Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Cookies
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These ultra soft cookies are stuffed with a melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon–brown sugar filling and finished with a buttery cinnamon-sugar glaze. They’re packed with childhood nostalgia in every bite!
CHILDHOOD NOSTALGIA PACKED INTO A GOURMET FILLED COOKIE
Cinnamon lovers? This one’s for you. A child of the Pop-Tart-for-breakfast era? This one’s for you, too. And I am warning you right now, these cookies are going to rock your world, no matter which reason you’re coming to them for.
If you’ve been here awhile, you know I take summers off from kitchen content. It’s my time to be with my family, recharge, and bake purely for fun, which I rarely get to do during the year. If my oven’s on in the summer, it’s because I want it to be, not because my content calendar says so.
These cookies are a part of the “baking for fun” I did one summer when I was trying cookies from my friends’ websites, which I documented on Instagram. These brown sugar Pop Tart cookies were the cookies I made from my friend Molly’s website (here’s the video I shared on Instagram), and after the first bite, I knew I needed to add them to my permanent collection!
The recipe you see here is almost identical to Molly’s, but I made a few adjustments for batch size, availability of ingredients for most home bakers, and techniques that I found worked best when I was tackling the recipe myself.
While these cookies are a little bit a labor of love, mostly because of the time they take to put together, I will say they are one of the best cookies I’ve ever had and well worth the extra elbow grease. And there’s good news! The cookies are done in stages, so you can pause at any time to finish the next stage.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
Here is a visual of the ingredients you will need for these frosted brown sugar Pop Tart cookies. Be sure you’re scrolling down to the recipe card for exact amounts and preparations of each ingredient.
It may look like a ton of individual ingredients in the list, but in reality, you need 13 ingredients total, and you probably have them all in your pantry already. You’ll share some of the ingredients over more than one component!
STEP-BY-STEP: HOW TO MAKE POP TART COOKIES
These cookies are actually pretty simple to make, but I have lots of visuals and a video to help you through the process. My 7 year old helped me with them, so if he can do it, I have faith you can, too!
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
Combine the dry ingredients: start by whisking together the dry ingredients, then set this mixture aside.
Combine the wet ingredients: cream the butter and both sugars, then add the egg and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.
Bring the dough together: gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, and mix until the dough is completely combined.
Chill the dough: the dough will need to chill for at least 1 hour but you can also chill it for up to 3 days. This is a soft dough, but if you’re chilling it longer than 1 hour, you may need to set it out to soften just a bit before scooping it (usually 15 minutes or so does the trick).
MAKE THE FILLING
Set the work area: line two large baking sheets with your preferred liner and get the oven preheated.
Make the filling: this is really simple to make and just requires smashing the ingredients together. I used a spatula but it also works with a spoon.
Portion out the cookie dough: each cookie dough ball is made of two smaller cookie dough balls sandwiched together. The recipe makes 10 large cookies (or 20 individual balls) if you use a #50 cookie scoop, but it could make more or fewer if you use a #40 (slightly smaller) or #60 (slightly larger). Knowing how many cookies you will make helps with the next step!
Portion out the filling: make as many balls of filling as you will have cookie pairs. I used a heaping mini cookie scoop (size #110) to make filling balls, which wound up being about 1 and ½ to 2 teaspoons in size. Once you have enough balls that are about equally sized to each other, smooth them out by rolling them together with your hands.
STUFF THE COOKIE DOUGH BALLS
Slightly flatten cookie dough balls: working with one pair of cookie dough balls at a time, use your hands to gently flatten each cookie dough ball slightly.
Add the filling + seal it in: place a ball of filling into the middle of one of the dough balls, then place the other slightly flattened cookie dough ball on top to create a sandwich. Use your fingers to press the seams together, then gently roll the cookie dough ball with your hands to smooth out the surface.
Bake the cookies + allow to cool: place filled cookie dough balls onto the second prepared baking sheet, placing no more than 6 of them on a baking sheet at a time. You’ll bake until just set and the edges are starting to brown slightly.
ALLOW THE COOKIES TO COOL COMPLETELY
It is imperative that the cookies are completely cool before you move onto the glaze. Warm cookies will melt the glaze and it won’t set very well. Also, since the glaze will start to harden just a bit, I don’t recommend making the glaze until you are ready to use it.
ADD THE GLAZE
Make the glaze: this is a very simple mixture of all of the ingredients at one time. Use a whisk to keep it smooth!
Top the completely cooled cookies: use a spoon to portion out the glaze onto each cookie, using the back of a spoon to push it to the edges of the cookies. Allow to set completely before serving.
As I mentioned, these cookies are going to rock your world. They are plush and bakery-soft cookies that stay thick and tender while holding a rich brown sugar–cinnamon filling that tastes straight out of the Pop-Tart era of our childhoods. The buttery glaze on top ties the whole thing together, giving them that classic, glossy finish.
While there is no toaster required for enjoying, feel free to warm one up in the microwave for a few seconds to get that straight-from-the-toaster vibe. Bonus points if you can have your favorite 90s cartoon on while you eat it!
Frosted Brown Sugar Pop Tart Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
COOKIES
- 1 and ⅞ cup (225g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING
- ⅜ cup (75g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
GLAZE
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL) milk any
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
COOKIES
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.1 and ⅞ cup (225g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until everything is incorporated.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- With the mixer in low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until completely combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
FILLING
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar, softened butter, flour, and cinnamon to a small bowl. Use a spatula or a spoon to smash and blend the ingredients together until you have a cohesive mixture. Set aside.⅜ cup (75g) firmly packed light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Use a cookie scoop that is about 1 Tablespoon in size (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies) to drop balls of dough onto one of the baking sheets (don't worry about spacing them out just yet). Count how many cookie dough balls you have and divide this number by two– this is how many balls of filling you will need to make (each cookie uses two dough balls with a ball of filling sandwiched inside). If you have an odd amount of cookie dough balls, that's ok! You can make one smaller cookie by dividing that ball of dough in half.
- Divide the filling into as many portions as you need. You can place them on the baking sheet with the cookie dough balls or a separate plate/surface. I like to use a mini cookie scoop (1 teaspoon size) to make heaping teaspoons of filling. Each of my filling balls was about 1 and ½ to 2 teaspoons in size. Once you have portioned out the filling, roll each one into a smooth ball.
- Working with one pair of cookie dough balls at a time, use your hands to gently flatten each cookie dough ball slightly. Place a ball of filling into the middle of one of the dough balls, then place the other slightly flattened cookie dough ball on top to create a sandwich. Use your fingers to press the seams together, then gently roll the cookie dough ball with your hands to smooth out the surface. Place filled cookie dough ball onto the second prepared baking sheet, placing no more than 6 of them on a baking sheet at a time.
- Bake the cookies for for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are just set and the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
GLAZE
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and cinnamon until smooth. Place the cooling rack over a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper.½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon (15mL) milk, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Use a spoon to portion about 1 scant teaspoon of icing on top of each cookie and use the back of the spoon to spread it to the edges of the cookie (it's ok if some of it runs off the edge). Allow the icing to set before enjoying, about 30 minutes. Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months, with or without icing. Thaw at room temperature. Cookie dough balls freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.