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Small batch toaster pastries with refrigerated pie crust, filled with jam, Nutella, or brown sugar cinnamon. No dough to make, one package bakes 6 golden pastries in 20 minutes.
Featured Comment
“Made these one morning for my husband and he loved them. Plan to make a few different kinds and stick in the freezer for his morning Pop Tart instead of buying them in the store.”
– Kathi
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Equipment: Rimmed baking sheet, rolling pin, parchment paper
- Cook Method: Baking
- Servings: 6 pastries
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Sweet jam or chocolate hazelnut center inside a crisp pastry shell, finished with a creamy sugar glaze
This toaster pastry recipe takes 4 everyday ingredients plus a 2 ingredient frosting, and you can fill each pastry differently from the same batch.
Why You’ll Love These Homemade Toaster Pastries
I started making homemade toaster pastries years ago because my kids begged for the boxed kind, and I knew we could do better at home. I weighed making the pastry dough from scratch, but for this recipe, the convenience of refrigerated pie crust wins out. It bakes up beautifully, and it turns a fussy project into one simple enough that my kids could help.
So it became our weekend routine. I’d roll and cut the dough, and they’d spoon in the fillings, one pastry with jam, another with Nutella, each one claimed before it ever reached the oven. Because every pastry is filled individually, one batch made everyone happy.
The pastries come out of the oven golden, with warm jam bubbling at the seams, and the frosting goes on while you stand there deciding which one is yours. My kids are grown now, and I still make these.
For more small batch breakfast pastries, try my small batch cinnamon rolls, also made with refrigerator dough, or my from-scratch small batch apple cider donuts and small batch donut holes.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you need for this homemade toaster pastries recipe, and why each ingredient earns its place. If you have any ingredients left over, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
Refrigerated pie crusts: One package holds 2 crusts, and that’s exactly what 6 pastries take, one crust for the bottoms and one for the tops. I use Pillsbury or Trader Joe’s. In the UK, shortcrust pastry from the refrigerated section works the same way.
All-purpose flour: Just a spoonful for dusting the board so the dough doesn’t stick while you roll it.
Egg: Beaten with a tablespoon of water, this does two jobs. Brushed inside, it helps the filling stick to the bottom layer as it bakes. Brushed on top, it gives the pastries their shiny, golden finish.
Filling: Each pastry takes 1 tablespoon, so use anything spreadable you love. I go with homemade refrigerator jam and Nutella and a small batch of lemon curd is wonderful here too.
Powdered sugar and heavy cream: Whisked together, these make the frosting. Powdered sugar dissolves smoothly into the cream, no cooking needed, and whole milk works if that’s what you have.
Recipe Variations
Since these are really pop tarts with pie crust, the dough stays the same and the flavor changes with what you put inside or on top. Here’s how to change the filling, the finish, or both.
Brown sugar cinnamon: Stir together ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon melted butter. Spoon 1 tablespoon into each pastry and brush the edges with egg yolk to seal. The flour keeps the sugar from turning liquid and leaking as it bakes.
Apple: Use 1 tablespoon of finely chopped apple pie filling per pastry, or the same amount of thick apple butter. Skip applesauce, which is too wet and will leak at the seams.
Lemon: Fill each pastry with 1 tablespoon of small batch lemon curd for a tart middle that holds its own against the sweet frosting.
Sprinkles: Scatter them over the frosting while it’s still wet so they stick. This is the version my kids always claimed first.
Chocolate frosting: Swap the sugar glaze for my small batch chocolate frosting and spread it over the cooled pastries with a knife. One batch covers all 6. It pairs especially well with the Nutella filling.
How To Make Toaster Pastries
These easy toaster pastries come together in 4 steps, and the photos below show you what the dough should look like along the way.
- Roll and cut the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll one pie crust into a 9×12-inch rectangle and trim the uneven edges with a sharp knife. Cut it into 6 equal rectangles, about 3×4 inches each, and move them to the baking sheet. These are the bottoms.
