Halloween Puff Pastry Mummies: Crispy Pizza Snacks for a Party

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These Halloween puff pastry mummies wrap a savory tomato and mozzarella filling in golden pastry bandages. Two small black olive rings* make the eyes. The rectangular cutting plan makes twelve individual snacks without cookie cutters, using every pastry strip for the mummy pattern.

A savory bite for the Halloween buffet

The small mummies are easy to pick up and fit alongside dips, vegetable sticks and other party snacks. A thin tomato paste* and oregano* mixture adds flavor without flooding the pastry. Use low-moisture mozzarella rather than a wet fresh ball in brine. The olive eyes* are added after baking while the filling is still soft.

Ingredient picks for the pizza mummies

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Ingredients for 12 mummies

Makes 12 pieces · 6 snack servings of 2 pieces · Prep: 25 minutes · Bake: about 20 minutes · Cool: 5 minutes · Total: about 50 minutes, plus thawing or extra chilling if needed

• 270 g puff pastry (about 9½ oz), chilled or fully thawed according to its package, rolled to roughly 24 × 40 cm (9½ × 15¾ inches)
• 60 g double-concentrated tomato paste* (about 2 oz)
• 30 ml water (2 tablespoons)
• 120 g shredded low-moisture mozzarella (about 4¼ oz); choose non-animal rennet for a vegetarian version
• 30 g pitted black olives*, drained (about 1 oz)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano* leaves (about 1 g)
• 15 ml whole milk (1 tablespoon), for a thin wash

Useful tools for cutting and baking

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How to shape and bake Halloween puff pastry mummies

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C conventional, or 350°F/180°C fan). Line a large sheet pan with parchment rated for this temperature. Stir the tomato paste*, water and oregano* together until smooth. Cut 24 thin rings from the black olives* for the eyes; finely chop the remaining olive pieces and mix them into the mozzarella.
2. Keep the puff pastry cold and roll it to roughly 24 × 40 cm (9½ × 15¾ inches). Divide into one 24 × 24 cm square for the bases and one 16 × 24 cm rectangle for the bandages. Cut the square into twelve 6 × 8 cm rectangles (about 2⅜ × 3⅛ inches). Cut the remaining pastry into 48 strips, each about 1 × 8 cm (⅜ × 3⅛ inches), giving four bandages per mummy.
3. Place the twelve bases on the pan with a little space between them. Prick each center two or three times with a fork, leaving the border intact. Divide the tomato paste* mixture evenly between them, leaving a border about 7 mm (¼ inch) wide. Add the mozzarella mixture.
4. Lay four pastry strips loosely on a diagonal across each filling, leaving a small gap in the upper third for two eyes. Press the strip ends gently onto the bare border. Brush the bandage surfaces lightly with the whole milk, keeping the exposed cut edges as clear as possible. If the pastry has become very soft, refrigerate the pan for an extra 5–10 minutes before baking.
5. Bake on the middle rack for about 18–22 minutes, until the bandages are golden and the bases are cooked through. Lift one with a spatula to check: the underside should be dry and lightly browned, not pale and doughy. Also follow any relevant baking guidance for your pastry brand.
6. Remove the pan using oven mitts. Gently press two reserved olive rings* into each eye gap while the filling is still soft. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm. The filling can be very hot straight from the oven.

Keep the pastry crisp

Work with cold puff pastry and a thin layer of filling. Extra tomato paste* or very wet mozzarella can soften the bases instead of improving them. Lay the bandages loosely and press only the ends so the pastry layers have room to rise.

Prep ahead for a Halloween party

Make the tomato paste* mixture and olive rings* a few hours ahead, then refrigerate separately in covered containers. Cut pastry pieces can also be refrigerated with parchment between layers. Assemble close to baking time rather than leaving filled pastries on the counter for hours. For a larger buffet, bake smaller batches as needed.

Adjust for your pastry package

The recipe uses 270 g pastry rolled to approximately 24 × 40 cm. Commercial packages vary in weight and dimensions: weigh what you need, roll gently if necessary and store unused pastry separately as directed. Frozen pastry must be fully thawed first. Thawing and any extra chilling break are additional to the 50-minute recipe time.

Serving and leftovers

Do not leave the milk-and-mozzarella pastries unrefrigerated for more than two hours; shorten that time in very hot conditions. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within two days. Reheat uncovered at 350°F (180°C) for about 6–10 minutes, until the filling is hot throughout. Covering or microwaving them will usually soften the puff pastry.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Approximately 254 calories · 20 g carbohydrate · 8.9 g protein · 15.8 g fat per two-mummy serving. Calculated for twelve pieces, or six snack servings, including all the olives* and the full measured whole milk wash. Pastry brands, cheese and the actual amounts used can change the values.

Contains wheat/gluten and milk; some puff pastry brands also contain soy or other allergens. For a vegetarian version, choose mozzarella made with non-animal rennet and check ingredient labels. Do not eat raw puff pastry; bake the snacks through.

Recipe by AI_Chef