Halloween Ghosts Recipes

HALLOWEEN GHOSTS

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

HALLOWEEN GHOST COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a second bowl. Add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix to combine. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Dust a work surface with flour and roll out dough into a thin circle. Cut out tulip shapes; if your tulip cookie cutter has a stem, cut the stem off with a knife, so you have a stemless tulip shape. Arrange cut-out cookies on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheets carefully and transfer to wire racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Stir 1 cup confectioners' sugar and milk together in a small bowl until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until icing is smooth and glossy. Add more corn syrup if icing is too thick.
• Spoon icing into a piping bag with a small plain tip. Pipe icing around the edge of each cookie to create a border. Fill in the middle completely with icing. Stick 2 chocolate chip cookies into the wet icing for the eyes. Let cookies stand until icing dries, about 1 hour.

HALLOWEEN FONDANT GHOST CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line cups with paper liners.
• Sift 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
• Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk. Beat until batter is just blended.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Frost each cupcake with a thin layer of white vanilla frosting. Place 1 marshmallow half, cut-side up, in the center of each cupcake.
• Dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of white fondant; roll into thin circles that are slightly bigger than the cupcakes. Drape over the marshmallows so they look like ghosts. Poke 2 holes near the top for the eyes. Stuff 1 raisin half into each hole.