Category: Halloween

Brownies, Halloween

Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies

by Jessie2 Comments on Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies

Get creative with these deliciously spooky Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies! They’re fudgy in texture, rich in flavour and topped with the cutest white chocolate marshmallow ghosts.

Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies

My top tips for making Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies

Here are a few tips to make sure your brownies turn out perfectly:

Homemade caramel sauce requires patience. Making homemade caramel can be a little tricky.

Use the right-sized baking tin. This recipe calls for an 8x8inch / 20x20cm square baking tin. Before you start, measure your baking tin and check that it is the same size. If you find that the baking tin you are using is smaller or bigger than 8x8inches, you will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Smaller tin = increase baking time by 2-3 minutes. Bigger tin = decrease baking time by 2-3 minutes.

Brownies are best under-baked. Brownies will continue to cook and firm up as they cool down, so it’s always best to take them out the oven slightly under-baked. In my oven, I always bake brownies for 17 minutes at 180°C. I know they’re done when the top is no longer shiny, the edges have started to crack, and if I gently shake the baking tin, the brownies will wobble a little underneath.

Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies

How to make white chocolate marshmallow ghosts

As well as looking super cute, the white chocolate ghosts are also super quick and easy to make!

Step 1. Place a large white marshmallow on top of the brownie.

Step 2. Use a teaspoon to coat the marshmallow in melted white chocolate. I used about 2 teaspoons per marshmallow.

Step 3. Pop in the fridge for 5 minutes to set

Step 4. Use a writing icing pen to draw two dots for the eyes and an oval for the mouth. I used Cake Decor’s Milk Choco Writer pen.

It’s as simple as that!

More Halloween recipes you’ll love

Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies (makes 12)

Ingredients


For the brownies:
150g unsalted butter
150g 70% dark chocolate
2 large eggs, at room temperature
220g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour

For the caramel sauce:
100g granulated sugar
40g unsalted butter, soft at room temp and cut into chunks
100g heavy cream, room temp

For the white chocolate ghosts:
12 large white marshmallows
100g white chocolate
Chocolate writing icing – I used Cake Decor’s Milk Choco Writer pen.

Method

Start by making caramel sauce
  1. Heat the granulated sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has completely melted and turned into a thick golden-coloured liquid. Occasionally stir the sugar with a spatula to prevent it from burning on the bottom. You’ll need to be patient as this can take 10-15 minutes.
  2. Once you have a golden-coloured liquid with no lumps of sugar, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter. The mixture will bubble up so be careful.
  3. Now pour in the cream and stir through until fully combined.
  4. Pour into a bowl and place in the fridge to thicken and cool.
Now make the brownie mixture
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line an 8inch/20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl break up the dark chocolate and add the butter. Melt in the microwave in 30-second blasts, mixing after each, until completely smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together for a minute until pale in colour and foamy.
  4. Add the melted chocolate and flour and fold everything together until you have a thick chocolate mixture. 
Layer the brownies and bake
  1. Spoon half of the brownie mixture into the baking tin, spreading it out into an even layer.
  2. Take the caramel out of the fridge and pour this on top.
  3. Spoon the remaining brownie mixture over the caramel and gently spread it out to conceal the caramel.
  4. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the top is no longer shiny and the edges have started to crack.
  5. Leave to cool completely in the baking tin for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results. If you’re short on time, you can speed this up by putting the brownies in the fridge for an hour.
Time to decorate
  1. Lift the brownies out of the tin using the greaseproof paper. Use a large knife to slice them into 12.
  2. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second blasts, mixing after each, until completely smooth.
  3. Place a large white marshmallow on top of each brownie.
  4. Use a teaspoon to coat the marshmallows in melted white chocolate. Place in the fridge to set for 5 minutes.
  5. Use the writing icing to draw two dots for the eyes and an oval for the mouth, on each marshmallow to make the ghost face.

Your Caramel Stuffed Boo Brownies will keep at room temperature, in an airtight container, for you to 3 days.

Cheesecake, Halloween

Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes

by JessieLeave a Comment on Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes

Halloween baking doesn’t get better than these spooktacular Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes!

