Halloween is only a matter of days away, so you may well be thinking about spookily-themed sweet treats to serve up this weekend, whether for breakfast, an after-lunch treat or dessert.
Here, we have four family-friendly recipes to try your hand at this All Hallows' Eve.
Media One Hotel's pumpkin pie
This recipe by Media One Hotel chefs Candice Walker and Ahamed Ahsan makes individual servings of a hearty pumpkin pie, which will impress when served with spooky sweets. Compared to the typical US version, this also contains a pumpkin creme patissiere topping, which is essentially a delicious custard.
Serves 5
Ingredients
For the crust:
100g butter
50g icing sugar
125g plain flour
1 egg yolk
For the pumpkin creme patissiere:
100ml full fat milk
100ml cream
10g butter
50g white sugar
2 eggs
30g almond powder
50g of pumpkin puree
For the pumpkin pie filling:
300g pumpkin, cubed
75g white sugar
400ml water
Nutmeg or cinnamon powder to garnish
Method
Mix the butter, icing sugar, plain flour and egg yolk together to form the pastry dough. Wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for one hour.
After one hour, remove the cling film, dust a clean surface with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 1cm.
Cut round circles to fill a muffin tray and press the dough into the moulds until it forms the shape of a pie crust.
Line the crust with baking parchment and add baking beans or rice. Blind bake until the dough is half cooked, for around 10 minutes, at 170°C.
For the pumpkin creme patissiere, heat the milk, cream and butter on a medium temperature until the butter is dissolved.
Whisk the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl until the sugar is fully dissolved and you have a smooth mixture.
Add a quarter of the milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk straight away to incorporate the two. Once fully mixed, add the remaining milk mixture.
Add the pumpkin puree and almond powder and mix until fully integrated. Put the mixture back into the pan and cook on slow heat until thickened.
Pour the thickened mixture into a bowl and cover with cling film, then allow it to cool it in the fridge.
Make the pumpkin pie filling by boiling the pumpkin, sugar and water until the pumpkin is soft. Bring it off the heat and wait for the mixture to cool down before blending it all together.
Take your half-baked tart shells and fill halfway with the pumpkin pie filling. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown at 170°C.
Once the pies have cooled down, spoon or pipe the pumpkin creme patissiere on to the tarts. Dust with a little cinnamon or nutmeg powder, and decorate with Halloween sweets to taste.
Magnolia Bakery's Halloween banana pudding recipe
Magnolia Bakery's banana pudding is a favourite of customers around the world, but give the easy-to-prepare sweet treat a ghoulish twist this Halloween.
Serves 12
Ingredients
375ml water
125g instant vanilla pudding mix
225ml can sweetened condensed milk
720ml heavy cream
1 box vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced
Edible Halloween confetti and sweets to decorate
Method
Mix together the water, pudding mix and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least four hours, or overnight until it sets.
Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Working in thirds, fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well incorporated.
In a small trifle bowl, layer vanilla wafers, sliced bananas and the pudding mixture; continue until you've used up all the pudding mixture. Top with Halloween sweets then refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes before serving.
Marks & Spencer pumpkin-spiced pancakes
The world is wild for pumpkin-spiced anything, we know that. So, switch up your weekend breakfast this Halloween with pumpkin-spiced pancakes. This autumnal treat is topped with sticky apples and a drizzle of the supermarket's Cook With M&S Honey & Pumpkin Spice Glaze.
Serves 4
Ingredients
135g plain flour
1 tsp Cook With M&S Pumpkin Spice
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
130ml milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for cooking
8 apples, sliced
1 tbsp Cook With M&S Honey & Pumpkin Spice Glaze, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp maple syrup
Method
Sift the flour, pumpkin spice seasoning, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg. Next add the melted butter and whisk again.
Pour the milk, egg and butter mixture into the flour mixture. Beat until the batter is smooth.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and melt a knob of butter. Add a ladle of mix to the pan and cook.
Once bubbling, turn over and cook until both sides are golden. Repeat until you have used all the batter.
For the apples, melt a knob of butter in a frying pan. Add the apples, season with salt and cook for a few minutes.
Add the Cook With M&S Honey & Pumpkin Spice Glaze and maple syrup and then cook until the apples are caramelised and softened.
Top the pancakes with the apples and some extra glaze.
Waitrose's creepy fridge cake
This easy chocolate treat requires no baking time, so it's a perfect Halloween afternoon activity to keep the kids busy.
Serves 16
Ingredients
300g plain chocolate, broken into chunks
100g unsalted butter, diced
2 tbsp golden syrup
100g pecans, roughly chopped
100g dried apricots, roughly chopped
75g glace cherries, halved
50g rice pops cereal
50g raisins
50g pumpkin seeds
138g pack Cadbury’s chocolate fingers, halved
160g pack The Natural Confectionery Company Jelly Snakes
133g pack chocolate M&Ms (use the green ones only)
Method
Line a 20 centimetre square baking tin with baking parchment or cling film.
Place the chocolate into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with the butter and syrup and melt over a low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth, then leave to cool slightly.
Add the pecans, apricots, cherries, rice pops, raisins and pumpkin seeds to the pan and mix well to combine. Stir in half the chocolate fingers then spoon into the prepared tin.
Spread into the edges with a spoon and push the remaining chocolate fingers and jelly snakes into the mix and scatter with the green M&Ms. Leave until cold and then cover and chill until set firm.
Cut into 16 squares to serve.
