Scarily good baking recipes

Halloween is the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen! Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or just fancy a spooky snack, these easy-to-do baking recipes are sure to be a hit. From ghostly gingerbread to creepy cupcakes, these recipes are packed with flavour and a dash of Halloween fun. Let’s get baking!

Ghoulish Gingerbread Men

Let’s kick things off with a Halloween twist on the classic gingerbread man. These ghoulish gingerbread cookies are spiced with warming ginger and cinnamon, but the real fun comes when you decorate them as little skeletons, zombies, or mummies!

Ingredients

• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g unsalted butter
• 175g light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• Icing (for decorating)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas mark 4) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar, then add the egg and golden syrup. Mix until it forms a dough.
4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 5mm thick and cut out gingerbread men shapes with a cookie cutter.
5. Place the shapes on the baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let them cool completely before decorating.
6. Once cooled, use icing to decorate your gingerbread men as spooky skeletons, mummies, or zombies. Let your creativity run wild—there’s no wrong way to make these frightfully delicious treats!

Spiderweb Chocolate Cupcakes

These rich and chocolaty cupcakes are the perfect Halloween party treat, complete with a spooky spiderweb design on top. They’re easy to make and even easier to devour!

Ingredients (for the cupcakes)

• 150g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 150ml milk
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150ml boiling water

Ingredients (for the icing)

• 200g dark chocolate
• 100ml double cream
• White icing (for spiderweb design)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas mark 4) and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and caster sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
4. Carefully pour in the boiling water and mix until the batter is smooth. The batter will be quite thin, but don’t worry—that’s normal!
5. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cases and bake for 18–20 minutes. Let them cool completely before decorating.
6. For the icing, melt the dark chocolate with the double cream in a bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let it cool slightly, then spread it over the top of each cupcake.
7. To create the spiderweb, use the white icing to draw concentric circles on top of each cupcake. Then, drag a toothpick from the centre to the edges to form the web design.

Mummy Sausage Rolls

For a savoury option with a spooky twist, try these mummy sausage rolls! They’re incredibly easy to make and perfect for a Halloween snack or party platter. With just a few ingredients, you’ll have a tray full of delicious mummies in no time.

Ingredients

• 1 pack ready-rolled puff pastry
• 6 sausages (or veggie sausages)
• 1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
• Mustard or ketchup (for eyes)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into thin strips about 1cm wide.
3. Take each sausage and wrap it with the pastry strips to look like a mummy, leaving a small gap at the top for the face.
4. Place the wrapped sausages on the baking tray and brush them with the beaten egg to give them a golden finish.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the sausages are cooked through.
6. Once they’ve cooled slightly, use mustard or ketchup to dot on little eyes in the gap left for the face.

Happy Haunting!