Halloween Party Food • Jam Tart Pastry Brains

I have boys, they love brains and slugs and anything disgusting. They make potions in the garden, stirring mud, petals, leaves and shards of grass in little jars. But it turns out their girly pals love it all too! So here is a dastardly dish for your Halloween party that will delight all those little ghouls!

Super simple to make - who doesn't adore ready to roll pastry?!

Here's how to make your jammie brains...

All you need is shortcrust pastry (I bought mine but feel free to make it!), strawberry jam and a beaten egg to glaze.

It's so easy it's not worth writing a recipe for! These are tarts your children can make in minutes.

Take your pastry and roll it out on your kitchen work surface or chopping board.

Using a round pastry cutter, punch out your tart bases with a 3 inch diameter cutter.

Press your pastry circles into a baking tin and add a healthy dollop of jam for the blood. See I told you - disgusting!

Now you need to make your pastry brains.

You can choose to add a smaller circle of pastry using a slightly smaller cutter so your brain sits on top, or just add your edible cortex straight on top of the jammie centre.

Cut approximately 1cm thick strips of pastry. Roll them between your fingers like a rolling pin going back and forwards until you have made pastry sausages!

The longer the better, but beware of the pastry splitting. 

As you layer them onto your jam centre, curl the lengths of pastry slightly to get a more realistic brain shape.

Let the children join in, they don't have to be perfectly symmetrical, it's all part of the Halloween fun!

Add 2 smaller rolled strips down the centre of your brain, glaze with a beaten egg and bake in the oven for 12 -15 mins until golden brown and with bubbly jam pouring out of your tasty brains tarts. 

A total pastry indulgence!

What's not to love?! We are heading to my sister's for a Halloween party for 3 on Saturday. Just the boys and their little cousin Yasmin and we can't wait. 

What are you making for Halloween this year?