Each cheesecake has layers of Oreo ‘soil’, Oreo cheesecake and ‘blood’ cheesecake, and are decorated with a R.I.P biscuit tombstone and creepy Halloween sweeties.

Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes

My top tips for making graveyard Oreo cheesecakes

These cheesecakes are actually really easy to make and can be ready in less than 30 minutes! Here are a few tips to make sure your graveyard Oreo cheesecakes turn out perfectly:

Use the correct jar size. For this recipe, I used these 200ml dessert jars which I found on Amazon at a bargain price. The recipe will give you 4 generous-sized individual cheesecakes if you use a similar jar size.

Gel food colouring is a must. To make the red cheesecake mixture bright and saturated in colour, you will want to use gel food colouring not the liquid type. The best gel food colouring brands (in my opinion) are Wilton and AmeriColor.

Use full-fat cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese = a lovely thick and creamy cheesecake. If you use lighter or low-fat cream cheese the cheesecake texture will be very runny and won’t set properly.

Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes

More Halloween recipes you’ll love

Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes recipe (makes 4)

Ingredients


2 packs Oreos (roughly 300g total)
250g full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese, cold from the fridge
80g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200ml double cream
Red food colouring gel
Halloween sweets such as jelly snakes, brains, spiders
4 malted milk biscuits
Chocolate writing icing

Method

Start by making the cheesecake layers
  1. Place the Oreo biscuits in a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin until the biscuits turn to fine crumbs. Set aside for later.
  2. Add the Philadelphia to a large mixing bowl. Sieve in the icing sugar and use an electric mixer to beat the two ingredients together until smooth.
  3. Add the vanilla extract and double cream and beat for 1-2 minutes until the cheesecake mixture thickens and is smooth.
  4. Divide the cheesecake mixture between two bowls.
  5. Dye one bowl red with the food colouring. This is your red cheesecake mixture.
  6. Pour half of the Oreo crumbs into the other bowl and mix together. This is your Oreo cheesecake mixture.
Now layer the cheesecakes
  1. Fill the bottom of each jar with 3-4 teaspoons of Oreo crumbs. Save the rest of the Oreo crumbs for later.
  2. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of Oreo cheesecake mixture into the jar and smooth out into an even layer.
  3. Divide the red cheesecake mixture evenly between the jars, layering it on top of the Oreo cheesecake.
  4. Now evenly divide the remaining Oreo cheesecake mixture between the jars.
  5. Finish by spooning the remaining Oreo crumbs on top.
Time to decorate!
  1. Use the chocolate writing icing to write R.I.P on the malted milk biscuits.
  2. Push the biscuits into the cheesecake.
  3. Decorate the top of the cheesecakes with your Halloween sweeties.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Your Graveyard Oreo Cheesecakes will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Halloween

Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread

by JessieLeave a Comment on Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread

Challenge your baking skills with this Halloween show-stopper recipe for Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread! The shortbread base is dyed bright orange, and the top is decorated with a white chocolate web and an edible fondant spider.

Millionaire's Spiderweb Shortbread

Why you’ll love this Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread

  • Fun to make. Piping the spiderweb and making the fondant spider is really fun, and it’s actually much easier than it looks.
  • Tastes delicious. You really can’t go wrong with biscuits, caramel and chocolate!
  • Perfect for sharing. Slice into 10-12 triangles and share with family or treat your friends. Who will get the spider!?
  • Can be frozen. If there are any leftovers (which I doubt there will be!) wrap the shortbread in foil and clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months.

Millionaire's Spiderweb Shortbread

How to make a chocolate spiderweb

  1. Prepare a piping bag. You won’t need a piping nozzle, just spoon melted white chocolate into a small piping bag and snip off the tip with a pair of scissors. You only need a small hole to pipe the chocolate, so be careful not to cut off too much.
  1. Pipe a spiral. Hold the piping bag upright in the middle of the millionaire’s. Gently apply pressure and pipe a spiral moving outwards until you reach the edge of the baking tin. It doesn’t have to be super neat and don’t worry if the lines are a bit wobbly.
  1. Drag through the circles. Use a toothpick to drag through the circles starting from the middle. Leave even spacing between each line to create a web effect.

