Home Cooking from Celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian

Pop Tarts are an anytime favorite for breakfast, snacking or even dessert. You can easily make them at home with this recipe by acclaimed chef and restaurateur, Geoffrey Zakarian. Be creative and enjoy!

Geoffrey Zakarian's Pop Tarts Yield: 8-10 Pop Tarts

Ingredients:a??

-4 cups All Purpose Flour + extra for dusting

-3 tbsp Granulated Sugara??

-2 tsp Kosher Salta??

-32 tbsp Butter, cut into small cubes

-3 Whole Large Eggs

-7 tbsp Whole Milk

-1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

-3 tbsp Whole Milk

-1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

-Any Desired Filling, Such As:a??Fruit Jam(Raspberry or Strawberry), as desired Nutella, as desired

-Any Desired Topping, Such As: Sprinklesa??Chopped Hazelnuts,a??Demerara Sugar

Method for dough:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a stand mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Turn the machine on low and let the a??dry ingredients mix thoroughly.
3. Add the butter to the dry mixture and continue mixing until the butter is incorporated and no larger a??than small peas.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs and 4 tbsp milk together. Then add the egg and milk mixture a??to the dry ingredient and butter mixture. Let this mix until everything pulls together and forms a ball a??of dough.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead into a nice uniform ball without air pockets.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator to rest for 2 hours.
7. In a small sauce pan, combine the powdered sugar, remaining milk and vanilla extract. Place the pan a??over low to medium heat and let cook, continually stirring, until all the sugar is melted and a glaze is a??formed. Keep warm for use.
8. After the dough has rested, with a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1/8 inch thick sheet on a??parchment, dusting with flour to prevent sticking.
9. Cut the sheet into 20, 2 1⁄2 inch x 3 1⁄2 inch rectangles.
10. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg and brush a thin layer on half of the dough rectangles a??around the edges.
11. Place your desired amount of filling(fruit jam or Nutella) onto the egg washed halves and cover with a??the other remaining dough rectangles.
12. Using a fork, press the edges of the pop tarts together, sealing them the whole way around.
13. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
14. With a cake tester, poke holes into the tops of the pop tarts.
15. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
16. Let cool. Glaze with the powdered sugar mixture then top with your desired toppings.

Get to know Geoffrey Zakarian! Throughout a career spanning 30 years, Geoffrey Zakarian has made his mark as a chef restaurateur known for his sophisticated taste and signature style. An accomplished chef, host and culinary consultant, Zakarian has presided over some of the country's top kitchens, traveling the world for new inspiration to marry with his classical training and techniques in a lifelong effort to deliver paramount hospitality experiences.

Zakarian's rise to culinary prominence began at Le Cirque, where he first worked in a professional kitchen. In five years, he worked his way up from Pastry Sous to Chef to Chef de Cuisine under Chef Alain Sailhac. During these formative years, Zakarian staged at places such as Arpège and Au Quai des Ormes in Paris, Auberge de l'Ill in Alsace, The Dorchester in London, Le Chantecler with Jacques Maximin in Nice, and Pierre Orsay in Lyon. In 1987, Zakarian took his first turn as Executive Chef at the legendary 21Club. In 1988, he became the Executive Chef of 44 at the Royalton Hotel, before opening the Blue Door at the Delano Hotel in Miami in 1995. In 1997, Zakarian became Executive Chef of Patroon.

In 2001, Zakarian opened his first restaurant, Town, to which he brought his culinary and decorative vision to life. Both Patroon and Town were awarded Three Stars from The New York Times. Zakarian next opened Country, a restaurant that paired his passion for food and wine with his innate sense of hospitality, grace and old world elegance. Country was awarded a Michelin Star along with Three Stars from The New York Times. In 2007, Zakarian signed on to conceptualize and oversee the entire food and beverage program at The Water Club at Borgata, in Atlantic City.

In the Fall of 2010, Zakarian opened both The Lambs Club, at The Chatwal Hotel and The National, at The Benjamin Hotel in New York City. In June 2011, Zakarian returned to Florida to open Tudor House at Dream South Beach, a neighborhood Gastro-Cafe rated as 2012's Best Hotel Restaurant in Miami.

In May 2013, Zakarian partnered with Norwegian Cruise Lines in a three-restaurant deal aboard their vessels, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. On board, Zakarian oversees Ocean Blue, The Raw Bar, and Ocean Blue on the Waterfront. The same year, Zakarian was named Culinary Director at The Plaza. Re-launching the hotel's iconic Palm Court in October 2014, along with The Champagne Bar and The Rose Club. Two years later, Zakarian opened two concepts, Georgie and The Garden Bar, at Montage Beverly Hills.

In February 2017, Zakarian launched one of his most exciting projects yet, Point Royal at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, FL, a Coastal American restaurant complete with an impressive raw bar, along with a cheeky quick-serve coffee and juice bar called Counter Point that anchors the hotel lobby.

Outside of the kitchen, Zakarian is an accomplished author, philanthropist and notable television personality. In 2006, Clarkson Potter published his debut book, Geoffrey Zakarian's Town / Country, which was named Editor's Choice by The New York Times Book Review and was celebrated as "...one of the best cookbooks of 2006." His second cookbook, My Perfect Pantry: 150 Easy Recipes from 50 Essential Ingredients hit shelves on October 7, 2014. He also assumed the role of Chairman of the City Harvest Food Council, a food rescue organization dedicated to fighting hunger in New York City. Most recently, Zakarian launched a line of kitchen products called Pro For Home, including food storage containers, a sous vide circulator and non-stick cast-iron cookware, currently available on HSN, Wayfair, Sur La Table, Dash and ShopGZ.

In addition to his status as a longtime favorite judge on Food Network's Chopped, and as an Iron Chef, Zakarian is a co-host on Food Network's Emmy-nominated daytime series, The Kitchen, which premiered in January 2014, and was the host of Food Network's Cooks Vs. Cons. Zakarian also hosts Sirius XM Radio's Food Talk, which premiered at the 2013 South Beach Wine and Food Festival and is broadcasted from different locations throughout the year. Most recently, Zakarian launched a television production company, Corner Table Entertainment, which focuses on unscripted food and lifestyle programming.

Fashion, design, media and the arts are also valuable sources of inspiration for the chef. "Food goes through similar style trends and redefinitions as fashion. You need to know that landscape to understand how to achieve something timeless." He credits his staying power with this quest for timelessness and an enduring love of restaurants. "I still dream of a small restaurant I visited in Provence decades ago that taught me the balance of simple flavors and the art of heartfelt hospitality," he said. "Today, I dine out all the time, first because I love it, but secondly because, as a chef, you need to see restaurants from the dining room perspective, not just from the kitchen. You have to be vigilant about every facet of the meal."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Geoffrey Zakarian