Spooky-Sweet Halloween Treats

Tricks and favorite treats! There’s no doubt that there is something so sweet about Halloween (literally!), but as we adult, bowls of candy might not do the trick for us quite like they used to (or we’ve just become more aware of what we put inside our bodies). That said, whipping up something homemade in the kitchen sounds like the perfect way to celebrate while still listening to our sweet tooth! Lauren Lowstan of A Sweet Savory is sharing a couple adorablyspooky treats to try while you watch Hocus Pocus (The. Best. Movie. Ever!), and enjoy the thrill of All Hallows’ Eve.

Note: Skip the “eyes” on these sweets, and you’ll have yourself treats perfect for fall, well after Halloween.

Recipes: A Sweet Savory by Lauren Lowstan Photography: Vanessa Tierney

Mummy Apple Pie

(dairy-free)

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Pie Dough

• 3 cup whole wheat flour

• 1 ½ Tsp. salt

• 3 Tbsp. coconut sugar

• 1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

• 1 egg

• 1 Tsp. white vinegar

• 5 Tbsp. water

Filling

• 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices

• ½ cup coconut sugar

• 1 Tsp. cinnamon

• A pinch of salt

Topping

• 3 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

• 1 egg white

Mummy Eyes

• White fondant (in the shape of a circle)

• Black food coloring (to be used as the pupil of the eye)

Note: If you don't want to go through the trouble of making fondant mummy eyes, you can buy eye sprinkles, which are easily found around Halloween time. Or, you can take some frosting and pipe two circles of frosting straight onto the top of your tart.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and coconut sugar. Add in the shortening and mix with your hands or a fork until you get pea-sized crumbs. 2. Add in the egg, vinegar and water and mix with your hands until it becomes a cohesive dough. 3. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly-floured surface until ⅛” thick (you don't want to chill the dough; it will be too hard to work with). 4. Place into a 9" tart pan and press up against the sides. 5. Place in freezer until you're ready to fill with apples. 6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 7. Peel, core and slice your apples. Add the slices to a medium size bowl, add in coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt, and mix until apples are thoroughly coated in the cinnamon sugar. Set aside. 8. Roll out the other half of your dough. Slice into ½”-¾” thin long strips. Set them aside. 9. Take your frozen tart pan out of the freezer and add the sweetened apple slices to your chilled pie crust. 10. Start placing your thin long strips of crust horizontally across the top of the tart. Crisscross some of them, making a mummy-like pattern. Continue until the entire top of your pie is well-covered with strips. 11. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and brush across the tops of the pie. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. 12. Bake in your preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and the apples inside are bubbling. 13. Take out of the oven and let cool completely. 14. Make the mummy eyes while you're waiting for your tart to cool. 15. Sprinkle a little bit of cornstarch on a work surface area (this helps the fondant to not stick to your surface). Roll out a tiny bit of fondant and cut into 1" circles. 16. Dip a toothpick into black food coloring and make a pupil in the center of the white circle. 17. Place the eyeballs somewhere in middle of the tart. It's fun to place them a little underneath the apples or crust top, so it looks like they are peeking out of the tart.

Ghost Meringues

(dairy-free, gluten-free)

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites (make sure there is no egg yolk)

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ Tsp. cream of tartar

• ½ Tsp. vanilla extract

• ¼ Tsp. almond extract

• Silver or gold dragees (or any ball sprinkles of your choice)

Note: The trick to making meringues is to add the sugar in very slowly (add about a Tsp. of sugar in at a time). You’ll want to slowly add in the sugar so it dissolves into the egg whites. If you add it in too fast, it won't have a chance to dissolve. In the end, your meringue should be silky, and grain-free.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 215 degrees. 2. Make sure the bowl you’re using is completely dry of any liquids or oils. 3. Add the egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean standing mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed (no faster), until the mixture starts to foam. 4. Start to add in the sugar at this point. Lightly sprinkle in the sugar. 5. Watch for the soft peak stage. Your whites will start to get glossy and white, and will hold on to the whisk, but will fold over onto itself. Once you’re at this stage, you should be done with adding your sugar. If you're not, continue adding the sugar, and once done, bump the speed up to medium-high. 6. Watch for the firm peak stage. This is when the peaks should stand up on their own and the meringue will be bright white, and glossy. Don't over mix. Once you hit this stage, stop mixing. A good way to test this is to take the whisk out of the bowl, and see if the peaks stand up, or if they still flop down. 7. Add in both extracts, and whisk just until combined. 8. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of your baking sheet. 9. Add the meringue to a large piping bag, fitted with a large, round piping tip. 10. Hold the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet. Pipe out the meringue, pressing firmer twice, creating little ripples (to look like ghost shapes). You might have to pipe a few out to get the right technique down. 11. Now, comes the tedious part: with a pair of tweezers (for kitchen-use only), add 2 dragees balls to the tops of each meringue, creating the ghost eyes. 12. Bake in your preheated oven for 65 minutes. *Do not open your oven door during the entire baking time. 13. After 65 minutes, check your meringues. They should be light and feel hollow, and peel off the parchment paper very easily. Turn the oven off, but leave the meringues in there. Crack the oven (you can use a wooden spoon to do this), and let the oven completely cool down with the meringues inside.

YIELDS 3 DOZEN GHOSTS