Annabel Karmel shares her spookiest Halloween Recipes with Sassy Mama!

What would a Halloween party be without scrumptious treats to delight little ghosts and ghouls? This is the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen with your little ones, and here are some fun recipes to get you started from Sassy Mama contributor Annabel Karmel.

 

Vegetable Skeleton Dip

Bones have never tasted so good!

Ingredients
Makes one Skeleton

Sweet Chilli and Sour Cream Dip
100g cream cheese
100g soured cream
Two tablespoons sweet chilli sauce (or to taste)
One teaspoon lime juice

Skeleton
¼ cucumber, sliced
½ carrot, peeled and sliced in half
Three mushrooms, sliced
Two sticks celery
One red pepper, deseeded and sliced
Two broccoli florets
A handful of salad cress
One black pitted olive, sliced
Slices of red pepper

Method

First make the dip. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the sour cream, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice. Cover, and chill until needed.

Arrange the vegetables on a board to make the skeleton, saving a little of the carrot and pepper. Transfer the dip to a small bowl and add the cress, olive slices, carrot and pepper to make the face.

 

Monster Muffins

Kids will have fun decorating these tasty cupcakes to look like scary monsters.

Ingredients
Makes 12 Cupcakes

Cupcakes
110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
110g self-raising flour
Two medium eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Decoration
One tub vanilla frosting
Green food colouring
White fondant icing
Black fondant icing (or you can colour some white fondant icing black with black food colouring).

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases. Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl or food processor, and beat together until smooth. Spoon into the cases and bake for about 18 – 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden on top.

Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool. Colour about half the frosting green, using some of the food colouring. When the muffins are completely cool, swirl the green icing on top of the muffins using a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Make small balls of white fondant icing and flatten them to make the whites of the eyes. Make smaller balls of black icing and flatten them to make pupils. Roll out some black icing and use to make eyebrows and moustaches.

 

Pumpkin Muffins

Create different ghoulish faces on these scary (and yummy!) pumpkin muffins!

Ingredients
Makes 12 Muffins

Muffins
225g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
200 ml milk
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g sultanas
125g pumpkin, peeled and grated

Decoration
1 tub ready-made buttercream
Orange food colouring
Chocolate flavoured writing icing
150g ready-to-roll white icing
Green food colouring
Brown food colouring 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases.

Measure all of the ingredients into a freestanding electric mixer. Whisk until blended. Spoon into the cases then bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until well-risen and lightly golden on top.

Remove the muffins from the muffin tin and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile colour two-thirds of the ready-to-roll icing green, and two-thirds brown. Roll out the green icing and shape into 12 leaves, using a toothpick to draw the veins on the leaves. Shape the brown icing into 12 stalks. Then colour the buttercream orange, and spread the icing over the cupcakes. Decorate with eyes, noses and mouths using the chocolate-flavoured writing icing before adding the leaves and stalks to the pumpkins.

For more tasty party treats see Annabel’s ‘Complete Party Planner’, published by Ebury Press.

 

 

Annabel Karmel MBE is a modern-day “mamapreneur” – juggling life as a busy working mother of three with a hugely successful career. Since launching her Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner more than 20 years ago, Annabel has written 27 books, which have sold over four million copies worldwide, covering every stage of a child’s development. With more than 20 years’ experience under her apron, Annabel has become the UK’s number one parenting author, best-selling international author and expert on devising delicious, nutritious meals for babies and children.