Halloween Ghost Pies

The ultimate halloween treat to make at home with the little ones...

Ingredients
1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry (thawed in the fridge)
1 egg (for sealing and brushing)
Flour, for dusting the work surface

Option 1: Apple Filling
1 apple, peeled and grated (for apple filling)
½ teaspoon cornflour (for apple filling)
2 tablespoons (25g) caster sugar
A dash of cinnamon
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 knob of butter (for cooking the apples)

Option 2: Jam Filling
¼ cup jam

Optional Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Allow the puff pastry to thaw in the fridge so it stays firm and easy to work with. Lightly dust your work surface with flour, then roll out the pastry.

Using a ghost-shaped cookie cutter (or a knife if you prefer squares or circles), cut out an even number of ghost shapes. Place the cutouts back in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

If you’re using the apple filling, melt a knob of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 peeled and grated apple and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ teaspoon lemon juice, a dash of cinnamon, 2 tablespoons caster sugar, and ½ teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. Cook until the mixture thickens to a pie-filling consistency, then remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

Whisk the egg and set aside.

Take the chilled puff pastry cutouts and place about a teaspoon of either the apple filling or ¼ cup jam filling in the center of half the cutouts. Don’t over fill the cutouts of they will be hard to seal.

Brush the edges of the filled pastry with the whisked egg, then place a second pastry cutout on top. Gently press the edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush the tops of the hand pies with the remaining whisked egg.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.

For an optional glaze, whisk together ½ cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth.

Once the pies have cooled to room temp, dip them top side down into the glaze then place on a lined baking sheet to set.