I’m not sure what happens in your house, but around here Halloween is kind of a big deal. Many Aussie’s shunt it due to it’s Americanism, but we like to embrace it for all it’s craziness and relish the opportunity to dress up and score some free sweets! Our costumes are hung (well the kids, mama’s too old for that!) the pumpkin is ready for carving (peaked too early one year and it was mouldy come oct 31!), and our $2 plastic pumpkin carry containers are ready to roll.

Here are some recipe ideas for the other families who like to take Halloween to the next level!

MUMMY COOKIES

Ingredients
Cookie dough:

125g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 ¾ cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp McKenzie’s Baking Powder
½ tsp McKenzie’s Bi-Carb Soda
1 cup milk or dark chocolate chips
¾ cup McKenzie’s Moist Flakes Coconut

Decoration:
200g white melted chocolate
48 candy eyeballs

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°. Line oven trays with baking paper.
  2. Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla essence in a bowl with electric mixer until combined.
  3. Slowly stir in sifted flour, baking powder and bi-carb. Add choc chips and coconut.
  4. Drop tablespoons of mixture 5cm apart onto trays.
  5. Bake cookies for approx. 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on trays.
  6. Drizzle on melted white chocolate to create a mummy effect. Stick on candy eyeballs.

Serves: 24  Preparation Time: 30 minutes  Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Tips/Variations:

  • For a berry twist – Add ½ cup frozen raspberries or mixed berries at step 3.
  • For double choc cookies – Omit 1/3 cup plain flour and replace with 1/3 cup cocoa at step 3.

SPIDER COOKIES

Ingredients
Cookie dough:

As per Mummy Cookies

Spider decoration:
40 Maltesers
200g dark melted chocolate
40 candy eyeballs

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°. Line oven trays with baking paper.
  2. Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla essence in a bowl with electric mixer until combined.
  3. Slowly stir in sifted flour, baking powder and bi-carb. Add choc chips and coconut.
  4. Drop tablespoons of mixture 5cm apart onto trays.
  5. Bake cookies for approx. 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on trays.
  6. Use a bit of melted chocolate to glue on two maltesers per cookie to form the spider’s body.
  7. Using a piping bag, create four lines of melted chocolate on each side of cookie to form the spider’s legs
  8. Stick on candy eyeballs with remaining melted chocolate.

Serves: 24  Preparation Time: 30 minutes  Cooking Time: 15 minutes

ZOMBIE BRAIN CAKES

Ingredients

Cupcake ingredients:
125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
125g plain flour
½ tsp McKenzie’s Bi-Carb Soda
1 tsp McKenzie’s Baking Powder
2 tsps vanilla essence
2 tbs full cream milk

Icing ingredients:
125g unsalted butter, softened
250g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsps full cream milk
Pink food colouring

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180C°. Line a 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin tin with cupcake patties.
  2. Using an electric mixer on medium setting, mix all cupcake ingredients except the milk. Gradually add the milk. Mix until smooth.
  3. Divide the mixture across the 12 cupcake patties.
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cake skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool.
  5. Beat butter with icing sugar using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla essence and milk until smooth, adding extra milk or icing sugar if necessary. Add a few drops of food colour and combine.
  6. Use a piping bag to decorate brain pattern onto cooled cupcakes.

Serves: Makes 12 cupcakes  Preparation Time: 20 minutes  Cooking Time: 20 minutes

MERINGUE GHOST

Ingredients

4 large egg whites
½ tsp McKenzie’s Cream of Tartar
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
50g dark chocolate, melted

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 120° Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper.
  2. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Fold through vanilla essence.
  3. Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm fluted tube and pipe in a swirling motion to form a ghost, ensuring each meringue is 2cm apart. Bake for about 45-60 minutes. Cool in the oven with the oven door slightly ajar.
  4. Using the back of a teaspoon, dip into melted chocolate and carefully dab on three small dots to make the eyes and mouth of the ghost.

Serves: 30  Preparation Time: 25 minutes  Cooking Time: 45 – 60 minutes

For more clever ideas visit www.mckenziesfoods.com.au