Would You Rather? Strawberry Toaster Style

So one morning I came down to find my brother pulling out the Pillsbury dough boy from the freezer...you can only imagine my horror to find out that my brother was eating a frozen pastry! Pre-packaged...fro...fro..FROZEN!!!! Ugh I can barely say it! So I immediately challenged him to give real pastries for breakfast a try. I was intent upon finding a REAL strawberry toaster pastry recipe..and I didn't have to look far. The Baking Fairy sent Williams-Sonoma to my aid. I was flipping through one of the magazines (one of my favorite) and low and behold..."Strawberry Toaster Pastry Recipe"!!! Ta-dow!

And so here begins the exciting experiment. Would you rather eat a Pillsbury's Strawberry Toaster Strudel or a Real Strawberry Toaster Pastry?

I tweeked the Williams-Sonoma recipe with what I had in regards to the cookie cutter, and it worked out fabulously.  All the directions and details you need to know can be found on their website on the link above. 

So you first cut the dough into the shape of the pastries using the cookie cutter. Then cover half of the pieces with chosen jelly, and add fresh fruit. Then you dab the edges of the pastries with the egg mixture and press around the edges to help keep the filling snug inside.

 Continue to cook them as the directed.

Now for the icing. YUM. You can make whatever pretty designs your heart desires. : )

Then we come to the first snag on the Toaster Strudel side.  I pulled out the icing and found it in this "lovely" plastic container. Ew. I don't know about you, but which icing would you rather drizzle your pastry with? I'll go with the fresh one thanks.

Now for the finished products. I tried to make the Strudel icing look elegant...but using that little squeeze plastic bag was a fail. I guess I need practice with it. On the other hand...I don't think I'll find myself using that icing ever again. 

Now for the first bites! I first tried my homemade pastry. Ok YUM! Delectable and scrumptious were my first two thoughts. The flaky outer layer melts in your mouth and the icing gives the sweetest compliment to the strawberry filling. Now for the toaster strudel...

Um...I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. 

So I don't know about you, but if my brother and I have learned anything from this, we both now know that frozen never beats the real deal. Not even close. Hope you enjoyed the experiment.

 Conclusion: I would so much rather have a REAL strawberry toaster pastry. 

P.S. I had to spit out the toaster strudel. I couldn't do it. It was just too much ick for my mouth.

So please, save your taste buds and your arteries from the horror of frozen baked goods. 

Really. Don't do it. It isn't worth it. ; )

Happy baking!