Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Pop Tarts
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Cream together sugar and crisco, beating until light.
Beat in eggs until creamy, then stir in flour and baking powder to make soft dough.
Divide dough evenly into 16 parts.
Roll each part into a flattened ball and set aside on a plate.
Wrap plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate two hours.
Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
Assemble the tarts
Roll one ball of dough into a rectangle about 1/16" thick.
Spread one heaping teaspoon of filling evenly over dough, leaving a generous margin.
Roll out another ball into similar shape and lay it neatly over the first.
Using a sharp knife, trim the tart to approximately 3 ½" x 5" and crimp the edge with fingertips or tines of a fork.
Place tart on cookie sheet and prick the top with a fork.
Optional: lightly beat egg white with milk; brush tops of tarts and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake and store
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until edges are browned.
Prick again during the first 10 minutes of baking to keep them flat.
Cool, wrap, and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Tarts may also be iced.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the dough brown at the edges while baking.
- Vegetable shortening
- Provides fat that makes the dough tender and flaky rather than tough.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add richness and structure.
- All purpose flour
- Forms the main structure of the dough once hydrated.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the pastry rises and lightens.
The step that matters
Pricking the top during the first 10 minutes of baking. Steam trapped under the top layer can puff the pastry unevenly or lift it away from the filling. Pricking vents steam so the tarts stay flat and sealed.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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