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These Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies are soft and buttery sugar cookies that are loaded with chopped Strawberry Pop Tarts and colorful sprinkles.
I’m channeling my childhood self for these Strawberry Pop-Tart Cookies. Unfortunately, snacking on a pop tart is something I do much less frequently as an adult, but turning pop tarts into cookies is one of my new favorite things!
These pop tart cookies are made up of a sweet and buttery sugar cookie base that’s packed full of Strawberry Pop-Tarts and sprinkles.
The result is cookies that are soft and chewy in the middle, golden and crispy on the edges, and deliciously sweet. These cookies are the perfect way to be a kid again! Keep these cookies as-is or customize them with different pop tart flavors!
- Unsalted Butter – you’ll need 1 cup of room temperature. To quickly soften the butter, microwave for 10-15 seconds.
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Cream of Tartar – gives the sugar cookies their soft, chewy texture and a very subtle tangy flavor.
- Salt
- Strawberry Pop-Tarts – Roughly chopped pop tarts get mixed into the dough and save a few to pop on top of the cookies before baking.
- Sprinkles – I used nonpareils
These fun and fruity sugar cookies are ready in just 30 minutes!
- Combine the wet ingredients: Beat softened butter and sugar together until creamed together. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Beat until mostly incorporated, then add chopped pop tarts and sprinkles. Increase the speed on the mixer and beat until a dough forms.
3. Portion the dough: Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough out. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. If desired, add a couple of pieces of pop tart to the top of the dough balls.
4. Bake: Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes, then cool and serve or store.
While I do love the strawberry pop tart cookies, here are a couple of ways you can switch things up!
- Brown Sugar Pop-Tarts: add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the dough and top them off with brown sugar glaze. I think I will have to make this recipe myself!
- Chocolate Pop-Tarts: use my Chocolate Sugar Cookies with some Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts.
- Cookies and Cream Pop-Tarts: swap the strawberry pop tarts out for Cookies and Cream Pop-Tarts and throw some finely crushed Oreos into the mix.
Tricks and Tips for Success
- Use a silicone baking mat. Alternatively, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Having a layer between the bottom of the cookies and the pan helps prevent them from burning or crisping too much on the bottom.
- Don’t over-bake. When it comes to cookies, slightly underbaking them is the key to a perfectly soft and chewy texture. Take the cookies out of the oven just when they’re turning golden-brown on the edges.
- If you prefer a crispier cookie, simply add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Making the Dough Ahead of Time
To prep these pop tart cookies ahead of time, simply make the dough as instructed, scoop it out into an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge if frozen, bring to room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then bake as directed.
Baked cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies are soft and buttery sugar cookies that are loaded with chopped Strawberry Pop Tarts and colorful sprinkles.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (285g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts
- 1/4 cup sprinkles
For the Glaze (Optional):
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 5–7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Sprinkles for garnish.
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. To soften the butter quickly, microwave for 10-15 seconds, otherwise let it come to room temperature.
- Chop the Pop-Tarts into small pieces.
- Combine the butter with the sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix into the butter and sugar until the eggs are well beaten.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly add into the batter and beat on medium-low speed until most of the flour is incorporated, then add the Pop-Tarts and sprinkles and mix to combine. Increase the speed on the mixer and beat until the dough comes together.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. You can cut up leftover Pop Tart pieces to place on top of the dough balls if you want.
- Bake at 350° F 10-12 minutes. Allow cookie to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Notes
- Storing baked cookies: Baked cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Preparing the dough: To prepare the dough ahead of time, pre-scoop and store in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge if frozen, bring to room temperature then bake as directed.
- Optional glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 5–7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Combined powdered sugar with heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
I wonder if some strawberry jello mix might enhance the strawberry flavor. They look delicious! I need to make these
It’s definitely worth an experiment!
I’ve made these once before for my crafting group and they were a hit! I decided to add this to my holiday cookie rotation because they are soooo good! I’ve only used strawberry pop tarts because they’re my favorite, but I’m sure any flavor would be yummy. I added some pop tart to the dough and used the mixer to add in. The rest of the chopped tarts I stirred into the dough by hand. This made them more visible and just as delicious!
Awesome Victoria, thank you so much!! I do have a Brown Sugar version on my site as well.
I just made these for my coworker’s. These are amazing! I didn’t put the icing, I just left them as is, because they’re that good! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I look forward to making more that you’ve pinned!
That is awesome Bridget, thank you!!
Could you add strawberry preserves to make it taste more like strawberry? It’s a good cookie but I was hoping for a little more strawberry flavor. Thanks!
You’d have to test how it effects the spreading. You can also add in some freeze-dried strawberry powder. Otherwise the strawberry flavor is just coming from the PopTarts.
Very bland. The dough was fine, cooking instructions easy to follow, but the cookie itself was so bland. The poptarts had more flavor by themselves. It could have been good if there was a flavoring extract or something added but it’s was boring without it.
