Annabel Karmel Halloween Recipes

These delicious Halloween cupcakes are easy to make and are a great spooky addition to your Halloween party set up.

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20-25 MINUTES

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Cupcake ingredients
125g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
125g butter, soft
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
50g chocolate chips

Icing
Either 400g tub of ready made butter cream
Or 200g softened butter + 400g icing sugar + 1-2 tbsp milk + a few drops of pure vanilla essence

Food colourings
Orange
Purple
Blue
Green

Decoration
Black Writing Icing (large tube)
Edible candy eyes

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180° C (160° C Fan). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. Measure all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl (except the chocolate chips). Whisk together with an electric hand whisk. Stir in the chocolate chips, then spoon into the cases.
3. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
4. To make the buttercream. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and milk  and beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla.
5. Divide the buttercream icing into four bowls. Add a few drops of the green, orange, blue & purple food colourings to each bowl and mix well.

FRANKENSTEIN
Spread green icing over the cupcakes using a palette knife.Add the edible eyes. Draw on the hair and mouth using the black Writing Icing.

PUMPKIN
Pipe 5 vertical bands of orange icing working from the bottom to the top of the cupcake to create the pumpkin.

Pipe on green leaves using a little of the green buttercream.

Pipe the jack-o-lantern features onto the pumpkin using the black Writing Icing.

MUMMY
Pipe on bandages using the butter cream and pop two candy eyes into a couple of spaces between the bandages.

COOKIE MONSTER
Pipe blue icing all over the cupcake to create thin strands of blue icing. Once covered add the candy eyes.

PURPLE MONSTER
Pipe small stars of icing to cover the cupcake with purple buttercream stars. Once covered add candy eyes.

SPIDER WEB
Spread white icing over the cupcakes using a palette knife.

Using the black Writing icing draw 4 circles starting with the smallest circle first in the middle of the cupcake. Draw a further three circles until you reach close to the edge of the white icing.

Using a cocktail stick, drag through the circles from the centre to the edge, to create a cobweb effect.

Get your spook on first thing in the morning with this spellbinding breakfast treat.

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 15-20 MINUTES

MAKES 4 LARGE PANCAKES

Ingredients
175g self raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
20g caster sugar
150g buttermilk
150ml milk
1 egg beaten
40g butter, melted

Decoration
Blueberries
Banana
Dates
Strawberries
Assorted nuts & seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds and cashews

Method

1. Measure the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar into a bowl. Mix the egg, buttermilk, milk and butter together in another bowl. Gently whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth and without any lumps.
2. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Spoon two large spoonfuls of mixture in the centre of the pan to make a large pancake measuring 14cm wide.
3. Fry over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip over to cook for another 2 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.
4. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Decorate your Dracula pancakes using bananas, berries, dates, nuts and seeds.

For something a bit different have fun creating your very own family of Monster Burgers.

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES

MAKES 4-6 MONSTER BURGERS

Ingredients
500g lean minced beef
¾ red pepper diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp Marmite
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 slices bread 125g
2 apples grated (squeeze out some of the juices)
1 egg yolk

Decoration
1 x packet of burger buns
Lettuce & slices of tomato
Olives
Tomato ketchup, to serve
Fake teeth
Cocktail sticks or thin straws
Red pepper

Method

1. Measure all of the ingredients into a food processor. Whiz until finely chopped and the mixture has come together. Season and shape into 4 or 6 burgers.
2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Fry the burgers for 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden and cooked through.
3. Assemble your monster burgers with the salad ingredients, burger and fake teeth. Insert olives on two mini cocktail sticks or thin straws to make your monster eyes and insert into the top of the bun. Cut out two red pepper triangles and add to the burger as horns using cocktail sticks. Remember to remove cocktail sticks before serving to young children.

Let your little monster sink their teeth into these spooky and oh-so-tasty sandwich variations.

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

MAKES 4 SPOOKY SANDWICHES

Cucumber and cream cheese Mummy

1 slice of white bread
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 small cucumber
1 black pitted olive, sliced into rings

Method

Put the bread onto a board. Spread the surface with cream cheese. Make thin ribbons of cucumber using a potato peeler. Arrange on top of the cream cheese to look like a mummy. Add the olive rings for eyes. 

Avocado Frankenstein 

1 slice of white bread 
1/2 avocado
Black pitted olives

Method

Put the bread onto a board. Remove the stone from the avocado and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Mash until smooth using a fork. Spread over the bread and spread out. 

Halve 3 olives and arrange at the top of the bread to make the Frankenstein’s hair. Slice an olive into rings and add to make the eyes. Thinly slice two olives into thin strips to make the mouth. 

Peanut butter and banana ghosts

1 slice of white bread
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 thin banana
Raisins

Method

Put the bread onto a board. Spread the surface with peanut butter. Slice the banana in half lengthways to make two ghost shapes. Place on top of the peanut butter. Add raisins for eyes and a mouth.

Cheese Monsters

1 Baker Street slice of white bread
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 slice red Leicester cheese
1 slice of sliced mozzarella cheese
Black olives

Method

Put the bread on a board. Spread with butter and place the slice of red Leicester on top. Stamp out three small oval shapes from the mozzarella slice and place on top to make the monster's eyes. Add halved olives for the eyeballs. 

Make a scary mouth out of thinly sliced olives.

A hollowed out pumpkin acts as the perfect bowl for this spiced pumpkin soup. The ideal spook-tacular starter for a Halloween party.

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES

MAKES 4-6 PORTIONS

Ingredients

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
125g celery, diced
600g peeled pumpkin, diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
¼ red chilli (optional)
600ml vegetable stock
100ml milk

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, celery, pumpkin and ginger. Fry over a high heat for 3 minutes.
2. Add the spices, chilli and tomato puree. Fry for one minute.
3. Add the stock, cover with a lid, bring up to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until tender.
4. Whiz until smooth using a hand blender. Stir in the milk and season.

This spooky homemade pizza is the ultimate fuel ahead of trick or treating on Halloween.

PREP TIME: 2.5 HOURS 

COOK TIME: 35 MINUTES

MAKES 1 LARGE OR 2 SMALLER PIZZAS 

Ingredients

Pizza Dough
275g strong bread flour
2 tsp dried fast action yeast
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil
150 - 175 ml water

Tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh basil chopped

Toppings
Black olives
6 slices salami
250g block mozzarella

Method

1. First make the dough. Measure the flour, yeast, salt, oil and water into a mixing bowl. Mix together using a spoon. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes until you have a smooth shiny dough. Place in an oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
2. Meanwhile to make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sundried tomato paste and basil. Leave to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C Fan. Knead the dough, then roll out to a large 30cm circle. Place on a baking sheet or round pizza tray. Spread the sauce over the base.
4. Stamp out salami bats and mozzarella ghosts using Halloween cutters. Make spiders out of the black olives.
5. Put the olive spiders and salami bats onto the pizza. Bake for 15 minutes until nearly cooked, then add the pizza ghosts and put back into the oven for 4 to 5 minutes until just melted (don’t leave too long or the mozzarella will spread too much) and the edges of the pizza are golden brown.