Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse 3-4 times until fully mixed. Fill a small bowl roughly 1/3rd of the way with ice; then add water until the ice floats off the bottom of the bowl. Give the ice and water a good mix to make sure it's very cold and set aside. Last, measure out your almond extract into an unused measuring cup and set aside.

Now, take the butter out of the fridge and add it to the food processor. Pulse into the flour mix (3-4 times) until small pea-sized pieces form. Next, mix 2 tablespoon (30ml) of ice water with the almond extract and slowly pour that into the processor pulsing as you go. You can then, slowly, add more ice water a tablespoon (15ml) at a time.

As you add water, you will see the dough lose its sandy texture and turn yellow as the flour hydrates. To test if it's ready, take off the top of the processor and pinch some of the dough between your fingers. If it sticks together, you can stop there. If it's still a little sandy and falls apart, add some more water.

Once you have your dough ready, you want to keep it as cold and unworked as possible. Dump everything out onto a large piece of cling wrap and fold it over the dough to compress it and finally seal it off. No kneading! The more you work the dough, the harder it will be. Rest the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours, though. It's better overnight.

While the dough chills, pit the cherries and add them to a small sauce pot. Next, dump in the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Turn the burner to medium-low and cover with a lid. Let the cherries cook down for about 10 minutes, or until they have released their juice and softened.

At this point, pour the cherries into a stand blender or bowl with an immersion blender to really break down the filling. (see FAQs for filling textures and types) Once blended, pour the filling through a fine mesh strainer, to catch the cherry skin and keep the filling smooth. Next, add the cornstarch, thickening agent, and mix very well with a whisk. When you can no longer see any white, turn the heat up to medium-high heat and take out your instant read thermometer. Gently stir the mixture as it boils and test the temperature until it hits between 217-221°F. (103-105°C). The heat and the cornstarch will have thickened the mixture a bit.

Take the filling off the stovetop and add the needed amount for icing into a separate bowl. After, place the filling into the refrigerator for roughly an hour or until it’s chilled al the way through.

When the dough has fully rested and the filling has chilled, take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin assembling the cherry and almond pop-tarts. Cut the dough in half by weight, if possible. Lightly flour your counter and place half the dough on top. Return the other half of the dough to the refrigerator. Now it’s time to roll. Don’t be afraid to flip the dough over adding flour as you go, to make sure it’s not sticking. Roll the dough out big enough to make two single folds. First, fold the left and right sides over themselves, press down a bit, and then fold over the top and bottom to make a square/rectangular shape.

Now that you have a relatively square shape with neat edges, the aim is to end up with a perfectly 12in x 8in (30.5cm x 20cm) rectangle. To do that, roll about 1/2-1in (1-2.5cm) larger on all sides so you can cut down to the appropriate size. Use a ruler and a pastry cutter (pizza cutter/knife) to make the rectangle. Then, measure and cut out 8, 3in x 4in (7.6cm x 10.2cm) rectangles from your larger one. It will fit as 4 columns and 2 rows.

Once cut, transfer the mini rectangles to a lined baking tray and take out the second half of the dough. Re-flour the counter and repeat the process of folding, rolling, shaping, and cutting out 8 more rectangles. From here, retrieve the chilled jelly filling from the refrigerator and whisk together an egg and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of milk for an egg wash.

Store at room temperature for a day, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or for a month in the freezer.