Call it a hand pie or a pot tart, this easy homemade fig-stuffed and rhubarb-glazed breakfast treat is a breeze to pull off. They’ll not only remind you of your childhood, but they’ll remind your mom of your childhood, too. Make a little extra dried fig jam to wrap up as a bonus gift.

You know what your mom doesn’t want for Mother’s Day this year? Another mug. Or flowers. Or just a card telling her how much you love and appreciate her. (Okay, okay, so maybe some flowers and a card, but definitely not another mug).

How about something that actually takes a little time and effort? (But not TOO much time, because I know how busy you actually are.)

Homemade pop tarts (or hand pies) will not only remind you of your childhood, they’ll remind her of your childhood, which is the whole reason she’s a mother in the first place. It's a homemade treat that’s exceptionally easy to make, yet still special in the sense that you made it.

I tested out two versions of these pop tarts — one with homemade pie dough (which took me an hour to make and clean up, plus another hour of wait time in the fridge) — and a store-bought pastry dough version.

The homemade dough, while delicious, was crumbly and time-consuming. The pastry dough was, well, perfect, as pastry dough always is. I took both versions to a playdate with all my mama friends and, without question, the pastry dough won.

Not only are the pastry dough pop tarts more delicious (according to actual moms), they’re also way, way easier to make. However, you’ll still have to do a little work to make the rhubarb glaze and spiced jam filling, which I made with delicious, sweet dried mission figs from California Valley Fig Grower. Dried figs are wonderful to use since it’s not fresh fig season yet and they’re actually slightly sweeter, so you can cut back on using sweeteners in the jam.

If you actually wanted something to wrap up, you could just make a little extra fig jam and put it in a pretty little jar to give your ma . Even better — give it away to all of your mama friends! They’ll love you forever and ever. (I would!)

This post was made possible by California Valley Fig Growers, the only dried figs I trust! All opinion are my own.

COOKING NOTES

Plan ahead! The fig jam and rhubarb syrup can be made at least a day in advance. The pop tarts are best fresh out of the oven, but still totally delicious after a couple of days.

MAKES 6

PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 30 minutes TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the fig jam:
½ cup water
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
15-20 dried figs, stems removed
2 star anise

For icing:
1 cup chopped rhubarb
2 cups water
¼ cup honey
1 cup Powdered Sugar

For the pop tarts:
2 sheets pastry dough

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the fig jam. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the water, honey, vanilla and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes. Add dried figs and anise, and simmer until jammy, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the fig mixture from the heat and cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to refrigerator to cool completely.
While the figs are cooking, make the rhubarb syrup for the icing. In another small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the rhubarb, water, and honey. Simmer until the rhubarb turns to mush, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool. Carefully strain and discard rhubarb pieces. Set rhubarb syrup aside.
Next, it’s time to make the hand pies. Heat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Lay both pieces of pastry dough on a work surfaces. Roll the circles to 11 inches across. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the edges off (about 1 inch off all sides) to create two 9-inch squares. Then cut each square into three 3-inch strips.
Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooled jam on one end of each strip. Fold one end over the end with jam. Use a fork to crimp the edges on all sides. Repeat with remaining dough strips. Transfer the pop tarts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
After the pop tarts have cooled for several minutes, finish making the glaze.
Whisk powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the rhubarb syrup until it creates an icing glaze. Spoon over the top of each pop tart and let harden.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Easy homemade California fig “pop tarts” with rhubarb glaze