Witch's Brew Punch

This non-alcoholic apple punch is perfect for kids - the ginger ale and cinnamon make it really warming.

·         Serves: 6

·         Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 litre carton of apple juice
• Few slices of lemon
• 2 small apples, cored and sliced
• Few cinnamon sticks
• 1 litre bottle of American ginger ale

Method

1. Pour the apple juice into a large pan, add the lemon, apple slices and cinnamon sticks and heat gently for about 10 mins.
2. Pour in the ginger ale and heat for a further 3-4 mins, then serve the hot punch in heatproof glasses or tumblers.

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Blood Bath Cocktail

Easy-to-make with a fantastic blood-red colour, this cocktail is the perfect way to kick start a vampire-themed or Halloween party

·         Serves: 1

·         Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 100ml pomegranate juice
• 50ml vodka
• Dash of raspberry syrup
• Dash of lemon juice

Method

1. Mix the pomegranate juice, vodka, raspberry syrup and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well.
2. Serve chilled in a martini glass or poured over ice.

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Chocolate Spider Cakes

A cross between a brownie, a muffin and a cupcake, these tasty, chocolate Halloween treats are unlikely to hang around for long!

·         Makes: 18

·         Prep time: 20 mins

·         Cooking time: 20 mins

·         Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 170g/6oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 170g/6oz butter, cut into 2cm cubes
• 200g/7oz soft light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2tbsp sour cream
• 150g/5oz self raising flour
• 2tbsp cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 85g/3oz milk chocolate, finely chopped or chips (optional)

For the decoration:

• 100g/4oz milk chocolate
• Liquorice laces
• 16 chocolate marshmallow teacakes
• Liquorice Allsorts
• M&Ms
• Tube of writing icing

Method:

• Whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Stir this into the cooled chocolate. Into this, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt, and fold in, along with the milk chocolate (if using).
• Spoon into the paper cases, to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for 18-20 mins, until the muffins have risen and are firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack.
• For the decoration, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a palette knife, cover each cake with some of the melted chocolate. Arrange a liquorice strip for each of the spider's eight legs and stick a teacake in the centre of these. Use a blob of writing icing to stick the M&Ms on to the Liquorice Allsorts for eyes.

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line two muffin tins with 18 paper cases. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a heatproof bowl and melt, stirring frequently. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave (about 3 mins, stirring after each minute) or over a pan of warm water (make sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Set aside to cool slightly.

Slow-cooked Halloween Chicken - The Recipe

This delicious slow-cooked chicken dish is perfect for a Halloween or Bonfire Night party, just leave it simmering away and bring it out when your guests get hungry!

·         Serves: 4

·         Prep time: 20 mins

·         Cooking time: 2 hrs 30 mins

·         Total time: 2 hrs 50 mins

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 45g flaked almonds
• 250g TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
• 120ml water
• 2 onions chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2tsp ground coriander seeds
• 4 cardamom pods
• 200g tin chickpeas in water, drained
• 1tsp turmeric
• 1tbsp chilli flakes
• 2tsp salt
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 1 tin green lentil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a casserole dish; seal the chicken until golden brown.
2. Remove the chicken from the dish, and cook the spices off, starting with the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, then the turmeric and chilli.
3. Reduce the heat then add the onions, garlic and ginger, cook until the onions are soft.
4. Place the chicken back in the dish, pour over the TOTAL Greek Yoghurt and the water season to taste.
5. Bake in a slow oven 140c gas mark 3 for 2 hours with a lid or sealed with tin foil.
6. Add the lentils and chickpeas, stir then leaving the dish uncovered return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Spider’s web whoopie pies - The Recipe

Spider’s web whoopie pies

These spooky spider's web whoopie pies are fantastic for a kids’ Halloween party, and you can even get them to help you make and decorate them!

·         Makes: 9

·         Prep time: 30 mins

·         Cooking time: 15 mins

·         Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

For the pies:

• 125g (4 ½ oz) butter or margarine, softened
• 200g (7oz) dark brown or Molasses sugar, free of lumps
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 15ml (1tbsp) treacle
• 400g (14oz) plain flour
• 15ml (1tbsp) ground ginger
• 5.25ml (1½ tsp) Dr Oetker Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1.25ml (½ tsp) salt
• Approx. 150ml (1/4pt) low fat buttermilk

For the topping:

• 2 x sachets white Dr Oetker Fairy Cake Icing
• Dr Oetker Writing Icing, to decorate

For the filling:

• 150g (5oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 250g (9oz) icing sugar
• A few drops Dr Oetker Black Food Colouring

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C fan oven, 350 F, Gas 4). Line 3 large baking trays with baking parchment. First make the pies. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter or margarine and sugar together until pale and creamy then beat in the egg and treacle.
2. Sift the flour, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and salt into another bowl. Gradually add spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, stirring well after each addition, along with sufficient buttermilk to make a smooth, thick cake mixture – Note: you may not require the full 150ml (1/4pt) buttermilk.
3. Using a 5cm (2in) diameter ice cream scoop, drop 6 scoops of the mixture on to each baking tray, spaced well apart to allow for room for spreading. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes until risen, lightly golden and firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the topping, spread the Fairy Icing over the peaked side of half the cold pies, smoothing the icing with the back of a knife. Pipe on a spider’s web and spider using writing icing and leave on a wire rack for a few minutes to set.
5. For the filling, put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sieve in the icing sugar, beating well after each addition, to make a smooth, spreadable icing. Add a few drops of black colouring to richly colour. Spread thickly over the flat sides of the remaining pie halves using a knife.
6. To serve, when the iced tops are set, carefully sandwich them on to the filled pie halves and enjoy!

Nutritional information

Guideline Daily Amount for 2,000 calories per day are: 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar, 6g salt.

Rum and Pumpkin Tart With Bitter Chocolate

Prep time: 45 min, plus chilling

Cook time: 1 hr 0 min

Serves: 4-6

Meltingly crisp pastry filled with caramelised pumpkin, rum and oozing bitter chocolate

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 80 g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 75 g caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 150 g flour

For the filling

• 350-400g pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into small chunks
• 250 g sugar
• 50 g butter
• 6 tbsp rum
• 225 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

1. For the pastry: cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Slowly add the egg, then the flour, and pulse briefly until mixed. Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6 and grease a 20cm flan tin.

3. Roll out the pastry thinly and press it into the tin. Trim the edges neatly. Line with baking parchment and weigh down with baking beans. Bake blind for about 5 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden brown. Remove the baking parchment and beans, and set the pastry case aside.

4. For the filling: place the pumpkin on a roasting tray and bake for 20-30 minutes until tender.
5. Put the sugar in a large heavy-based frying pan over a low heat. Stir constantly, until the sugar turns a very dark, golden colour. Add the pumpkin and roll it around in the caramel.
6. Stir in the butter and rum and continue stirring until everything is well blended.

7. Spoon the mixture into the pastry case. Cover with the coarsely chopped chocolate and bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Witch's Eyeball Punch - The Recipe

Prep time: 0 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients

• 400 g tinned lychees
• small bunch green seedless grapes
• 1 litres cranberry juice
• 1 litres blueberry or pomegranate juice
• 330 ml ginger beer

Method

1. Drain the lychees over a punchbowl or large serving jug, to catch the juice.

2. Push a grape into the hole of each lychee where the stone was removed and add these to the bowl – these will be your ‘eyeballs’.

3. Pour the juices into the bowl. At this stage the punch can be chilled until required – the juices will stain the eyeballs to look like blood vessels.

4. Just before serving, pour in the ginger beer for a fizzy kick (you could use lemonade if the taste is too strong for younger children).