Description
These Vegan Blueberry Ghost Hand Pies are a festive and fun treat perfect for Halloween or any spooky occasion. Made with vegan and gluten-free puff pastry filled with a luscious blueberry filling, these hand pies are flaky, sweet, and beautifully decorated with ghost-shaped cutouts and a smooth lemon glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 2 sheets of puff pastry (JusRoll vegan & gluten-free recommended)
Blueberry Filling
- 100g fresh or frozen blueberries
- 50g caster or granulated sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
Glaze
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (for glaze)
- Dairy-free milk, for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare baking trays: Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line two baking trays with grease-proof paper to prevent sticking.
- Prepare pastry shapes: Unroll the puff pastry sheets while still on their baking paper. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten out any wrinkles for even thickness.
- Cut out ghost shapes: Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter to cut out ghost shapes from the pastry sheets. Alternatively, create a template or hand-cut ghost shapes with a knife. Roll out the leftover pastry scraps to cut out a few more ghosts.
- Create face cutouts on half the ghosts: On half of the ghost shapes, use the small tip of a medium piping tip to cut out two eyes and the larger end for the mouth, as these will be the top pastry layers.
- Chill the pastry: Place all pastry ghost shapes onto baking trays and refrigerate for 5 minutes to firm up.
- Make the blueberry filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning, until the mixture thickens and some blueberries remain whole, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken further.
- Assemble the hand pies: Spoon a small amount of blueberry filling onto the center of the ghost shapes without faces. Brush water around the edges of these pastry shapes to help seal. Place a ghost shape with face cutouts on top and press edges firmly together, crimping with a fork to prevent filling leakage.
- Finish and prepare for baking: Brush the tops of the assembled pies with dairy-free milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar to promote browning.
- Bake the pies: Bake one tray at a time (5-6 pies per tray) in the oven’s middle rack for 15-18 minutes, or until golden and flaky.
- Cool and glaze: Remove pies from oven and cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Mix icing sugar with lemon juice until runny, then drizzle over the cooled pies. Let the glaze set for 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy: Your spooky vegan blueberry ghost hand pies are ready to be enjoyed as a delicious snack or dessert!
Notes
- Use cold puff pastry and chill it before baking to help maintain shape and flakiness.
- Do not overfill the pies to prevent filling from leaking during baking.
- For a gluten-free version, choose a certified gluten-free puff pastry.
- Frozen blueberries can be used but may release more juice, so adjust cornstarch accordingly to thicken.
- The blueberry filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated for convenience.
- Use dairy-free milk such as almond or oat milk to keep the recipe fully vegan.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 hand pie (approx. 70g)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
