Its the most wonderful time of the year… yes thats right, HALLOWEEN! 

And what better way to celebrate the spookiest time of the year than to monster munch down some yummy mummy lattice pies? These tasty little treats are perfect to whip up with the kids on these colder days and keep those little monsters hands busy during the school holidays. 

Perfect 100% handmade and just as good with store bought you really cannot go wrong with this recipe, you can even change out the Jam for something like Nutella or Biscoff spread. So as always get creative and make this recipe your own! 

Ingredients

For the dough - 

200 g plain flour

150 g unsalted butter, cubed

1 tbs caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

Ice cold water (see recipe for details)

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

You could also use store bought shortcrust pastry. Be sure to follow instructions on the packet for bake times as these may vary. 

For the filling - 

1 jar of fruit jam. I used home made strawberry quick jam. For more details on how to make this, the link to the recipe is here -

To decorate - 

Edible candy eyes or white and black piping icing (royal icing)

Method 

1 – 

Start by measuring your flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl and add 100 g of your cubed butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it achieves a wet sand / breadcrumb texture. Once achieved, add the remaining 50 g of cubed butter, toss to coat in flour, and then squeeze each cube once between your thumb and forefinger to create large flat chunks of butter. We want it to look chunky. 

2 – 

Once your butter has been incorporated, add your iced water 1 tbs at a time to your flour mixture, mixing with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add just enough water so that the dough starts to come together but still looks a bit sandy. You can remove the large chunks of formed dough and then add a tiny amount of water to the remaining dry crumbs to combine. It should form a cohesive dough that only just holds itself together. 

3 – 

Turn the dough out onto the surface and, working quickly and carefully as not to warm the dough too much, bring together into a rough disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour up to 24 hours.  24 hours would be perfect. This dough can stay in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and be frozen for up to 3 months. 

4 - 

When ready to bake, remove your chilled dough from the fridge and divide in half. Cover one half with your plastic wrap and place back in the fridge. Roll the remaining half into a rough rectangle about half a centimetre thick and, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut your dough into approximately 12 rectangles that are 7 cm by 10 cm in size. This does not need to be expect and can be done by eye. You may need to re-roll any scraps to make up the 12. Transfer your cut rectangles to a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat sheet and place in the fridge. Remove the other half of pastry and, once again, roll out to about a half centimetre thick and, using a knife or pizza cutter, cut long thin strips about half a centimetre wide. Place these on a flat baking sheet and set aside. 

5 - 

Remove the pre-cut rectangles from the fridge and place on the counter. Using a teaspoon, carefully spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of your chosen jam down the middle of the pastry, leaving about a 1 cm space round the edges. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush this edge with your beaten egg to act as glue. Take your strips and, working one by one, place them across the jam covered rectangles at varying angles like a mummy’s bandages, remembering to leave room in the top right / left for the eyes later. Do not fully cover the jam as having it visible is nice in the end result. See above images for reference.  Take a fork, dip in some flour, and press around the edges to crimp and join the pastry together. Brush the finished pastries gently and lightly with your egg wash and bake in your preheated oven for 15 to 20 mins or until golden brown and lift away from the parchment easily. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6 - 

Once cool, place your candy eyes in place. You can use piping icing if you cannot find candy eyes but make sure you allow some time to set if using piping icing. They are now ready to serve and can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. 

They can also be frozen when raw and baked off as needed so perfect for a last minute or make ahead treat.