Macerated Cherry Nutella Pop Tarts are pretty much everything you want in a dessert: flaky pastry, creamy chocolate and a boozy fruit filling!
I love adding liqueurs to desserts and savory dishes. Grand Marnier is one of my favorites. It adds a delicate hint of orange that brightens everything from pan sauces to buttercream frosting. And I especially love using it to macerate fruit.Â
I suppose this is technically a turnover recipe since pop tarts normally use tart or pie dough. But pop tarts sounded more fun so let’s go with it. I knew I wanted to use macerated cherries but once the puff pastry was ready to be filled I felt like they were missing something. Cue the Nutella. I’ve never been obsessed with this stuff the way some of my fellow pastry chefs are but it’s pretty tasty. And it works amazingly well with the boozy cherries.
Chocolate, cherries, hazelnuts and orange. It’s pretty much a match made in heaven.
Macerated Cherry Nutella Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherries, pitted
- 2 tablespoons Grand Mariner
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 sheets puff pastry, chilled
- all-purpose flour for dusting
- 9 tablespoons Nutella
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Place the cherries, Grand Marnier and sugar into a small bowl and stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, stirring periodically.
- Place the macerated cherries into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a small ramekin, stir together some of the liquid from the cherries with the cornstarch and add it back to the saucepan. Use a potato or avocado masher to smash the cherries, optionally leaving some bigger pieces for texture. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the cherries are very soft and the liquid has reduced and thickened, approximately 7-10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust a clean kitchen surface with flour. Remove one puffy pastry sheet from the refrigerator and roll it out slightly with a rolling pin (work quickly because the dough will become difficult to work with as it warms up). Slice the sheet in half and then slice each half into thirds to create 6 smaller rectangles. Place onto one of the prepared baking sheets. 3 rectangles will serve as the bottom of the pop tarts. On each of these rectangles spread 1 tablespoon of Nutella followed by 2 tablespoons of the cherry mixture, leaving a small border around the edges to prevent filling from escaping.
- Top with the remaining 3 rectangles and use a fork to press the edges together. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining sheets and filling, dividing the pop tarts between the two prepared baking sheets.
- Remove the baking sheets from the refrigerator and brush the pop tarts with egg wash. Use a knife to poke 3 holes in the top of each pop tart.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and golden brown on top.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
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Leah says
mmm this sounds like a delicious combination! Love the cherry and nutella together!
Laura Dembowski says
Boozy baked goods are always a winner!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Ahhh … love at first sight! Such an amazing combination of flavours in these little treats. Gorgeous photography, as usual!
fabiola@notjustbaked says
I have been craving cherries for days! I think they just made it to the farmers market this week too. Perfect for pop tarts!
pearl says
These look awesome! Do you think they would freeze well after they’ve been stuffed so that I could take one out and bake it any time I want one?
Jennifer Farley says
I don’t see why not! Go for it :)