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Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars: Homemade and delicious gooey cinnamon brown sugar is sandwiched between two layers of salted brown sugar shortbread cookie dough, baked until flaky, and finished with a sweet cinnamon maple icing. These easy-to-make pop-tart bars are sweet, salty, very gooey in the center, and heavy on the cinnamon. Finish with a sprinkle of salt for that classic “pop tart” look. Every sweet brown sugar cinnamon bar is so delicious. Some might even say they’re addictive!
I’ve wanted to make these ever since I made my Chocolate Fudge Pop Tart Bars back in March. I grew up eating pop tarts only on very rare occasions. My favorite was always a toasted chocolate pop tart, and my runner-up was always the brown sugar cinnamon pop tart. I remember them both being so good.
The funny thing is that a few months ago, someone actually sent me a box of brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. They sat on the shelf until I decided to make these bars just last week. It was then that I decided to open a package and see what they looked like up close.
They didn’t smell like anything, and they looked so sad compared to the photo on the box. They needed a homemade upgrade. I can say with so much confidence that these homemade bars are so much better. You have to try these.
For starters, this is a brown sugar shortbread cookie, so it’s sweet, buttery, salty, and has a delicious base. It’s probably one of my favorite types of cookie.
And then there’s the special filling. Since we’re approaching fall, I couldn’t help but double the cinnamon and add a few spoonfuls of apple butter – it’s DELICIOUS!
For the icing, I used an old favorite, my cinnamon maple icing from everyone’s favorite apple cider doughnuts.
Here are the details
Step 1: make the shortbread dough
In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Next, take the cold butter and shred it using a box grater, just like you’d do with cheese. Mix the butter into the flour, then beat in water until the dough holds onto the bowl.
It’s important to use a COLD and SALTED butter. Cold butter will give the dough flakiness and the salt makes it all come together. You have to bake with salted butter.
Step 2: press the dough out
Take the dough and divide it in half. Press half the dough down into a 9×9 inch square baking dish fitted with parchment paper.
Take the remaining dough and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a square that’s just larger than a 9×9 inch square. To help guide you, trace the outline of the 9×9-inch baking dish onto a sheet of parchment paper. Now roll the dough out on the parchment to just past the edges of the outline. Set this aside for a quick minute.
Step 3: the filling
Mix everything in a bowl.
Brown sugar, apple butter, cinnamon, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. These will all smell so scrumptious together.
Step 4: assemble
Spread the brown sugar mix over the dough in the baking dish. Now, invert the reserved sheet of dough over the filling, trimming as needed to fit the dough into the pan.
I like to chill the bars before baking them to ensure they bake up nicely. 15 minutes in the freezer is perfect!
Then bake, bake, bake!
Step 5: the icing
While the bars are cooling, make the frosting.
The frosting is a mix of powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla—simple ingredients that, when combined, are so very delicious.
If you’d like a shiny, glossy finish to your pop tart bars, use a couple of teaspoons of meringue powder. Meringue powder will give your frosting shine. It helps it set up and dry nicely so that the frosting doesn’t smudge when touched. This step is completely optional, though; it’s certainly not required.
Frost the bars and let the frosting stiffen for a few minutes, then sprinkle with pretzel salt. It’s delish and adds a salty crunch with every bite. Again, this, too, is optional though.
Let the bars harden, or enjoy them right away—they’re so yummy! Each bar is flaky and extra gooey. Everyone loves these! They’re perfect for back-to-school and the fall season ahead.
Looking for other homemade versions of childhood favorites? Try some of these.
Homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts
Healthier Homemade Somoas Cookies
Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart
Lastly, if you make these Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 291 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, shredded
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- coarse salt or sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1. To make the cookie dough. In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the flour, sugar, and butter. Add the vanilla and 1/3 cup cold water. Beating until just combined, adding 1-2 tablespoons additional water as needed until the dough forms a ball. 3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 4. Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough into the prepared baking dish. Trace the 9×9 inch baking dish out on a sheet of parchment paper. Now, roll the remaining dough out just past the edges of the traced-out square. Set aside.5. To make the filling. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Evenly spread the filling dough into the baking dish. Carefully invert the reserved dough square over the filling, pressing down gently to secure. Trim away any excess dough. 6. Freeze the bars for 15 minutes. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until just set in the center. Let cool.7. To make the frosting. In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients and 1-2 tablespoons of water until smooth. If your frosting is too thick, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of additional water.8. Spread the frosting over the pop-tart bars. Let set a few minutes, then top with salt/sugar (optional). Let dry, then cut into bars. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
This post was originally published on August 20, 2024
I made these for my sons 10th birthday as his birthday “cake”. Very delicious and rich. I used apple butter from our local Baughers market. The difficult part of the process was spreading out the cookie dough on the parchment paper. Also, I would use room temperature butter to avoid spending time shredding it, and that may make the dough spread easier, too. I will make this again for sure! The flavors were great!