It’s as simple as that!

More Halloween recipes you’ll love

Spiderweb Millionaires Shortbread recipe (makes 12 slices)

Ingredients

For the shortbread base:
300g plain flour
200g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge
100g white caster sugar
Orange food colouring

For the caramel layer:
85g unsalted butter
80g light brown sugar
30ml golden syrup
½ tin of condensed milk (a tin is 397g, so roughly 200g)
Pinch of salt

For the chocolate topping:
200g milk chocolate
50g white chocolate

For the fondant spider:
Red and black fondant icing – I used Dr. Oetker’s Read to Roll fondant

Method

Start with the shortbread base
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a the base of an 8inch loose-bottomed / springform baking tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Add the flour and sugar to a large bowl and give them a stir.
  3. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a dough has formed. This can take a little while, so be patient and it will come together eventually.
  4. Add a few drops of orange food colouring and knead the dough using the palm of your hand until it turns orange.
  5. Press the dough out in the baking tin into an even layer.
  6. Prick the top all over with a fork and bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly golden on top. Set aside and leave to cool.
Now make the caramel layer
  1. Put the condensed milk, butter, sugar, golden syrup, and salt into a saucepan.
  2. Gently heat on a low temperature until all the ingredients have melted.
  3. Now turn the heat up to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring all the time, until the caramel has thickened and turns a deep golden colour.
  4. Pour the caramel on top of the shortbread and spread it out into an even layer. Cover the baking tin with clingfilm and place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.
Move on to the chocolate topping (see photos above)
  1. Take the shortbread out of the fridge and set aside.
  2. Break the white chocolate up into a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30-second blasts until smooth. Spoon into a small piping bag, snip off the tip and set it aside for now.
  3. Now melt the milk chocolate in 30-second blasts until smooth. Pour the melted milk chocolate on top of the caramel layer and spread it out evenly.
  4. Return to the piping bag. Hold it upright in the middle of the baking tin, pipe a white chocolate spiral on top of the milk chocolate moving outwards. Use a toothpick to drag lines through the spiral starting from the middle to create a spiderweb effect.
  5. Place the baking tin back in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Let the millionaire’s sit at room temperature for roughly 1 hour before slicing. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

How to make the fondant spider

Find the instructions and a how-to video on my “How to make a fondant spider” blog post.

Halloween

How to make a fondant spider

by JessieLeave a Comment on How to make a fondant spider

This easy-to-make fondant spider is perfect for decorating Halloween cakes, brownies or cupcakes. You’ll just need some black and red ready-to-roll fondant icing, a toothpick, edible glue and a small round piping nozzle. It will only take you 10 minutes to make and it’s a great way to get the kids involved.

I decorated my Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread with the fondant spider and it really does take this Halloween bake to the next level!

fondant spider
fondant spider

What you will need

Red ready to roll fondant icing
Black ready to roll fondant icing
Toothpick
Edible glue
Small round piping nozzle
Greaseproof paper

How to make a fondant spider

Step 1 – Make the body

First, cover a work surface with a piece of greaseproof paper.
Take a 10p sized piece of black fondant and roll it into a ball using the palm of your hands.
Place it on greaseproof paper.

Step 2 – Make the head

Take a smaller piece of black fondant, roll into a ball and attach it to the body.

Step 3 – Roll the fangs

Take two small pieces of black fondant and roll each one into a small sausage shape.
Position one either side of the head.

Step 4 – Roll the legs

Take a piece of black fondant roughly the same size used for the head.
Using your palm and fingertips roll it into a long thin sausage.
Place it on the greaseproof paper and use the toothpick to gently make 2 indents on the leg. Repeat this for all 8 legs.
Attach 4 legs together, and the other 4 together.

Step 5 – Assemble the spider

Connect the legs together in the middle. Squeeze a little edible glue on top and attach the body.

Step 6 – Add the red spots

Take a small piece of red fondant and flatten it into a disc.
Use the round tip of the piping nozzle to stamp out 3 circles.
Using the edible glue, stick the red dots on the spider’s body.

