Halloween Beetle Pies
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6
- 1.5 sheets puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
- 3 red apples
- 30g/1oz butter, melted
- 1.5 tablespoons icing or powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg yolk
- Raw sugar to sprinkle
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced. Line 2 baking trays with parchment. Cut each apple in half and then remove the core. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out little slivers from the top of the apple going from the top to bottom. You will want around 5-6 slivers removed from each apple half.
Step 2 - Cut each sheet of puff pastry in quarters. Place each apple half on each pastry square and using the knife cut around the apple tracing out a head, legs and arms and around the body. The puff pastry needs to be firm to do this or it will be difficult to cut. Using the reserved pastry cut out two small antenna and a set of extra legs and gently press these onto the body in the middle of the torso.
Step 3 - Place the tarts in the fridge or freezer for (freezer 10 minutes, fridge for 20 minutes) just to let the pastry firm up. Make the cinnamon butter glaze. Mix the melted butter with the sifted icing sugar, cinnamon and egg yolk.
Step 4 - Brush this cinnamon mixture thickly over the apples making sure to get it into the crevices that you've cut out. Then brush it over the pastry part and bake for 30 minutes.