Back in August, Meagan of Scarletta Bakes made some really cool avocado pop tarts. And while I never really liked Pop Tarts that much when I was little (shocking, right? Especially since my brother liked them), they did grow on me post-college. They also saved a diabetic photographer I know in North Carolina from blood sugar-related emergencies on more than one occasion. So, good AND useful, right?

Anyway, I thought it would be cute to make heart-shaped pop tarts for Valentine’s Day.

I did make my own pie crust dough, but you can use refrigerated if you want. I won’t tell. And I don’t think anyone who is served a heart-shaped homemade pop tart is in a position to disparage the crust’s origins.

The type of fruit filling is also up to you. I love raspberry, but cherry would also be lovely. Or strawberry. If you’re into that sort of thing.

The one thing you really should have for this is a large heart cookie cutter. It is possible to make a stencil and cut the hearts out with a knife, but you need them to be exactly the same size and shape… and the most efficient way to do that is with a heart cookie cutter. You should be able to get one for about $1 though.

They actually turned out a bit more like mini-pies… almost Queen of Hearts-esque. But they’re really good. Ridiculously good, in fact. And not hard to make.

You should totally make some right now. For the person you love. Or the person you like. Or the person you’re scared to talk to. (You can just smile and hand them one of these — then they will start the conversation, so you don’t have to.)

And if you don’t have anyone you love/like/secretly lust after/Facebook stalk, then make them for your friends. They will definitely appreciate it.

Heart tarts (Makes 7-8 large tarts)
1 cup raspberry jam or preserves
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 unbaked pie crusts (recipe below)
A few tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry lemonade (I used the kind you can buy in the refrigerated section of the grocery store) OR 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Stir raspberry jam or preserves in a small bowl until it stirs easily. Rinse and roughly chop raspberries and stir into jam. (You can also just put the raspberries in the jam and break them up with the spoon) Set aside.

With a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pie crusts out. Use a large heart cookie cutter to cut hearts out of the dough, using as much of the dough as possible. Place heart on baking sheet, floured side down.

Spoon a little of the raspberry mixture into the center of the heart, leaving about an inch of room all around the edges. Using a small paintbrush or your finger, dab a little bit of water around the edges of the heart.

Cut another heart out of the pie crust and place it, floured side up, on top of the first heart. Press down around the edges with your fingers to seal, then use a fork to press down again, making decorative indents around the edges of the heart.

Repeat with remaining dough/hearts. You can gather the dough scraps into a ball and roll them out again (and again), but if the dough starts getting really warm you should stick it in the freezer for a few minutes before continuing.

Bake heart tarts until golden brown around the edges, 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool.

When tarts are cool, stir raspberry lemonade (or milk and vanilla) into the 1 cup powdered sugar. Spoon glaze over the hearts and decorate with sprinkles. Allow glaze to dry.

Pie crust (Adapted from Epicurious)
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or pastry flour, or a combination of both)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Cut the butter into small cubes and set aside (or stick in freezer).

Blend the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are distributed and are the size of small peas.

Add 3 tablespoons of water and pulse mixture a few times. Add more water a little at a time, pulsing after each addition, until mixture forms a dough ball.

Gather the dough into two balls and flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out.