Spooky season is upon us! I don’t know about you but we’re feeling the need to go bigger and better than ever before this Halloween to make up for lost time.  Kids will be flocking through neighbourhoods trick-or-treating, parents will be pulling out their best tricks and negotiations for collected candy and the Monster Mash will be on repeat at Halloween parties everywhere!

So, gather your friends, pick out your epic costumes, deck the hallowed-halls and become the host with most after serving up these hauntingly delicious recipes:

Chocolate-Filled Pumpkins

Recipe from Delish.com 

Ingredients

  • 1 batch vanilla cake batter
  • 1 container orange food color paste
  • 1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 13 oz. white chocolate chips
  • 2 c. chocolate hazelnut spread
  • 6 cinnamon sticks, cut in half

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 12-cavity mini Bundt cake pans. (Or bake in two batches.)
  2. Fold in 1 tsp of food colouring. Divide the batter among the Bundt cake cups, filling them 3/4s full. Bake until the tops spring back when touched, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Chill in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until firm.
  3. Make the ganache: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine heavy cream and white chocolate chips and microwave on high in 1-minute intervals, stirring for 2 minutes in between, until there are no lumps. This should take 2-3 minutes.
  4. Measure out 1/2 c ganache and stir in 1/4 tsp food colouring. Set aside. Leave the remainder white.
  5. Once cakes are firm, use a serrated knife to level each mini Bundt so the bottoms are flat.
  6. Place the cakes back into the pan for stability and use a teaspoon to dig out a 1/4″-deep trench all around the centre hole, leaving 1/4″ of cake on both sides. Repeat for all cakes.
  7. Place the chocolate hazelnut spread into a zip-seal bag and cut off a small corner. Pipe the spread into the trench to just below level with the cake.
  8. Place the orange ganache mixture into a zip-seal bag, snip off a corner, and pipe a thin line along the outer and inner rims of the cakes. Pair up the cakes, turning one upside down and placing it on top of the other, to glue together. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set.
  9. Place the white ganache into a zip-seal bag and cut off a small corner. Pipe the ganache over the cakes, starting in the centre and allowing the ganache to drip down the sides. Place a piece of cinnamon stick in the centre of each cake to be the stem.

 

Banana Mummies
Recipe from WomansDay.com

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas
  • 1 lb. white chocolate
  • 4 oz. white chocolate
  • 16 mini m&m’s
  • 4 oz. milk chocolate chips
  • 8 Lollipop sticks

Directions

  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Skewer each banana half with a lollipop stick and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
  2. In a large microwave-safe measuring cup, melt 1 pound white chocolate in the microwave according to package directions. One at a time, dip the bananas into the chocolate to coat, shaking off any excess. Return to the baking sheet and immediately place two M&M candies near the top for eyes.
  3. Melt the remaining white chocolate in the microwave according to package directions and fill a small piping bag fitted with a small, round nozzle tip. Pipe zigzags over the banana to form bandages. Repeat this step with the milk chocolate, if using. Chill or freeze until ready to serve.

 

Witch Finger Cookies

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com  

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white melting chocolate
  • 1 tsp green food dye
  • 24 (3-inch) pretzel batons
  • 1 Tbsp crushed chocolate bar bits
  • 2 Tbsp raspberry jam
  • 2 Tbsp almond slices

Directions

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Place melting chocolate in a microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave on high in blasts of 20 seconds until melted, stirring in between, about 3 blasts.
  3. Stir in food dye until colour is uniform.
  4. Dip a pretzel baton into chocolate, leaving about an inch at the bottom. Hold the pretzel over the measuring cup to allow excess chocolate to drip off.
  5. Place dipped pretzel on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzel batons.
  6. To create the witch’s “warts” place one chocolate bar bit on the dipped pretzel about an inch away from the tip.
  7. Cool pretzels in refrigerator until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.
  8. Once chocolate is set, create the witches “bloody nails” by placing a dab of raspberry jam on the tip of dipped pretzel. Place one almond slice over jam and gently push down to spread jam to outer ridges of the almond slice. Continue with remaining pretzels.
  9. Using the sharp end of a wooden skewer, etch three horizontal lines in the chocolate of the dipped pretzel to create finger details.
  10.  Store in a cool place until ready to serve.

 

Bite Sized Eyeballs

Recipe from Womansday.com

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) Unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 oz. Guryère cheese, coarsely grated
  • Cream cheese, Persian cucumbers, and pimiento-stuffed olives, for decorating
  • Sriacha or ketchup, for decorating 

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place butter, 1 cup water, and ½ tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add flour and stir vigorously until mixture comes together and looks smooth and shiny, about 1 minute. Continue stirring for 1 minute, then transfer mixture to a large bowl and let sit until no longer hot to the touch, about 15 minutes.
  3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat, using a wooden spoon, until mixture comes back together and is smooth. Add ¼ tsp pepper and cheese.
  4. Using a 1-Tbsp cookie scoop, drop small balls 2 in. apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking until light golden brown and set, 12 to 17 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  5. To make eyeballs, use cream cheese as glue to place slices of cucumber and olives on top of each puff. Squeeze sriracha or ketchup into lines around the sides. 

 

Halloween Devilled Tea Eggs

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

Eggs

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 Tbsp red or burgundy food colouring gel
  • 4 cups water

Filling and Toppings

  • 6 hardboiled egg yolks, from above
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp prepared wasabi
  • ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 6 pitted black olives, sliced into rounds or 24 pre-sliced black olive rounds
  • 3 Tbsp to 1/4 cup Sriracha

Directions

Eggs

  1. Add water to medium saucepan and stir in red food colouring. Add eggs and stir. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Carefully remove eggs from red water with a spoon. In the bowl, tap egg with a spoon or press gently with your thumb to create cracks all over exterior. Place back in red water. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  3. Once chilled, peel and rinse eggs. Slice in half lengthwise and add egg yolks to a medium bowl for the filling. Place hollowed egg whites cut side-up on a serving platter.

Filling and Toppings

  1. Mash removed yolks with a fork until yolk is in fine pieces. Add mayonnaise, wasabi and sesame oil. Mix well to incorporate.
  2. Spoon or pipe filling into hollowed egg whites. Dot filling with a black olive round to create the “pupil” or use. Pipe sriracha onto whites to create a bloodshot eye appearance. Serve.

 

Happy Halloween!