Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pop Tarts

Valentine's Day.  The sweetest day of the year!  Some people consider this just to be another commercial holiday for all the stores to make some money.  But I consider it to be a time when we should stop everything we are doing, for just a few moments, and really show all the people we love just HOW much we love them.  Sure, we should be doing this everyday but, let's be realistic.  We all get caught up in the moment with work, school, or our own lives.  Valentine's day doesn't have to be about the money, it could just be a simple phone call to your mom who hasn't heard from you in awhile to tell her that you love her.  I, personally, think Valentine's Day is one of the best days of the year.  For me, it's the perfect time to show some love with some delicious, homemade treats and what more could anyone ask for?

I decided this year, I wanted to bake something completely different then from past years.  So, thanks to People Magazine and one of my good friends, this idea came right to me.  Of course, these "pop tarts" or "heart tarts" are changed up than what the original recipe was, but give both a shot and pass them to all your loved ones.  This Valentine's Day make it about everyone who means something to you, not just your significant other.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pop Tarts
Makes 6-7 Tarts
slightly adapted from Catherine McCord's Heart Tarts

1 store bought pie crust or homemade pie crust
Strawberry Filling:
about 5-6 large strawberries
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of honey

 Strawberry Glaze with Chocolate Drizzle:
1 large strawberry
1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (how much ever is needed)
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll pie crust and using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 or 14 hearts. (You may need to roll out the "scrap" dough to get more hearts)

Whisk softened cream cheese and then mash in whole strawberries.  Mix in powdered sugar and honey.  Top half of the hearts with about a teaspoon to two teaspoons of cream cheese mixture.  Leave a border around the hearts and with your finger brush the edges with water.  Then take the remaining hearts, with no filling, and cover the hearts with the filling.

Taking a fork, press all around the edges of each of the hearts to seal them.  Then, prick the tops with a toothpick 3 times each.  Bake for 20 minutes and let cool completely.

For the Glaze:

In a bowl, microwave the strawberry for 30 seconds.  Mash up the strawberry.  Then add in powdered sugar and mix until a glaze forms.  Spread onto cooled tarts with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, microwave chocolate chips until just melted.  Then drizzle all over the glaze.

** If you do not have a heart shaped cookie cutter, you can use a circle cookie cutter or cut the pie dough into even rectangles to create a real "pop tart" look!