A Pop-Tart-inspired slab pie makes a whole lot of sense: A slab pie is a consummate version of a Pop-Tart, but sized for a giant, and Pop-Tarts, as we all know, are basically dessert anyway. Treat them as such!
Strawberry Pop-Tart Slab Pie by The Cooking of Joy
And, as a great as you remember Pop-Tarts to be, the slab pie version has the potential to be even better.
This one, an ode to the Frosted Strawberry (the #1-ranked flavor in Extra Crispy’s bracket), is the brainchild of The Cooking of Joy—who was herself inspired by the S’mores Pop-Tart Slab Pie on the blog The Crepes of Wrath. It’s complete with a sugary-smooth icing and rainbow sprinkles, but where Pop-Tarts are disappointing (the scant filling, the cardboardy “crust”), this pie has a jammy center made from fresh strawberries that’s sandwiched between two buttery, flaky layers. (Does that make it more akin to a Toaster Strudel? You be the judge.)
Plus it’s more appropriate to serve a baking sheet of pie to a dessert-ready crowd than to toast twenty Pop-Tarts. Maybe more efficient, too.
My one remaining hope and dream: that we all band together and commit to making slab pies in all Pop-Tart flavors. First priority: Brown Sugar Cinnamon. While Thrillist named it the twenty-fifth best Pop-Tart flavor (out of only twenty-seven on the list!), I strongly disagree. But slab-pie-ify any Pop-Tart that you love (excluding the Crush Orange flavor, of course).
Strawberry Pop-Tart Slab Pie
For the pie crust:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed
For the filling and glaze:
- 1 pound fresh, good-quality strawberries
- 1/2 cup vanilla sugar or plain granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- Cream or milk, for brushing the dough (optional)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Rainbow sprinkles!
What’s your favorite Pop-Tart flavor, and how would this translate into a slab pie? Tell us in the comments below!
This article was written by sarah jampel from Food52 and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