Step 7 – Leave to dry

Leave the spider uncovered to dry and set.

Step 8 – Decorate

Gently peel the spider off the greaseproof paper and place it on top of your Halloween cake, cupcakes or traybake. I made the spider to decorate my Millionaire’s Spiderweb Shortbread.

Cookies, Halloween

Vampire Cookies

by JessieLeave a Comment on Vampire Cookies

Made using chocolate chip cookies, marshmallows, icing and Milkybar buttons, these Vampire cookies not only look amazing they taste it too!

Vampire Cookies

Why you’ll love these Vampire cookies

They’re easy and fun to bake.
The one-bowl cookie dough recipe couldn’t be easier, the only tricky part is patiently waiting for the dough to chill! The fun part is decorating and assembling the cookies. It’s perfect if you have little ones and want to get them involved, I mean who doesn’t love bright red icing and squishy marshmallows!

They look super spooky.
Your friends and family will definitely be impressed by these cookies, they are a real show-stopper bake. Don’t worry about making them too neat, the more the red icing oozes out the better!

But also taste delicious.
A Halloween bake has to taste as good as it looks, and these Vampire cookies will not disappoint. Soft-baked, chewy, flavoured with vanilla and studded with milk chocolate chips, these cookies are so delicious and full of flavour.

Vampire Cookies

How to assemble the Vampire cookies

This is the fun part! Assembling the Vampire cookies only takes a few minutes, and it’s a great way to get little ones involved.

  1. Cut the cookies. Use a sharp knife to cut the cookies down the middle and create two halves.
  2. Spread red icing on top. Using a spoon to spread the icing on top of the cookie halves.
  3. Add the teeth. Arrange the mini marshmallows around the edge of one cookie half.
  4. Sandwich together. Place the cookie half without marshmallows on top of the other cookie half. The icing will help hold the marshmallows in place.
  5. Add the fangs. Cut a Milkybar button in half to create two fangs. Push them into the icing, leaving roughly 4 marshmallows between each fang.

Here are step-by-step photos to help.

  • Step 1 – Cut the cookies
  • Step 2 – Spread red icing on top
  • Step 3 – Add the teeth
  • Step 4 – Sandwich together
  • Step 5 – Add the fangs

Vampire Cookies recipe (makes 12)

Ingredients

For the cookies:
160g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
250g self-raising flour
100g milk chocolate chips

For the decoration:
Mini marshmallows
1 small bag of Milkybar buttons
250-350g icing sugar
Red food colouring
1 tablespoon water

Method

Start by making the cookie dough

  1. In a large bowl, melt the butter in 20-second blasts in the microwave or on the hob until it turns to liquid.
  2. Add the caster sugar and light brown sugar and mix together.
  3. Now add the vanilla extract, whole egg and egg yolk and mix again until combined.
  4. Add the flour and chocolate chip and fold together until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
  5. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
  6. Meanwhile preheat oven to 180°C and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Bake the cookies

  1. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge.
  2. Scoop a heaped tablespoon of cookie dough, roll it into a ball and place on the baking tray. Repeat this step until all the cookie dough has been used up. Leave about 5cm between each cookie so they have enough room to spread out. I had 4 cookies on each baking tray and baked them in batches.
  3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges and the middle is still soft. Cool for 15 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Time to decorate!

  1. Mix together the icing sugar with 1 tablespoon of water to make a thick but spreadable icing. If the icing is too thick add a teaspoon of water at a time until you reach the right consistency.
  2. Now add a few drops of food colouring and stir together until the icing turns bright red.
  3. Use a sharp knife to cut the cookies down the middle so you have two halves.
  4. Spread the icing on top.
  5. Place the marshmallows around the edge of one cookie half.
  6. Sandwich the cookies together, gently pressing down so the icing oozes out.
  7. Chop the Milkybar buttons in half to make the fangs. Stick them into the icing leaving roughly 4 marshmallows between each fang.
  8. Place the cookies in the fridge for 10 minutes to set the icing.

Your Dracula cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

More cookie recipes you’ll love