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Homemade Gingerbread Man Poptarts

gingerbread man poptart leaning on a glass of milk

These Gingerbread Man Poptarts are the perfect addition to your holiday season! They are made with store-bought pie crust and have a delicious filling that is sure to please everyone. These pop-tarts are also great for gifts, cookie exchanges or for simply sharing with friends and family.

gingerbread men poptarts decorated on a cooking rack

If you are looking for a festive breakfast to make with your family or friends this holiday season, look no further than these Gingerbread Man Poptarts. Plus, you can decorate and personalize your own! So what are you waiting for? Get baking!

gingerbread men poptarts decorated and placed on serving sheet

GINGERBREAD MAN POPTARTS

Gingerbread man cookies have long been a holiday favorite. And now, you can enjoy them in poptart form! So, the next time that you are in the mood for a fun yet festive dessert then this is the recipe that you will want to make with your kids.

gingerbread man poptart leaning on a glass of milk

INGREDIENTS FOR GINGERBREAD MAN POPTARTS

While this ingredient list may seem a little long, you most likely already have the majority of these ingredients on hand in your pantries and spice cabinets. Which can help save you a little cash on your next trip to the grocery store to gather the supplies that you need!

  • Dark Brown Sugar
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Ground Ginger
  • Ground Cloves
  • Ground Nutmeg
  • Ground Allspice
  • Flour
  • Unsulphured Molasses
  • Pie Crusts
  • Medium Egg, For Egg Wash
brown sugar filling ingredients in a bowl in preparation of being mixed with a fork

FOR THE GLAZE:

  • Powdered Sugar 
  • Leftover Filling 
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Whole Milk
  • Pinch of Salt

FOR DECORATIONS:

  • White Cookie Icing
  • Red and Green Mini M&Ms
Gingerbread Men Poptarts Dough Shaped on a Baking Sheet

HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD MAN POPTARTS

Making these gingerbread man pop tarts is so simple. Just follow the directions below and you will have a super cute breakfast that's perfect for this holiday season! Let's get started!

Let's start by preheating the oven to 350℉ and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

prepared gingerbread men poptarts before being placed in oven

Then, we need to make the filling by adding the brown sugar, spices, flour, and molasses to a small bowl and mixing together with a fork. 

Next, unroll the pie crusts. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out 3-4 pop tarts from each crust. Ball and roll out the scraps to the thickness of the original crust (about ⅛ inch thick). Repeat until you have 12 cutouts. 

filling placed on top of gingerbread men dough cut outs

Place half the gingerbread man cutouts on the baking sheet. Scoop 1 tablespoon of filling onto each gingerbread man on the baking sheet. Make sure to add some to the arms, legs, and head in addition to the center. Leave about a quarter inch bare around the edges so you can seal them. 

Then, top each gingerbread man with another cutout, lining up the edges. Pinch the edges of the pop tarts to close them and then use the prongs of a fork to press down and seal them.

egg wash being brushed onto gingerbread men poptart dough on baking sheet

Next, whisk the egg in a small bowl until foamy. Then, brush the top of each pop tart with the eggwash. 

Bake until the pop tarts are golden, about 15 minutes. Move them onto a wire rack to cool. 

gingerbread men poptarts resting on a cooking rack

DECORATE THE GINGERBREAD MAN POPTARTS

Meanwhile, make the glaze by adding all the ingredients for the glaze to a saucepan. Heat on the stove over low-medium heat and whisk constantly until smooth and thick. 

up close view of gingerbread men poptart decorated with candy and icing

Lastly, it's time to decorate so spoon the glaze over the pop tarts. While the glaze is setting, place three mini M&Ms in a line down the center of the gingerbread man to make the buttons. Once the glaze is cool and set, draw on the eyes, mouth, and decorations with icing.

