As I’ve just had half term, I decided to dedicate a day in the kitchen to bake! With Halloween just around the corner, I’ve had lots of fun coming up with some creepy treats! When I was younger I didn’t really celebrate Halloween, but in recent years, it’s become a great excuse for a party!
I’ve shared two recipes below, one for tummy-friendly gingerbread skeletons and another for some spooky cupcakes – which are about as much fun to decorate as they are to eat! Both are also gluten and dairy free. I went to The Range for my Halloween decor, while picking up the icing treats from Sainsbury’s and gingerbread cutter (pack of two) from Hobby Craft. I used Dr Oetker’s icing dye and pens to create the designs! I am not particularly arty (I was advised not to take an Art GCSE!) so I’m quite pleased with how they turned out!
Gingerbread Skeletons
Ingredients
- 350 g Gluten free plain flour
- 1 tsp Xanthan gum
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 100 g Butter
- 4 tbsp Golden syrup
- 180 g Dark brown soft sugar
- 1 Egg
- Icing sugar pen & sugar faces to decorate (Sainsbury's or Tesco)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the plain flour, xanthan gum, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Add the butter and rubs between your fingers to form breadcrumbs.
- Add the dark brown sugar, golden syrup and egg to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3mm (use plain flour to prevent it from sticking to the work surface). Use a gingerbread cutter and cut out as many shapes as you can and place on a baking sheet (lined with baking paper).
- Bake the cookies for 13 minutes until dark brown in colour Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To decorate, use a white icing pen and stick the skeleton faces (or draw your own!) then draw on the bones. Leave to set, then enjoy!
If you aren’t into Halloween, these are also delicious plain, and I’ll certainly be making some to take to work as snacks. If you’re a fan of cinnamon and ginger, you may also like to give these recipes a try: Cinnamon Oat Biscuits & Ginger Loaf Cake.
Spooky Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 170 g Gluten free self-raising flour
- 170 g Golden caster sugar
- 170 g Butter I use dairy-free stork baking blocks
- 3 Eggs
For the vanilla cupcakes:
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the double chocolate cupcakes:
- 2 tsp Cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp Milk lactose-free or dairy free
- 75 g Dark chocolate chips dairy free
For the icing:
- 500 g Icing (ready to roll various colours)
- 150 g White fondant icing
- Orange food dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and the flour gradually, folding as you go.
- Divide the mixture into two bowls, so that you can make 6 double chocolate cupcakes (add the cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips and milk), and 6 vanilla cupcakes (add the vanilla extract).
- Prepare 12 cupcake cases in a tin. Gradually add the mixture until you have filled the cases three quarters of the way up. Try to fill each case up with the same amount of mixture so that they have a uniform rise for decorating.
- Place them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Place the cupcakes on a wire rack and leave to cool.
- To decorate, you will need green, black and white icing. Begin by making the orange for the pumpkin cupcakes. Gradually add drops of orange food dye to a small ball of white icing and knead until the icing is a bold orange in colour. Roll out, and using a circular cookie cutter, remove a small circle the size of the top of the cupcake. Place this on top.
- Repeat this with the remaining cupcakes. You will need 6 white circles (3 for Jack Skellington faces, 3 for mummy faces), 3 orange circles (pumpkins) and 3 green circles (frankenstein or witch faces). Using the black icing, decorate each of the faces carefully and place the features onto the cupcakes (you may need to use water as an adhesive). Serve once complete.
As always, let me know if you give these bakes a try, I love to see you enjoying the recipes over on Instagram and Facebook!
Happy Halloween,
Alice x
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