below if this happens to you so you can see exactly how I fill the cookies!
I highly recommend cake flour in this recipe for the best texture and results. Using all-purpose flour would yield cookies that aren’t quite as soft or tender. If you only have all-purpose flour on hand, I do include instructions for substituting in the recipe notes below.
I’ve been having a lot of fun in the kitchen making up new flavors of cookies (like my blueberry muffin cookies and coffee cake cookies), let me know if there are any other fun flavors that you’d like me to tackle next!
Enjoy!
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Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened (226g)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar 200g
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450 g) cake flour 450g
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 5 Tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter softened (70g)
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar firmly packed (150g)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp (24 g) all-purpose flour 24g
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Icing
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (38 g) dark brown sugar firmly packed (may substitute light brown sugar) (38g)
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ Tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Prepare the cookie dough
- Combine butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment) to beat until light, fluffy, and well-creamed).1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir again until thoroughly combined. Set aside.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.4 cups (450 g) cake flour, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet (in 4 or 5 parts) stirring until completely combined.
- Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30-60 minutes (note I do not recommend chilling longer than this, as the dough becomes difficult to manage).
- While the dough chills, prepare the filling.
For the filling
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, and vanilla and stir or beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.5 Tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkle flour, cinnamon, and salt over the butter/sugar mixture and stir until well-combined.3 Tbsp (24 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon table salt
Assembly
- Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and scoop by ¼ cup (3 oz/85g). Break the scoop in half and form one half into a nest. Firmly scoop a Tablespoon of the brown sugar filling and scoop into the nest you just made in the center of the cookie dough. Take the other half of the cookie dough, likewise form it into a flattened nest shape and form it around the top of the filling to seal the filling inside in the center (I show how to do this in the video). Make sure the filling is completely concealed and centered. Repeat until all cookie dough and filling is used.
- Place cookie dough on large plate or baking sheet and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes (see note to chill longer, this dough freezes well). (note: you may chill this cookie dough longer, for days or even weeks, just make sure to transfer the dough to an airtight container (and if I’m chilling longer than a week I individually wrap each cookie dough ball in plastic wrap before freezing). Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375F (190C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. .
- Once cookie dough has chilled and oven is preheated, remove from freezer and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart (I only bake 4-6 cookies at a time). Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) and bake for 14 minutes, until the very edges of the cookies are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheet (cookies are fragile when warm!) before icing.
For the Icing
- In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon of milk, corn syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk as needed until mixture is smooth and ribbons off the whisk (the ribbon that falls should hold its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the bowl, any thinner and it will take painfully long for your icing to set on the cookies!).1 ½ cups (190 g) powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons (38 g) dark brown sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons milk, 1 ½ Tablespoons light corn syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Immediately drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow to set before enjoying (note it could take up to several hours for the icing to harden completely, depending on how thin/thick your icing is).
Notes
All-purpose flour
I highly recommend using cake flour for best results, the cookies will be softer and more tender this way. However, if you must substitute cake flour you would use 3 ⅔ cup (450g).Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.Freezing cookie dough
After filling your cookie dough balls you can freeze for longer than 15 minutes, it will keep for several months in the freezer. If freezing for longer than an hour, I recommend following my instructions on how to freeze cookie dough and note that it will likely take longer to bake when baked straight from the freezer.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Jordan
Delicious! These are more fiddly and require more time than the average cookies, but they are a definite showstopper. I added maple extract to the glaze, and next time will also add it to the filling as well.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jordan! 🙂
Donna MacLean
Have you tried freezing these after being baked? I try to make my cookies ahead of Christmas. So I am always looking for recipes that freeze well. Thanks.
Sam
Hi Donna! I recommend freezing the cookie dough balls after stuffing them; you can do this for up to a few months if you follow the instructions in my how to freeze cookie dough post.
Donna MacLean
Thank you that would work. Baking just day before is fine. It’s all the prep and cleanup that’s a time problem. 🙂
Christy
My whole family loved these!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Christy! 🙂
DJ
I’d love to try these but we are gluten free. Do you have any GF cake flower recommendations?
Sam
Hi DJ! Unfortunately I do not have a good recommendation for you, but if you do find one I would love to know so I can share with others. 🙂
Laurinda
I make cookies for the Folks I work with at the Post Office. I was looking for something new and saw your YouTube. I always loved this flavor of Pop Tarts, so I tried them. They turned our great. They taste better than the original Pop Tarts because they are softer. One of the Carriers said I need to add these to my rotation. Only problem is that they are so large, ( I got 14 ) that I need to make more. Can I increase to a batch and a half do you think?
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Laurinda! You shouldn’t have any issues increasing teh recipe. 🙂
Julie Dostie
That was easy. Thank you
Julie Dostie
Is there a video?
Sam
Hi Julie! There is a video directly above the recipe, but if you have an ad blocker enabled it will prevent the video from playing. You can always find my videos on YouTube as well. 🙂
Madison N
The first time I made the cookies they worked perfectly but every time i make them the dough gets sticker and sticker and i cant work with it anymore and idk what to do i need help.
Sam
Hi Madison! I’m so sorry to hear this is happening! Is this all from the same batch of dough or separate doughs? If it’s the same batch of dough I would just stick it back in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes to chill. If this is separate batches of dough, the really sticky ones may just need a touch more flour added in. I hope this helps! 🙂
Madison N
They are separate batches. I have made them four separate times and the first time I made them is the only time I sceccded. I’ve tried adding more flour and chilling it longer and it seemed to of made it worse. Idk if it’s my measurements or what but my family loves these cookies and I’d love to find a solution so I can keep making them.
Sam
That’s very frustrating, I’m so sorry! Are there any ingredient substitutions being used? Is the butter terribly warm? Are you using a kitchen scale, could it be an issue with the scale? Adding flour should definitely work so I’m honestly puzzled 🙁
Donald Evans
These were the first of your gourmet cookies that I have tried. People enjoyed them. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them and I hope they love all of the cookies! 🙂
jenny
the video doesn’t match the recipe
Sam
I’m so sorry, Jenny! I will correct that now. 🙂