Vegan Ghost Pop Tarts

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, sift the plain flour and sugar. Add the cold, cubed dairy-free butter and blend until the mixture looks like sand. This can be done by hand or using a food processor.
2. Gradually add ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough forms. You may need 1 to 2 tablespoons total. The dough should be smooth and lightly sticky, neither too dry nor too wet.
3. Wrap the dough in greaseproof paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Chilling prevents sticking during rolling.
4. Preheat your oven to 170°C fan and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
5. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on your work surface and dust it lightly with flour.
6. Roll the dough between two sheets of floured greaseproof paper into a large rectangle; aim for a thin even layer. Cut out ghost shapes with a ghost cookie cutter and transfer them to the prepared trays. Gather and re-roll scraps to cut more ghosts.
7. Place 1–2 teaspoons of strawberry jam onto half of the ghost cutouts and spread gently, leaving about 1/3 inch of bare pastry around the edges. Brush the edges with a little dairy-free milk.
8. Top each jam‑covered ghost with another plain ghost. Press the edges together with your fingers to seal, then crimp with a fork for a secure closure.
9. Brush the tops of the pastries with dairy‑free milk. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.
10. When baked, take the pop tarts out of the oven and let them cool completely before adding the glaze.
11. In a small bowl, sift the icing sugar. Add the vanilla extract and dairy‑free milk, then stir until smooth and thick—similar to toothpaste. If the mixture is too runny, incorporate more icing sugar to reach the right consistency.
12. Transfer a few teaspoons of the white icing to another bowl and tint it with black food gel to create the ghosts’ eyes and mouths.
13. Dip the cooled ghosts into the white glaze or pipe it over them, letting excess drip off. Let the glaze set for about 10 minutes, then pipe two small black dots for eyes and a curved line for the mouth. Once fully set at room temperature, the pop tarts are ready to serve.