Dutch Apple Pop Tarts with Slap Ya Mama Cheddar Crust

Dutch Apple Pop Tarts with Slap Ya Mama Cheddar Crust
by Sandra Simmons

Half of my family is from Canada and when I was growing up, apple pie was always served with a thick slice of cheddar cheese. When I met my husband Willie, he introduced me to so many foods I’d never tried before! If not for him, I bet I never would’ve tried Slap Ya Mama seasoning. The idea for this recipe came to me when Willie was making his Slap Ya Mama Jambalaya Pie. He had quite a bit of pie crust left over and I thought, hmmm, why not make an apple pie with it? I mentioned it to the other SYM Challengers and Carol Ferguson said, don’t forget the cheddar!

Well, I didn’t! I love homemade pop tarts, even better than pie. Willie loves baked apple anything. The cheddar combines memories of my childhood and my friendship with Carol. In other words, this is a perfect recipe!

What You Need:
Willie & Sandra’s version of Perfect Pie Crust Woody’s Dutch Apple Jam (Any other apple preserves or jam you like will also work, the thicker, the better!)
Egg Wash (1 egg and a little water, beaten)


Willie & Sandra’s version of Perfect Pie Crust:
Willie always uses the pie crust recipe from the Pioneer Woman. It’s called Perfect Pie Crust and it is perfect! I guess I would say it’s even more perfect with SYM and cheddar in it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Egg
1 cup shredded cheddar (optional, but recommended)
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning  
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375. Get out a baking sheet and place some parchment paper or a Silpat on it. Yep, you need one or the other. I could write paragraphs on why you need one or the other but I’ll spare you that today. Just know this. If you use parchment or a Silpat on your baking sheet your pop tarts won’t stick. If you don’t use parchment or a Silpat on your baking sheet, you have a very high chance your pop tarts will stick. And it’ll make you really sad and possibly cry. Now, we don’t want that!

Make your pie crust. We use Pioneer Woman’s exact methods for making the crust so click on the link here for complete instructions. Note: We omitted the 1 teaspoon of salt in PW’s recipe and replaced it with 2 teaspoons of SYM HOT. Add in the SYM when PW says to add the salt. Also, add the shredded cheddar (if using, and please do) after adding the egg.

Roll out your ¼ of your chilled pie crust to 1/8 inch even thickness on a floured board or very large Silpat. Don't be afraid to sprinkle more flour on the dough as you're rolling it! If it's sticky, it's fine to add flour! Put the rest of the dough back in the refrigerator until you’re ready for it. If you just want to make a small batch of these pop tarts, feel free to freeze the remainder of the dough at this time.

Cut your crust dough into rectangles of approximately the same size. There’s no need to measure exactly, just eyeball it. I use a pizza wheel to cut mine. It’s a plastic one my daughter Lauren gave me from Mellow Mushroom and I love it! Place half of your rectangles of crust on your baking sheet(s). I used my OXO pastry scraper to move the crust and it worked perfectly. I love that tool! (Note: you can make your pop tarts square, you can use a biscuit cutter and make them round. Do what makes you happy.)

Put 1-2 tablespoons of jam in the center of each piece of crust dough. Brush a light coating of egg wash around the dough and then place another rectangle of crust dough on top. Use a dinner fork to seal the pop tart by pressing the tines along all of the edges. Brush a light coating of egg wash on the completed pop tart and then bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes at a minimum so you won’t burn your mouth! I warned you! Don't try to eat these any sooner! Enjoy!