Hey Jess,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and your feedback! Happy Birthday to your son:) Glad to hear they were enjoyed! xT
Is there an alternative to the apple butter?
Hi Sylvia,
You could try a thick apple sauce or just omit it. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These are so freaking delish and a hit in my house. I didn’t have apple butter, will try that next time and omitted salt in the recipe and just sprinkled some on top of icing. Didn’t need much icing either. Will 100% make these again.
Hey Colleen,
Yay!! So glad to hear you enjoyed these bars, thank you so much for making them:) Have a great week! xT
These were so easy to make and delicious! A huge hit with my family. We will absolutely make these again- next time I’ll probably make only half of the frosting.
Hey Lindsey,
Fantastic!! Thank you so much for making these and sharing with your family, so glad they were enjoyed! Happy Labor Day! xT
Someone made these today for our family picnic, and they were the star of the show. Everyone loved them. I can’t wait to make them and have a whole pan for myself. 😂
Hey there,
That’s so great to hear! Love that this recipe was enjoyed, I hope you make it soon:) Happy Labor Day! xT
The house smells divine w these in the oven! Baking these up for a fun Labor Day grill meetup. It’s gonna be an awesome surprise 😊
Hey Catherine,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
These are delicious, made them this morning!!! Making them into bar’s instead of a traditional hand pie really simplified the bake and the texture and flavor still reminded me of a pop-tart! Adding the apple butter is brilliant, I also substituted whole wheat pastry flour because I didnt have enough all-purpose flour in my pantry but the nuttier flavor worked great with this recipe!!!
Hey Emily,
Awesome! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
Seemed a little doughy so I rolled the dough out a little more and it was perfect. Good fresh but I enjoyed it more after refrigerating!
Hey Estelle,
Happy Monday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and your feedback! xT
The filling was sooo salty. I’d cut the the teaspoon of salt and maybe even use unsalted butter for the filling in the future.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Emily! Sorry to hear the filling was so salty! xT
Unfortunately these were not great. The ratio of pastry to filling was off. Way too much pastry. It was missing that gooey center.
Hi Leah,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. Thanks for giving it a try and your comment! x
Not the best. Thanks!
Hi Brenda,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe. Was there something specific that I can help with? Let me know! x
I made these today for Labor Day! I was so excited to make them as I am such a fan of anything w brown sugar! Well they did not turn out well and I’m so sad about it. We never buy salted butter and it was just way too salty especially with the added salt in the filling! I shouldn’t have put any and a tsp was way too much! I saw Another place where you said a pinch but in recipe it said a tsp. Way too much! I may try again with unsalted butter. I feel Like in a real poptart there isn’t much saltiness. I hope to give these a second chance. Thanks
Hi Allison,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were too salty for you! Yes, next time, I would try unsalted butter. I hope that helps! x
Omg. These pop tarts taste amazing. Super easy to make and definitely one of my most favorite things I’ve tasted from Half Baked Harvest!
My friends loved the taste!
Thanks so much for your kind message, Christine:) Love to hear that these turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you trying the recipe! xT
Looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe out come fall!! Quick question, i am having trouble finding apple butter in my local grocery stores and was wondering if I can substitute it with anything ?
Thank you
Thanks so much, Carly!! You can skip the apple butter or make your own, I have a recipe located here:
https://fett-weg.today/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Any tips on how to cut these? It seems like the filling will squish out as pressure is applied to cut them. And shortbread usually crumbles. How are you getting the nice square cut?
Hi Catherine,
Just be sure to cut on a flat surface and use a nicely sharpened knife, they should come out just fine for you:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi! Looks so good! Any suggestions for a substitute for the apple butter?
Thanks so much, Samantha!! You can go ahead and omit the apple butter:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
OMG I am not much of a baker but those look so good!!!! My mom’s shortbread recipe was with brown sugar and it was the BEST.
Thanks so much!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try:) xT
Made these last night and they came out perfect! I threw one in the air fryer for a little bit to get that toasted vibe like a pop tart and it was *chefs kiss*!!
Hi Jasmine,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
Can I use almond flour to make them GF?
Hi Tracey,
I think a gluten free flour blend would work best for you here! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT