Halloween party food

Here are a few ideas for some savoury Halloween party fare.

Bloody Eyeball Soup

1. Take some cherry tomatoes, cut in half and scoop out the seeds
2. Place a mozzarella pearl into each shell then make a small incision
3. Take a basil leaf and roll into a tight cigar shape
4. cut a slice of the basil leaf and press into the incision in the mozzarella
5. Warm up some tomato soup, and serve with two 'eyeballs' floating on top

Witches Fingers

1. Make a batch of the soft pretzel recipe I used here. 
2. Instead of forming them into the common pretzel shape, form them into small sausages, slightly longer then your longest finger
3. Boil in water and bicarbonate of soda, then place on a baking tray.
4. Using a knife, make some knuckle indentations at the one third and two third mark
5. pinch the 'fingers' a little above and below each knuckle to give that gnarly and bony finger effect. 
6. Brush with an egg wash, and sprinkle with rock salt if you like
7. Press an almond into the end to be the fingernail
8. Bake in a hot oven, Gas 8/230c/450f for 10 minutes or until golden brown

Slimy Worms in a Bun

1. Take a packet of cold hot dogs.
2. Cut length ways, then cut each length again so you have 4 long strips
3. Drop into boiling salted water for about 3 mins
4. Drain the place into a bowl and coat generously with barbecue sauce
5. Serve the 'slimy worms' in a nice kaiser roll or any roll of your choice.

Gravestone Wedges

1. Cut cleaned sweet potatoes into wedges leaving the skin on
2. drizzle over some olive oil
3. Sprinkle in some salt, cumin, paprika and black pepper (or whatever mix of spices you prefer)
4. Rub the oil and spice mix over the edges ensuring that they are all coated
5. lay them out on a baking tray and cook at 200C/gas 7 for 40 mins, or longer if needed to make them crispy

Mini Mummy pizzas 

1. Take one packet of English Muffins and cut each muffin in half. These will form the base of your mini pizzas
2. Smooth a layer of tomato purée over the top of each muffin
3. Take some slices of mature cheddar and cut into strips about 2cm wide
4. Lay them over the muffin pizzas to look like bandages
5. Cut two slices from a pepperoni (or an olive for vegetarian version) and place as eyes
6. Bake in an oven at Gas 5/190c/375f for about 10 mins or until the cheese is bubbling and golden

 Mummy Sausages

1. Take one packet of pork chipolata sausages
2. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry, and using a pastry wheel cut into thin strips about 1cm wide
3. Lightly wet one side of the pastry to help it stick
4. Wrap each sausage in one or two strips of pastry leaving a small space about two thirds up for eyes
5. Bake in the oven at Gas 6/200c/400f for 15 to 17 mins
6. Once cooked, place on a cooling rack then put two small dots of mustard for eyes

Halloween Cakes, Cookies and Cupcakes

Eyeball Cookies

These are just iced sugar cookies, using my recipe from here.

I used a cookie cutter shaped as a rugby ball/American football. After the royal icing set, I popped a rice paper topper on top. If you have the time, you could also wait until the icing has set and is fully dry, then paint your eyeball on using a fine paint brush and food colouring.





Creepy Cupcakes

I made a dozen red velvet cupcakes to start with. Red velvet is essentially a moist chocolate sponge with a generous dose of red colouring. 

Ingredients:

• 60g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 eggs
• 125ml buttermilk
• red food colouring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 125g plain flour
• 1 dessertspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. 
2. Line a muffin tins with 12 paper cases.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy. 
4. Mix together the eggs, buttermilk, red food colouring and vanilla. 
5. Add to the sugar mixture a little at a time.
6. Sift together the bicarb, flour and cocoa powder. Stir in the salt, then add into the mixture. If using a machine, do this but until just until blended. Don't over beat or you will beat out all the air you incorporated.
7. Bake for 20-25 until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, or an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin set over a wire rack. 
8. When fully cooled, scoop out a little of the top and put in a teaspoon of raspberry jam.
9. Top with buttercream and decorate with edible glitter

Halloween Cake 
For this cake, I used a rich Victoria sponge recipe, times by 1.5 so I can make 3 layers.

Ingredients:

• 6 large free range eggs
• 335g self-raising flour
• 335g caster sugar
• 335g butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• black food colouring
• purple food colouring
• green food colouring

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy and pale.
2. beat the eggs with the vanilla extract and add to the cake mixture a little at a time
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together then gently fold into the mixture
4. separate the mixture into 3 portions, and add the cocoa powder to one portion along with some black colouring.
5. to a second portion, add some green colouring
6. to the final portion, add some purple colouring
7. Bake the cakes at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 20-25 mins
8. Once cooled, sandwich each layer with buttercream, and then coat a thin layer over the outside
9. Allow this outside layer to set and harden a little before covering the cake with orange coloured fondant. 
10. Using a small amount of black coloured icing, pipe a design around the side

Candy Corn Cookies

I am gearing up for Halloween, and my Halloween themed baking starts off with some Candy Corn Cookies.

For these, I have used my basic Sugar Cookie recipe. I also added a squirt of honey to try and replicate the flavour of candy corn.

Ensure that you use gel or paste food colouring, and not the liquid, otherwise your dough will be too wet. Be generous with the colouring as it will fade a little when cooked.

I meant to add sanding sugar before I baked them, but in my haste, I forgot.

Ingredients:

• 375g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 225g sugar
• 1 large free-range egg
• 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
• yellow food colouring gel
• orange food colouring gel

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy
2. Mix the vanilla essence into the egg & add to the butter mixture a little at a time (throw in a handful of the flour to stop the egg and butter separating).
3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder then add into to the mixture
4. Separate the dough into 3 equal portions.
5. Colour one portion yellow, and a second portion orange (you can use red plus yellow if you don't have orange).
6. Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film. 
7. Press the plain uncoloured portion of dough into a flat layer
8. Slightly dampen the surface with a little water on your fingers to make it tacky, then press the orange dough into a flat layer.
9. Repeat with the yellow layer.
10. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate in the tin for at least 4 hours
11. Preheat the oven to 350°F  / 176°C / Gas Mark 4
12. Unwrap the dough and cut a slice about 1cm thick along the length. Lay the slice flat on a lightly floured surface and make zig zag cuts to form triangle cookies. Some will have a white tip, some will have a yellow tip, but that's okay.
13. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just starting to colour.
14. Leave on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to fully cool.

Candy Corn Fudge

I recently bought some American confectionery from American Sweets Online. As well as just munching them straight from the packet (let's try and not to think about the calories), I thought I would try and take the opportunity to include them in some of my baking.

When I was thinking of sweet treats to take into the office for Halloween, I looked at what was left from my last internet order. There was half a bag of Candy Corn, and this became my theme. I made some Candy Corn Cupcakes for husband's office, and decided to actually include some of the candy in my creation - Candy Corn Fudge.

Unlike the cupcakes, this fudge would actually contain some Candy Corn.

I started off with a simple white chocolate fudge, which I added a splash of Bailey's Irish Cream to ... just because it was made to go into fudge. Trust me.

Ingredients:

• 500g granulated sugar
• 500ml whipping cream
• 150g white chocolate (finely chopped)
• 50ml Baileys (optional)

 Method: 

1. Start off by lining a deep baking tray (approx 9"x9") with cling film.
2. Put the sugar, cream and Bailey's (if you are using it) into a preserving pan over a moderate heat
3. Stir continously until the sugar has melted, then turn the heat up.
4. Continue stirring to prevent the mixture burning, and heat until the mixture reaches 'soft ball' stage. The mixture will bubble and rise but once the bubbles start to subside, and become tighter, then check for soft ball stage by dropping a small amount into some iced water. If the mixture can be pressed into a soft ball, it is ready. Alternatively, if you have a sugar thermometer, heat to 235°f / 115°c. 
5. Turn off the heat, and stir in the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted and well incorporated, pour quickly into the waiting tray. 
6. Spread out, if necessary, with a metal spoon. 

At this point, I added a couple of handfuls of the Candy Corn and pressed this into the fudge before it set. I left it on the counter to cool, then placed in the fridge overnight. Next morning, cut and serve.

The fudge is very sweet, and only a piece or two is required.

The recipe is quite easy to customise. You could replace the white chocolate with milk, or dark chocolate, and you could add any liqueur, or top with other sweets.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

The nights are drawing in, and the clocks went back this weekend. Goodbye summer, and hello winter! I love this time of year. I love the changing colours in the garden, as the trees change through their autumn reds, golds and oranges. At this time of year, and before my thoughts turn towards Christmas, we usually celebrate Halloween and Bonfire or Guy Fawkes night.

In the past couple of years, I have had a Halloween/Bonfire party but not this year as I will actually be away in London for Guy Fawkes night (off to see the marvelous Michael Sheen in Hamlet at the Young Vic). So that my favourite autumn festivities don't go by totally unrecognised, I decided to make a few sweet treats for my husband and I to take to our respective offices.

The guys in my husband's office are big fans of cake, so I decided to make some Candy Corn Cupcakes. I love Candy Corn, but as I don't live in the US, I have to resort to ordering some from websites that import American confectionery. This recipe doesn't actually contain any Candy Corn, but the look of the little fairy cakes is inspired by them. The classic colours of Candy Corn is yellow, orange, and white and this is reflected in the colours of the sponge and buttercream frosting.


Ingredients:

• 100g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g SR flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Yellow food colouring
• Red food colouring

 I started off heating the oven to Gas mark 4 / 350°F / 176°C

1. Cream together the sugar and butter until light, white and fluffy.
2. Beat the eggs with the vanilla essence. 
3. Add the egg mixture a little at a time and mix well. Throw in a handful of the flour to prevent splitting.
4. Once all the egg is well combined, add in the remaining flour along with the baking powder
5. Split the mixture into two bowls.
6. Use some yellow colouring to turn one bowl into a bright yellow.
7. In the other bowl, add equal amounts of yellow and red until you have a bright orange. 
8. Put 12 paper cases into your muffin pan, and divide the yellow mixture between the cases
9. Try and use a teaspoon to carefully spread the mixture evenly across the bottom of the cases
10. Now do the same with the orange mixture, gently flattening out with a teaspoon
11. Place in the oven and cook for approx 12 minutes. 
12. Check that they are cooked by piercing with a skewer that should come out clean
13. Leave to fully cool before icing.

For the frosting, beat 100g of butter until soft. Gently mix in 300g of sieved icing sugar. Add a tablespoon of milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the frosting until it is white, and fluffy.

Pipe the frosting over the cakes, and this forms the final white layer to create your Candy Corn effect.

Decorate with some Halloween themed sweets. I used some mallow pumpkins.

Difficulty	Easy
Serves	12
Calories per portion	298 kcal