TIPS FOR MAKING GINGERBREAD MAN POPTARTS

Here are a few tips to make sure that your homemade pop tarts turn out perfectly every time that you make them.

gingerbread men poptarts decorated on a cooking rack
  • To make sure you roll out the dough to the same thickness as the original crusts compare it to the thickness of the first gingerbread man cutouts.
  • It can be hard to seal the pop tarts if the edges are covered in the filling. Make sure to leave some room around the edges!
  • The gingerbread man cookie cutter I used was 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. Using a larger cookie cutter will be helpful for having enough room to both add the filling to the legs and arms as well as leave room on the edges to properly seal them. 
  • Biting into clumps of ground ginger is a sharp surprise- if you notice any clumps in your ground ginger, discard them before adding it to your mix of spices.
  • The teaspoon of molasses helps cut the sweetness of the filling and really adds to the gingerbread flavor. 
  • You can adjust the thickness of the glaze by adding more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, and more milk for a thinner glaze. If you want to alter the glaze in either direction, start by adding one tablespoon at a time of either powdered sugar or milk.
up close view of gingerbread men poptart decorated with candy and icing

CAN I FREEZE HOMEMADE POP TARTS?

Yes, you can freeze these homemade pop tarts! Just make sure to wrap them individually in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container. When you're ready to eat them, let them thaw on the counter for about an hour or heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds.

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE POPTARTS?

These homemade pop tarts are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last for about 3 days.

inside view of gingerbread man poptart filling
gingerbread men poptarts decorated on a cooking rack

Gingerbread Man Poptarts

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Easy Gingerbread Man Poptarts made with store-bought crust and a spiced filling.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ tablespoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon unsulphured molasses
  • 2 premade pie crusts
  • 1 medium egg, for egg wash
  • FOR THE GLAZE:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of leftover filling
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • FOR DECORATIONS:
  • White Cookie Icing
  • Red and green mini M&Ms

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  2. To make the filling:
  3. Add the brown sugar, spices, flour and molasses to a small bowl and mix together with a fork. 
  4. Unroll the pie crusts. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out 3-4 pop tarts from each crust. Ball and roll out the scraps to the thickness of the original crust (about ⅛ inch thick). Repeat until you have 12 cutouts. 
  5. Place half the gingerbread man cutouts on the baking sheet. Scoop 1 tablespoon of filling onto each gingerbread man on the baking sheet. Make sure to add some to the arms, legs, and head in addition to the center. Leave about a quarter inch bare around the edges so you can seal them. 
  6. Then, top each gingerbread man with another cutout, lining up the edges. Pinch the edges of the pop tarts to close them and then use the prongs of fork to press down and seal them.
  7. Whisk the egg in a small bowl until foamy. Then, brush the top of each pop tart with the eggwash. 
  8. Bake until the pop tarts are golden, about 15 minutes. Move them onto a wire rack to cool. 
  9. While the pop tarts are cooling, make the glaze:
  10. Add all the ingredients for the glaze to a saucepan. Heat on the stove over low-medium heat and whisk constantly until smooth and thick. 
  11. Spoon the glaze over the pop tarts. While the glaze is setting, place three mini M&Ms in a line down the center of the gingerbread man to make the buttons. Once the glaze is cool and set, draw on the eyes, mouth, and decorations with icing.

Notes

  • To make sure you roll out the dough to the same thickness as the original crusts compare it to the the thickness of the first gingerbread man cutouts.
  • It can be hard to seal the poptarts if the edges are covered in the filling. Make sure to leave some room around the edges!
  • The gingerbread man cookie cutter I used was 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. Using a larger cookie cutter will be helpful for having enough room to both add the filling to the legs and arms as well as leave room on the edges to properly seal them. 
  • Biting into clumps of ground ginger is a sharp surprise- if you notice any clumps in your ground ginger, discard them before adding it to your mix of spices.
  • The teaspoon of molasses helps cut the sweetness of the filling and really adds to the gingerbread flavor. 
  • You can adjust the thickness of the glaze by adding more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, and more milk for a thinner glaze. If you want to alter the glaze in either direction, start by adding one tablespoon at time of either powdered sugar or milk.

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES NEEDED

  • Gingerbread man cookie cutter 
  • Rolling pin
  • Fork
  • Baking Sheet

Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 529Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 62mgSodium 324mgCarbohydrates 79gFiber 3gSugar 47gProtein 6g

This nutritional information is for reference only. We are not responsible for these calculations.

I hope you enjoy these gingerbread man pop tarts as much as I do! They make the perfect holiday breakfast or snack and they're so much fun to make.

Let me know how yours turn out in the comments below! 

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