- Fill the pastries. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush a thin coat over each rectangle, all the way to the edges. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of each one and spread it slightly, leaving a border of bare dough on all sides.
- Seal and vent. Roll and cut the second crust the same way. Lay one rectangle over each filled bottom and press the edges together with your fingers, then crimp all 4 sides with a fork so the filling stays put. Brush the tops with egg wash and prick each pastry 2 or 3 times with the fork so steam can escape.
- Bake until golden. Bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops turn golden brown. Cool the pastries on the sheet, then whisk the powdered sugar and cream together and drizzle the frosting over each one.
Expert Tips
Keep the filling to 1 tablespoon. It looks skimpy when you spoon it in, but more than that pushes past the seal as the pastries bake and leaks onto the pan.
Press hard when you crimp. Go around all 4 sides with the tines of a fork and really press. A loose crimp is the most common reason filling escapes.
Don’t skip the fork pricks on top. Steam builds inside as the pastries bake. Without a vent, the tops puff into pillows instead of baking flat and crisp.
Use cold pie crust. Work with the dough straight from the refrigerator. Cold dough rolls cleaner, holds its shape when you cut it, and bakes up flakier.
Cool completely before frosting. Frosting on warm pastries thins out and slides off. Give them 15 minutes on the sheet before you drizzle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the toaster pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for a week. Just pop them into the toaster when you’re ready.
Yes, you can freeze toaster pastries. After baking, let them cool completely, then place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the pastries to a freezer-safe container or bag, arranging them in a single layer. When you’re ready to enjoy one, simply warm it in a toaster oven until heated through. You can frost them after warming if you like.
If you’ve tried these toaster pastries or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Small Batch Toaster Pastries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (for dusting the cutting board)
- 1 large egg -beaten and whisked with 1 tablespoon of water to create an egg wash.
- 6 tablespoons jam or Nutella
For the frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C; Gas Mark 5)
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll Out Pastry: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie pastry into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. Trim any uneven edges with a sharp knife.
- Cut Pastry: Divide the large rectangle into six smaller rectangles.
- Arrange Pastry: Transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Apply Egg Wash: Brush each rectangle with an egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water).
- Add Filling: Place 1 tablespoon of your chosen filling in a thin line down the center of each rectangle.
- Prepare Top Layer: Roll out the second disc of pie pastry and cut six rectangles.
- Cover Pastries: Place these new rectangles over the filled ones.
- Seal Edges: Press the edges together with a fork to seal.
- Top With Egg Wash: Brush the tops of the pastries with more egg wash.
- Vent Pastries: Prick the top of each pastry several times with a fork.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool: Let the pastries cool on a wire rack.
- Make the Frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cream until smooth. The glaze should have enough liquid in it to drizzle onto the pastries. If necessary, add a little more cream until you reach the desired consistency.
- Finish: Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with frosting before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Why is the first crust brushed with the egg wash, so that it’s inside the pastry?
We apply egg wash to the inside of the pastry so that the filling adheres to the bottom layer as it bakes.
I will be trying this recipe. Which brand of refrigerator pie crusts did you use for the above recipe ? Thank you. Yours is my favorite website.
Thank you! I mostly use Pillsbury brand or Trader Joe’s brands of refrigerator pie crusts.
on the homemade toaster pastries can apple pie filling chopped up a lot be substituted?
Yes – that should work just fine.
Hi, Can I cook them in a toaster Oven and freeze the uncooked for later?
Never mind. I saw the instructions in the bottom expert tips. You can delete my comment and this one.. Thanks, Sheri
Glad you found your answer, Sheri. Thank you!
Made these one morning for my husband and he loved them. Plan to make a few different kinds and stick in the freezer for his morning Pop Tart instead of buying them in the store. Love the quantity that was made and love the taste of them as well. Thanks for a great recipe for breakfast or snack!
There’s no Pin it button for this recipe.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for letting us know. The pin button has been fixed and should now be there.
Joanie
Gorgeous! Also? YUM