Method (pastry)

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour and sugar. Add in the cold / cubed butter and black food gel, mix until it resembles sand. You can mix by hand or in a food processor. If you mix by hand, you might want to wear some food grade gloves as the black colouring could stain your hands.
2. Add in the ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. It may require 1-2 tablespoons of ice-water. You want the dough to be smooth and slightly sticky, but not too dry or wet.
3. Wrap the dough in some grease proof paper and place into the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour. This will help to prevent sticking when you roll it out.
4. Preheat oven to 170°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
5. Lay a sheet of grease proof paper on your worktop and dust with some flour. Don’t add too much flour as it could effect the black colour of the pastry when baked. If there is excess flour in the pop tarts, simply brush it off before baking. 
6. Roll out the dough in-between 2 sheets of floured grease proof paper until its a large rectangle. You’ll want the dough relatively thin. Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the  shapes then place on the lined trays. You can keep re-rolling the excess dough to use it all up.
7. Spoon a teaspoon or two of vegan friendly ‘Nutella’ or chocolate spread on to half of the gingerbread cutouts and gently spread it out. Make sure there’s about 1/3 inch open space around the edge of your pastries, then brush the edges with some dairy-free milk.
8. Place another gingerbread man shape over the filled shape. Using your finger, press down the edges to stick them together to create a parcel, then press together with a fork to seal.
9. Brush the tops of the pop tarts with some dairy-free milk.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes. As the pastry is black, it wont turn golden brown, you will need to check its baked by seeing if the pastry has puffed up.
10. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before glazing.

Method (glaze and decoration)

1. In a small bowl, sift in the icing sugar and add in the vanilla. Add in a teaspoon of dairy-free milk in at a time and mix until smooth and its a thick, toothpaste like consistency. If its too runny, simply add in more icing sugar until it’s the correct consistency.
2. Remove a few teaspoons of icing into a separate bowl and colour this with black food gel (this will be for the eyes, nose and mouth).
3. Transfer the white icing into a piping bag and snip off the tip. Fill the head with white icing, and decorate with bone shapes (as seen in the photos) and video here. Use the black icing to add on the face details – eyes, nose and mouth.
4. Allow the glaze to dry for about 10 minutes. Allow to set then serve. The icing will dry at room temperature.