Halloween Pop Tarts

Reasons to love

• No fuss, no stress: Using pie crust instead of a pastry crust keeps things simple.
• Kid-friendly fun: These spooky treats are just as fun to make as they are to eat — a great Halloween activity for children.
• Only 2 ingredients! All you need is a pie crust and jelly. It doesn’t get easier than that.
• Make them your own: Keep them simple or add a fun touch with a candy flower on top.

Ingredients you'll need to make ghost pop tarts for kids

Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

• Pie Crust: You can use my homemade pie crust recipe or grab a store-bought one for convenience. I don’t recommend puff pastry for this recipe — the ghost shapes won’t hold as well and may lose their definition.
• Jam or Jelly: I prefer using a deep red jam (like cherry or raspberry) to give the Halloween ghosts a spooky, “bloody eyes” effect. That said, feel free to use any jam or preserve you love — strawberry, blackberry, or even apricot all work great!

Tools you'll need

1. Ghost-shaped cookie cutter to cut the shapes
2. Piping tip
3. Wooden Skewers

How to make Halloween pop tarts?

You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

1.Roll the pie crust on a lightly floured surface, to ⅛-inch thickness. Using the ghost cookie cutter, cut out as many ghosts as possible. I was able to cut 16 shapes using my homemade recipe.

Tip: If the pie crust is too firm, then let it stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. This will help make the dough easier to roll and work with. 

2 & 3. Make top or face layer - cut out two eyes using the small end of the 2A piping tip, like for the Halloween sandwich recipe. Using the back end of a small spoon, elongate the circle into oval shapes.

4. Spread about a teaspoon of jam on the middle of another cut-out, leaving about ½-inch border around the edges. Using a very small pastry brush or your fingertip, brush the edges with a little water to moisten.

5. Place the face layer on top and press the edges with your fingertip, pressing gently to adhere. Press the bottom with a skewer to form the base of the ghost (refer to photos and video).

Tip: Ensure that you firmly press the edges of the dough together to create a tight seal to ensure that the jam does not leak outside.

6. Repeat the process to make all ghosts and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or golden in color. Cool completely.

These make a great kids Halloween party food! It can be served as is to keep to simple or proceed to the next step for an embellishment.

7 & 8. Optional step - Make a thick sugar glaze and spoon it into a small ziplock bag. Seal, snip the corner and squeeze a small dollop on one side of the face. Press a candy flower on top, pressing slightly to stick, and let stand for at least 15 minutes for the glaze to dry.

Tip: To make sugar glaze, stir together confectioners sugar and water in a small bowl, until thick.

Make ahead for a kids Halloween party

Store pop tarts in an air-tight container, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

To freeze - Baked pop tarts without the candy flower can be frozen in a zipper bag for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Serve as is or decorate.

Recipe tips

• Pie crust - Leave the refrigerated pie crust for about 15 minutes to make it easier to roll.
• Jam - I like to use a deep red colored jam for a color contrast. Feel free to use whatever you have at home.

More Childrens Halloween Treats

• Halloween clementines are a fun, easy, no-bake treat that kids will love to make and eat! They’re creative, quick Halloween fruit idea, perfect for classroom parties or spooky snacks.
• Chocolate mice are made using wholesome, good-for-you ingredients and are fun for kids to make. 
• Owl Halloween sandwich is a spooky sandwich idea to impress your kids this Halloween season. It is easy and you don't need special tools!
• Halloween bark is fun, easy to make, and doesn't require any decorating skills. With only 20 minutes of prep time, there is no baking, and it is a great Halloween treat for kids to make. 
• Halloween breadstick snakes are a unique Halloween-themed snack idea for parties. They’re crispy, crunchy, and so delicious to eat! Fun and easy to make, they’re sure to be the talk of your Halloween party.