Can you taste the cottage cheese in the dough?

Not at all! Once it's blended smooth and baked, the cottage cheese just makes the dough tender and adds protein just like it does in my Protein Pancake Bowl . These taste like a classic pastry, not like cheese.

Why did my cottage cheese pop tarts leak while baking?

This usually comes down to overfilling or not sealing the edges well. Stick to about a tablespoon of jam per pop tart, leave a border around the edges, and press firmly with a fork all the way around.

Cottage Cheese Pop Tarts

Description

These homemade strawberry Cottage Cheese Pop Tarts have 10 grams of protein each thanks to the cottage cheese dough!

Ingredients

Units

For the Dough

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese, blended smooth
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling

1/2 cup strawberry jam, homemade or store-bought

For the Egg Wash

1 egg, beaten

For the Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
Sprinkles, for topping

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in the vanilla extract.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir until a dough forms. Add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft, springy, and not sticky.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips, then cut the strips into small rectangles, about 3×4 inches, so you have an even number.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of jam onto half of the rectangles, leaving a small border around the edges, then top each with a second rectangle of dough.
Press the edges with a fork to seal, then brush the tops with egg wash and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until golden, then let cool completely.
Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth and pourable, then spread over the cooled pop tarts and top with sprinkles.

Notes

Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth.
Cottage cheese moisture varies by brand, so add extra flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and not too sticky or wet.
Stick to about a tablespoon of jam per pop tart, since overfilled pop tarts will burst open while baking.
Leave a border around the edges and press firmly with a fork so the layers actually seal.
Let the pop tarts cool completely before icing, or the icing will melt and slide off.
Store in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 pop tart
Calories: 220
Sugar: 27g
Fat: 3g
Carbohydrates: 54g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 10g