Hi Megan, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard about this sugar cookie base, which I’ve used for many recipes. Maybe you’d prefer to a different, stronger extract next time. But did you forget to add the vanilla extract that is called for in the recipe?
I agree Megan, I think chopping the pop tarts and then mixing them obliterated them instead of leaving chunks. I added twice the vanilla. I should have known better and added some almond to enhance the flavors. I couldn’t bring myself to make 20 cookies so huge! (Also didn’t make a glaze) I did add extra chopped pop tarts to the tops but it was lacking in flavor.
I froze my dough and plan to dip my cookies in more pop tarts and then re roll each cookie so it has a proper filling and hopefully more gooey strawberry in the center.
I like the idea but I’ll use a different recipe next time.
Didn’t want you to think you were alone or didn’t “know how to bake”
Hi Libby- appreciate the feedback, although no where in these photos do I represent a “gooey strawberry center”. Sure you could try to wrap cookie dough around a cut piece of pop tart if that’s more what you’re looking for. I also don’t think I insinuated anyone didn’t know how to bake, I asked a simple question. I use this base for over a dozen cookies on my website, and lack of flavor isn’t feedback I usually get on this base cookie recipe.
I am puzzled that the dough was fine and yet the cookie was bland. This sugar cookie dough is delicious enough to eat plain. Here are some trouble shooting ideas. If you over mix the pop tart pieces into the dough they will disintegrate and offer very little to the cookie. Another trick to increase flavor is to use 5 pop tarts not 4 and trim the unfrosted and unfilled edges of the pop tart and discard. Often cooks omit the salt which is a big factor in a flavorless cookie. Many bakers recommend upping the salt in many recipes and they will be more like recipes in the past which is ironic in the face of so many salted top cookie and bar recipes floating around. I doubled the salt in this recipe to one tsp. The cookies were not salty at all, just very flavorful. Also using a better vanilla helps add flavor. I add real vanilla beans to my extract and the result is a very flavorful cookie. Anything that ruins the texture of the cookie can also make it taste less than flavorful including using sugar substitutes or margarine instead of butter. Also under creaming the butter and sugar will result in a gritty texture and over mixing results in a dense and glue like. Old flour will result in a cookie that is dry and flavorless. Also adding more pop tarts to the outside of the cookie will up the flavor. I made 20 cookies and put quite a few pieces of trimmed pop tarts on the top and the result was a cookie that reminded me quite a bit like a scone. They were delicious too and I took a double batch to church -40 cookies and they were gone before any other dessert. I got many compliments and people asking for the recipe. It is a good recipe and the sugar cookie base is a delicious cookie base that can stand alone as well. It is difficult to make butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour flavorless without making some kind of error.
Hi, planning to make these cookies tomorrow. I see you have a glaze as optional but you do not talk about the glaze in the recipe. Curious if you have a picture of what the glaze looks like or if you think it’s not needed. Thanks.
When I updated the recipe I omitted the glaze, I did not think it needed it. I have added the glaze to recipe card as optional.
so good!! i’m not a fan of strawberry so i used cherry.
Sounds like a wonderful substitute! Thanks Traci!
Was looking through the metric measurements in the recipe, and what you have listed is different from the King Arthur imperial to metric conversion chart. For example, per the conversion chart, the flour should be 360g, and the granulated sugar would be 297g. Just trying to figure which measurement is correct before making these cookies (I don’t want to ruin them lol). Thanks!
Thanks for asking! These cookies were developed based on a measurement of 140g per cup. So the weighted measurement provided is what I used, 420g. I weigh all my dry ingredients!
Thanks for the reply! I went ahead and used your measurements since each brand/blog/baking site has differing variations on metric measurements. I haven’t baked them yet, as they’re in the freezer until next week, but the dough seemed good to go. Can’t wait to try one!
I hope you enjoy!
Made these delicious cookies yesterday ! They came out perfect ! Soft sugar cookie with crispy edges . Pop tarts gave the cookies a subtle strawberry taste . Highly recommend this recipe .
Thank you so much Lisa!! Love to hear that and I am so glad you enjoyed them!
These cookies are so delicious. I was a little apprehensive because, pop tarts. But they were the perfect summer treat! They came out so soft and tasty. Now my kids are hoping I’ll make the cookies and cream recipe this weekend!
5 stars across the board! 🙂
Yes!! Love this Errin thank you!
These are delicious, perfect cookies!!! I can’t wait to try the other pop tart and cookie ideas listed below recipe.
Yeees Michelle! Thank you so much!!
I’ve never left a review for a recipe before but that’s how amazing these cookies are! I halved the recipe and it came out perfectly. Such a great idea to add pop tarts to sugar cookies. Thank you for sharing.
This is amazing Chelsea, so happy you stopped by to leave a note here. Thank you!
The most amazing cookie ever!!!
Yeah! That makes me so happy Cindy!! Thank you so for sharing!
Can you make these as bars??
Absolutely
You got that right Megan! Thanks for stoping by!
Well gee thanks! I’ll stuff just about anything in my cookies LOL
Thank you Jessica! I just can’t stop with the Pop Tarts!