These Count Chocula Pop Tarts combine two of my favorite breakfast treats with a chocolate brown sugar filling and Count Chocula icing.
Every year for Halloween Treats Week I make sure to include a recipe using one of the monster cereals…usually either Count Chocula or Franken Berry.
This year is no exception with these Count Chocula Pop Tarts.
Which combines two of my favorite breakfast treats into one.
Count Chocula was my favorite cereal as a kid.
I would have my mom buy boxes and boxes of it and hoard it for me to eat for a few months.
I was elated in my 20’s when I reached out to the company who sold it to me year round by the case.
Seriously, I had a Count Chocula problem. 😀
Sadly years back the makers of Count Chocula and all the other monster flavors thought it would a good idea to make the cereal whole grain.
This was not a good idea.
It’s a sugary cereal people.
We know it’s not part of a balanced anything. 🙂
That’s not why you eat sugary cereal.
It did change the flavor of the cereal sadly and so I didn’t buy it nearly as much.
I do however buy it every Halloween.
Ingredient Highlights:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found at the bottom of this post.
- Count Chocula Cereal– the not so spooky chocolate malt cereal with the vampire on the box.
- Chocolate Malted Milk Powder–I use Nestle Carnation Chocolate Malted Milk. Ovaltine can work as well. If you can’t find chocolate malted milk you can use regular malted milk and add another teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the tablespoon already being used in the recipe.
- Pie Crust– Since this is made with kids cereal you really don’t need to make your own pie crust. You can buy it. If you want to make homemade feel free. I ended up using leftover rough puff pie dough because I had some leftover after making pies.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is used in place of granulated sugar because I love the brown sugar Pop Tarts.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: I always use Rodelle vanilla. They are by far my favorite vanilla.
- Unsweetened Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder: Again, I am a Rodelle baking cocoa girl through and through. You want a good baking cocoa powder since it’s used in both the cake.
Want more Monster Cereal Recipes?
Count Chocula Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 2 9-inch refrigerated pie crust (you can use homemade but you are making a pie of a kids cereal...go store bought)
- For the Filling:
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
- 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Rodelle)
- 1 TBSP chocolate malted milk powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- For the Count Chocula Cereal Milk:
- 1 cup chocolate milk, full fat preferable
- 1 cup Count Chocula Cereal
- For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 TBSP Count Chocula cereal milk
- 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- Count Chocula Cereal for garnish
Instructions
- For the Crust:
- Roll dough out onto a floured surface to about 13 by 11-inch rectangle then trim edges to get a 12 by 10-inch rectangle (to even the edges). Then cut into eight 5 by 3-inch rectangles (cut in half through the longness then three cuts through the opposite).
- Yes, if you are using store bought pie dough those are in circles. Roll them out best you can. Then cut out the 5-x-3-inch rectangles. Collect the scraps and roll out that dough. Then cut that dough into 5-x-3-inch rectangles.
- For the Filling:
- In a microwave safe bowl melt butter.
- Add the brown sugar, salt, cocoa powder, and chocolate malted milk powder. Mix until fully combined.
- Arrange 3 of the rectangles, spaced evenly apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Spread 3 Tbsp of filling evenly down the center of each rectangle, leaving about a 3/4-inch rim on all sides uncoated.
- Top each with another rectangle, then seal edges with your fingertips, then reseal with a fork.
- Cover and transfer to freezer to chill at least 2 hours or up to one week.
- Repeat process with remaining dough.
- Position one oven rack near top third of the oven and a second oven rack near bottom third of the oven.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake frozen tarts until golden, rotating racks once halfway through baking, about 25 - 30 minutes (some of the preserves may leak out, which is fine, just peel it off once it cools).
- Allow to cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the Count Chocula Cereal Chocolate Milk:
- Pour chocolate milk into a large saucepan.
- Add cereal to milk.
- Heat milk until it just starts to boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Steep the cereal for 25 to 35 minutes.
- Strain the milk into a bowl.
- Press on the cereal in the strainer with a large wooden spoon to squeeze out the milk from the cereal.
- For the Icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 TBSP Count Chocula cereal milk, and cocoa powder and mix until fully combined.
- Add the icing to the pasties in a rectangular pattern, like Pop Tarts. Sprinkle with Count Chocula cereal for garnish.
Welcome to 2024’s #HalloweenTreatsWeek event!
If you’re new here, Welcome! If you’re a returning haunt, welcome back!
#HalloweenTreatsWeek is a yearly Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife . This spooky event is an online, week-long event that is filled with some frightfully fun Halloween treats and recipes from some fantastic Halloween loving bloggers!
For this year’s 7th annual #HalloweenTreatsWeek event we have 12 hauntingly talented bloggers who are sharing their favorite Halloween recipes throughout the week! You can follow the hashtag #HalloweenTreatsWeek on social media to collect all of these frightful recipes to use at your own Halloween parties and events!
- Halloween Pillsbury Ghost Sugar Cookie Brookie Cups from BigBearsWife
- Cherry Pie Murdered Cinnamon Rolls from Semi-Homemade Recipes
- Mummy Jalapeno Poppers from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Ouija Board Planchette Cookies from Savory Moments
- Skull Sloppy Joe Bombs from The Spiffy Cookie
- Pumpkin Spice Blondies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Antipasto Eyeballs from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Count Chocula Pop Tarts from Sweet ReciPEAs
- Pumpkin Pear Soup (Spiderweb Soup) from Art of Natural Living
- Jalapeno Ranch Skeleton Cheeseball from Jen Around the World
- Melted Witch Bark from For the Love of Food
- Biscoff No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Wendy Klik says
What a fun idea. I have never tried Count Chocula. I did like Cocoa Krispies though.