We Made Halloween-Inspired Treats & Drinks For You To Try!

SPOOKY SZN is upon us and that just calls for eating Halloween desserts and drinks, right? October 31^st is creeping up, so it’s time to get your ✨ spooky ✨ creative juices flowing and make some of these delish Halloween-inspired recipes (tried and tested!). Bone Appétit! 💀

Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte

If you're curious about the famous “pumpkin spice latte” that makes an appearance every October, then this Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte is the perfect treat to make at home. Putting a cool twist on a fall tradition, this drink is sure to be your new spring addiction. With sweet hints of vanilla and maple, coupled with a combination of warm & cosy spices, this recipe is a cheap and easy way to tantalise your taste buds and get your pumpkin spice fix.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs pureed pumpkin (handmade or canned)
• 1 shot of coffee
• 1 cup of milk of choice 
• Maple syrup to taste
• Chocolate flavoured whipped cream
• Ice cubes
• Pumpkin spice mix (handmade or store bought)
  - 1 tsp ground cloves
  - 1 tsp ground ginger
  - 1 tsp nutmeg
  - 1 tbs cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine your spices in a bowl.
2. Blend the pumpkin puree, milk, maple syrup and a tsp of your pumpkin spice mix in a blender, adding more maple syrup and spice mix to taste.
3. Pour over ice and add whipped cream.
4. Dust pumpkin spice mix over the top and enjoy.

Spicy Devil's Brew

If spicy margs, or any spicy cocktail for that matter, is your jam - then you need to try this deliciously spicy devil's brew! It's made with jalapeno infused vodka, tastes both sweet and sour with the cranberry juice and limes, and garnished with cute chilli devil horns.  

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 shots of Vodka
• 3 shots of Cointreau
• 1 Jalapeno – chopped
• 1/3 cup of Cranberry Juice
• 3 Limes
• Kosher salt – for rims of glasses
• 1 tsp ground chilli powder
• 4 fresh, red chillies – for devil horns

Directions:

1. Infuse the vodka with jalapenos. In a small bowl, add vodka and chopped jalapenos – let it sit for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare the cocktail. In a small bowl, add Cointreau, cranberry juice and fresh lime juice. Refrigerate until vodka has finished infusing. Tip: save a lime wedge for the glass rims.
3. Prepare rims of the martini glasses. Mix about 3 tbs of kosher salt with the chilli powder. Rub a lime wedge around the rims of the glasses. Lightly press and turn the rims of each glass into the salt mixture.
4. Prepare devil horns. Cut off the end of each chilli, making sure the pair of horns is the same height. Make a small cut in the middle of the base of each chilli so they can sit on the rim.
5. Shake it up! In a cocktail shaker, add the chilled cocktail, infused vodka and a handful of ice. Strain the drink into your martini glasses.
6. Naughty final touches. Place horns on either side of the glass rim and ta-da!

Spooky Halloween Cupcakes

Don't come empty-handed to your next scheduled picnic - now that you've met these impressive spooky cupcakes, it would be rude not to make them! The perfect baking activity with a little one, they'll love helping you make the chocolate toppers, or eating them instead!

What you'll need:

• Hand held beater
• Large bowl
• Muffin Tin
• Baking Tray
• Baking paper
• Icing tubes

Ingredients:

• Cupcake mix (I used Cookies & Cream Cupcakes by Green’s – read the back for additional ingredients required)
• Red food colouring
• Yellow food colouring
• Nestle white chocolate bits or melts
• Nestle dark chocolate bits or melts

Directions:

1. Make your cupcakes with your cupcake mix and leave to cool (super important to let them cool completely before trying to ice).
2. Create your spooky chocolate toppers (see steps below).
3. Mix up your icing (most cupcake boxes come with icing included, however I usually add a bit more icing sugar and a teaspoon or so of milk to bulk up the quantity). Add your food colouring to the icing in small drops so you get the colour just right.
4. Ice the top of your cooled cupcakes.
5. Take your chocolate creations out of the fridge and place on the top.

Spooky Chocolate Toppers:

+ Line a baking tray with baking paper.

+ Prepare your icing plastic tube by making the smallest cut at the end (you can always make it bigger if you need after trying).

+ Melt your dark chocolate in the microwave in short bursts (it should still look like bits/melts when you remove and will continue to melt as you stir). Stir for 30 seconds between each burst as you want it to be just melted enough to lose it’s lumps.

+ Pour your dark chocolate liquid into your icing tube and start creating your creations (I made spiders, tomb stones, spider webs, the word BOO and ghosts) TIP: you want to make your lines thick enough that they won’t snap too easily when you remove when set.

+ Place your tray into the fridge to set (doesn’t take long, 20 min and you’re good).

+ Start on your white chocolate creations on another tray and leave some to add features to your dark chocolate creations like for eyes and the RIP on the tomb stones. Place in fridge.

(Cute) Spider Choc-Chip Cookies

"Cute" is really up to interpretation here. However, regardless if you see spiders as a friend or not, these choc-chip cookies taste extra delicious because of the added Reece's mini peanut buttercups on top. I personally find them super cute, just look at those doe eyes 🥰

Ingredients:

• Reece’s mini peanut buttercups
• Mini M&M’s
• 140g dark chocolate chips + additional for decorating cookies
• 130g butter (softened and cut into cubes)
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 180g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
2. Place butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl and thoroughly combine.
3. Add flour, bicarbonate soda, baking soda and salt, mix thoroughly.
4. Add chocolate chips and stir through.
5. Form dough, with the aid of a teaspoon, into approximately 20 walnut-sized balls and place them 5 cm apart onto prepared baking trays. Cookies will flatten as they bake.
6. Bake for approximately 12 mins or until cookies are golden brown. Allow to completely cool.
7. Meanwhile remove paper from Reece’s mini peanut buttercups and melt additional chocolate chips. You can do this by placing them in a bowl and microwaving for 30 second intervals at a time, and mixing chocolate in between to evenly distribute heat.
8. Place 2 small dots of melted chocolate onto the side of the peanut buttercup and place 2 Mini M&M’s on top to form the spiders eyes.
9. Now place a dollop of melted chocolate onto the centre of each cookie and place the peanut buttercup on top. I recommend doing one at time in case you need to remelt your chocolate as you go.
10. Lastly, spoon melted chocolate into an icing bag (or alternatively into a zip lock bag, and cut the very tip of the bottom corner, to ensure only a small amount of melted chocolate comes out at a time). Using your piping bag or zip lock bag draw 4 legs on either side of the peanut buttercup right down to the edge of the cookie.
11. Enjoy!