Chai Apple Butter Pop-Tarts

Fall has a way of pulling me back into the kitchen. The mornings are cooler, the air smells like spice, and suddenly I’m craving the kind of bakes that feel like a hug. These Chai Apple Butter Pop-Tarts are exactly that. Flaky pastry wrapped around apple butter with chai spices, brushed with egg wash, and sprinkled with coarse brown sugar for a little crunch.

And then there’s the glaze: a brown sugar icing that sets just like the Pop-Tarts we grew up with, but warmer, cozier, and better suited for grown-up mornings.

They taste like nostalgia dressed in a sweater—perfect with a cup of tea, a blanket, and a slow start to the day.

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Chai Apple Butter Pop-Tarts Recipe

Yield: 6 Pop-Tarts

Prep: 15 minutes

Bake time: 22-24 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 2 sheets of pie dough (store-bought or homemade)

Filling:

• ½ cup apple butter

• Optional: ½–1 tsp chai spice blend (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, nutmeg)

Egg wash & topping:

• 1 egg (for brushing)

• Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Chai Brown Sugar Glaze:

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 2–3 tbsp milk (or heavy cream)

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp chai spice (or pinch each of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove)

Directions:

1. Prep pastry: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll out pastry and cut into rectangles.

2. Add filling: Spoon 1–2 tbsp apple butter onto half of the rectangles.

3. Seal pop-tarts: Brush edges with egg wash, top with remaining rectangles, and press edges with a fork to seal. Poke small vents on top.

4. Bake: Brush tops with egg wash, sprinkle coarse sugar if desired, and bake 22–24 minutes until golden brown.

5. Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar with milk and chai spice until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Drizzle over warm pop-tarts.