Månad: oktober 2011

Halloween cookies recipe

By Amanda Grant

Serving instructions

1. Makes about 20-25 cookies |

2. Takes 40 minutes to make, 8-10 minutes to bake, plus chilling |

Ingredients

1. 100g softened butter

2. 100g golden caster sugar or light soft brown sugar

3. A few drops of vanilla extract

4. 1 large free-range egg

5. 240g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

6. 20g cocoa powder

7. 20-25 lolly sticks (optional)

8. Smarties, to decorate

Method

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Put the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and use a wooden spoon or an electric hand whisk to mix together until pale and fluffy. This is called ‘creaming’. Add the egg and keep beating the mixture until well mixed. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and mix everything together with a metal spoon. Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

2. 2. Sprinkle a little flour over a work surface. Cut the dough into 4 and roll each piece to 3-4mm thick.

3. 3. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters, re-rolling any trimmings, then carefully lift onto the baking tray. If you want to make them into lolly cookies, carefully push a lolly stick into the bottom of each cookie. Decorate with Smarties.

4. 4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies, until golden and cooked. Cool completely on a wire rack.

viaHalloween cookies Recipe | delicious. Magazine free recipes.

Freaky fingers

100g caster sugar
100g butter
1 egg yolk
200g plain flour
½ tsp vanilla extract
20 blanched almonds
red food colouring , paste is best (optional)

Brainballs

85g popping corn
1 tbsp vegetable oil , plus extra for shaping
25g butter
85g marshmallow

Serves 10

Prep 30 mins

Cook 20 mins

Freezable

Method

1. For the freaky fingers, place the first five ingredients and a pinch of salt in a food processor and whizz just until a ball of dough forms. Tear off a golfball-size piece of dough and use your hands to roll into finger-size cylinders – you should get about 20. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment – a little apart as they will spread during baking. Use a knife to make a few cuts, close together, for the knuckles. Place an almond at the end of each finger and trim away excess pastry around the edge to neaten. Place in the fridge for 30 mins, heat oven to 180C/160F/Gas 4, then bake for 10-12 mins just until firm. Leave to cool a little, then paint the almond with food colouring, if you like. Makes 20.

2. For the brainballs, place the popping corn and vegetable oil in a large pan set over a medium heat. Stir the kernels around the pan to coat in the oil. When the kernels starts to pop, place a lid firmly on top and turn the heat down to low. Cook, shaking the pan often to stop the popcorn burning or sticking, until the corn has stopped popping, about 5 mins. Tip into a bowl, discarding any unopened kernels. Heat butter and marshmallows over a low heat until melted. Pour over popcorn and mix well until coated. Lightly rub oil over your hands and shape the popcorn into small balls. Set aside on a tray lined with baking parchment and leave to set. Makes 10.

3. For the bloodthirsty squash, fill up a kitchen glove with water, secure the end with a freezer clip or rubber band and place in the freezer overnight. When ready to serve, stir together 1 litre each lemonade and cranberry juice with the juice 3-4 limes. Pour into a punch bowl. Remove the hand from the freezer and use scissors to carefully take off the glove. Place in the punch bowl and serve. Serves 10.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2009.

viaHalloween treats & drinks recipe – Recipes – BBC Good Food.

• 100.0g unsalted butter , plus a little extra for the tin
• 300.0g pink and white marshmallows
• 200.0g rice cereal (try Rice Krispies)
• 300.0g white chocolate , melted, for coating
• a little melted plain chocolate or black writing icing, to decorate
• wooden lolly sticks or coffee stirrers (stirrers are a little more bendy)

Prep 40 mins

Cook time

Cook 10 mins

plus cooling

Method

1. Butter, then line a 30 x 20cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan. Tip in the marshmallows, then melt very gently for about 10 mins, stirring regularly to make sure they don’t stick.

2. Once smooth, stir in the cereal until all of the grains are coated. Spoon the mix into the tin, then press down to make it flat and smooth. Chill until cool and set. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.

3. Make the ghost shapes two ways. Cut the cake into rectangles, then use a sharp knife to round off the tops and zig-zag the bottoms. Or, to make flying ghosts, stamp out circles about 9cm across and use a sharp knife to divide into teardrop-shaped ghosts. Cut pieces of leftover cake to make arms, if you like.

4. Carefully push a lolly stick into the bottom of each ghost. Put onto a cooling rack. If you’ve made arms, stick them on using a little white chocolate, then spoon over more chocolate and paint it over and down the sides of the ghosts with a pastry brush. Leave to set. Pipe on eyes with the plain chocolate or icing.

Per serving

233 kcalories, protein 3.0g, carbohydrate 35.0g, fat 10.0 g, saturated fat 6.0g, fibre 0.0g, sugar 22.0g, salt 0.24 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2010.

viaMalloween ghosts recipe – Recipes – BBC Good Food.