Severed Toes in Bandages
Makes 36
1 box refrigerated piecrust (for 36 franks, you need just 1 crust)
1 package 36 beef cocktail franks
36 almond slices
1 large egg
Ketchup for serving
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a work surface, unroll a piecrust and, using a pizza wheel, cut crust into about 3⁄8-inch-wide strips to make 36 strips.
Working with 1 frank at a time, wrap each cocktail frank (like a bandage) with a dough strip to cover about one-half to two-thirds of the frank. Repeat with remaining franks.
Arrange on prepared baking sheet.
Using a small paring knife, make a horizontal slit on the unwrapped end of each frank, and insert an almond slice into the slit to resemble a toenail. Brush dough bandages with egg wash.
Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, or until pastry is light golden brown. Serve hot with ketchup. From forkandbeans.com, these apple faces may be made with peanut or other nut butters as well. Either pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds work well for the teeth. I used packaged googly eyes, but here’s a recipe for vegan eyes, if you prefer making them yourself.
Silly Monster Apple Bites
Makes 8
2 green apples, each quartered and cored
Sunflower butter
About 32 to 40 sunflower seeds
If making homemade googly eyes, start that process 24 hours ahead.
To assemble monster bites: Carve a “mouth” out of the middle of the peel side of each apple quarter. (Don’t worry about perfection; you will fill the gap with sunflower butter.) Coat inside of cut gap with sunflower butter.
Place 4 to 8 sunflower seeds into mouth for the teeth. Place a sliced strawberry inside mouth for the tongue. (They don’t have to look perfect — remember, these are silly faces.) Glue 1 or 2 eyes above the mouth with a dab of sunflower butter to stick.
Vegan googly eyes
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 teaspoons nondairy milk
2 to 3 strawberries, sliced
1 to 2 homemade or packaged googly eyes per apple quarters (see recipe) 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
Mini nondairy chocolate chips
In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips and mix until combined. It should be a thick paste at this point.
Place into a piping bag or zipper-lock baggie and pipe dots in one row onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Gently top each dot with a mini chocolate chip; don’t wait too long or the eye will set. Repeat until paste is gone.
Allow googly eyes to set for 24 hours on the counter.