Valentine’s Pop Tarts That Even a 5 Year Old Can Make

pop tarts, how to make pop tarts, heart shaped pop tarts, valentines dessert ideaI heart Valentine’s as a mom.  Making memories with my little one is one of my favorite mommy responsibilities.  And I use every holiday season to do just that.  For Valentine’s, we pick out mommy and me matching outfits, we decorate, we host Galentine’s parties, and bake fun treats together.  And every year, I like to mix it up and do something a little different.  This year, our Valentine’s inspired baking session involved heart-shaped, homemade pop tarts.  And they were so easy to make that even my 5 year old could make it!

Here are the 5 easy steps so you can try this at home too:

  1.  Prepare the dough (while your oven is preheating at 350 degrees).  We saved time and cheated by buying a frozen pie crust dough.  It had 2 rolls which made us 7 pop tarts.  Tada, that was easy!  Just pop it in the microwave for 40 seconds, unroll and carve your favorite shape or use a cookie cutter like the heart one we used.  Click here to buy a cutter like ours.  It’s great not only for these pop tarts but also heart-shaped sandwiches, pancakes, and cookies too! 
  2. Make the filling and swipe it on one side.  Fillings can be pretty much anything you want.  We used a mix of nutella and rasberry jam but any jam, any chocolate filling, a mix of nutella and peanut butter, or brown sugar + cinnamon and flour would be great! Mix in a bowl and spread it on evenly leaving the perimeter clear for sealing. 
  3. Place a plain cover on top and fork the edges around a cm in height.  This will seal the two sides together.  Because some of our covers cracked and had filling seap through, my daughter thought up the brilliant idea to add extra dough to the top in the formation of a face.  We had so much fun making and adding silly faces if you can’t tell!
  4. Whisk an egg to create a quick egg wash to paint over the cover and allow sprinkles to stick on top.  We added clear/white sugar crystals but you could add any Valentine’s colored sprinkles on top. 
  5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. If you plan to ice the pastries, cool them completely before doing so. Store pastries in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.  Share with a Valentine and enjoy!!  Pictured below is the Valentine’s pop tart we created last year in the traditional rectangular shape with a heart cutout of the top! valentine's day treats, valentine's party ideas, valentines food, valentines pop tarts, pop tart recipe, homemade pop tart

 

Color Factory in NYC Open Now Through February

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How does being surrounded by bright, vibrant color make YOU feel?  If you love a rainbow room like we do, you just HAVE to get yourself to the Color Factory.  It’s a pop-up which originated in San Francisco and has opened here in NYC this past August.  And it’s a fun, collaboratively-produced artsy, multisensory exhibit.  Did you know that it was inspired by the colors of the city?  Everything from a NY taxi cab to a lost Elmo toy found on the streets of NY became their inspiration behind each pop of color!

Because of the Color Factor’s popularity, they have extended their NY stay until the end of February.  Great news, isn’t it?

See some of the colorful kaleidoscope highlights from their 16 rooms below!

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We loved the surprise snacks (like ice cream & macarons) scattered through the rooms and enjoyed playing musical instruments, reading about where the rainbow colors came from, and of course, posing for Instagram pics. The extra large blue ball pit was one of our favorite rooms.  Cuz, heck, who doesn’t love a ball pit?!

the color factory, popup, nyc popup, ball pit, ball pitsLocated in the SoHo neighborhood, at 251 Spring Street, it is worth the visit!  The rooms offers stunning pops of color, endless gram-able moments and tons of memory-making opportunities.  Plus the staff are super cheerful and friendly and you are in no way rushed through the space.  The visit will last about an hour and if this blog post isn’t enough to convince you,  73% of TripAdvisory reviews rated it as “very good” or “excellent.”

NOTE if under 18, kids MUST be accompanied by a parent, it is closed on Wednesdays and tickets are not sold on-site.  So pre-purchase and click here for more info!

All pictures were from Savannah Lew

See some of our other recaps of favorite popups from the past here!

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