Cosy season is upon us... Celebrate National Baking Week and try out one of our Halloween and Bonfire Night recipes. We've put together a montage of baking favourites to get you autumn ready.

Halloween

Tuck into some terrifyingly tast treats this Halloween with spookily good savoury and sweet recipes. From Severed Finger Sausage Rolls to Ghost and Mummy Biscuits, there's loads of frightening and fun recipes to get stuck into. That's your Halloween party sorted.

Mummy Pizza Pastries

'Wrap-up' warm and enjoy these spook-tastic snacks.

Ingredients

  • 375g ready-to-roll puff pastry sheet
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • ¼ bell pepper
  • 1 whole spring onion
  • 25g peppered salami slices
  • 75g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 6 whole stuffed olives

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / gas mark 6 / 180°C fan and line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Roll out the pastry and using a large circle cutter (or glass) cut out 6 circles.
  3. Place the circles of pastry onto the baking trays and cover them with a layer of tomato purée.
  4. Once this is done, prepare the toppings by chopping up the onion, pepperoni and pepper into small chunks. Mix these together in a bowl.
  5. Place a small pile of the topping mixture into each of the pastry circles, leaving a 1cm gap running around the edge, and add grated cheese.
  6. Cut the left over pastry into 1cm thick strips, and place over the pizzas to create the effect of mummy bandages. Press the pastry edges together to secure the mixture in the centre.
  7. Place the pizzas in the oven and cook for 15 mins, or until golden.
  8. Once the pizzas are cooked, cut each olive in half and place on the pizza to look like eyes. Serve and enjoy.

Pastry Hotdogs with Mustard Dip

Tuck into these mummified hot dogs wrapped in pastry and team with a hair-raisingly hot mustard dip.

Ingredients

  • 1 tin hot dogs
  • 100g puff pastry, cut into strips
  • 1 tbsp mustard

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c/180fan/gas mark 6.
  2. Drain the hot dogs of any liquid and dry well between kitchen towel, being careful to remove any paper that sticks to them.
  3. Lay the strip of puff pastry on a flour board and roll out to a 1p thickness (pre-rolled pastry will need to be rolled slightly as well).
  4. Cut 1 cm width strips along the length of the pastry, you will need 16 strips.
  5. Taking one hot dog at a time, wrap two lengths of pastry (one at a time) around the hot dog, securing the ends by pushing them into the next piece to wrap around. Wrap mostly the bottom two thirds and a little at the top so you create a gap for eyes.
  6. Place on a baking tray with baking paper and repeat the process with the rest of the hot dogs until they are all wrapped.
  7. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
  8. Using a cocktail stick, add small blobs of mustard in the open area to create two eyes.
  9. Serve immediately with more mustard or ketchup.

Severed Finger Sausage Rolls

Turn the classic sausage roll into frightening fingers for Halloween this year. We won't judge if you'd rather just serve your sausage rolls this way every single time though.

Ingredients

  • 375g puff pastry
  • 350g frankfurters
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 10 black pitted olives
  • 1 squeeze tomato ketchup

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5 and line an oven tray with baking parchment.
  2. Cut all the frankfurters in half; the curved end will be the tip of each ‘finger’.
  3. Cut a 375g sheet of puff pastry into three lengthways, then cut each length into 7 even strips. Roll a piece of pastry around each frankfurter half, pinching it at the ‘fingertip’ end, then, using a sharp knife, make small incisions in the pastry for ‘knuckles’.
  4. Mix the egg with the milk and use to brush each finger well. Halve the black pitted olives, cut into fingernail shapes and press well onto each finger so they stick during cooking.
  5. Bake for 15-20 mins or until golden. To serve, dip the base of each finger into tomato ketchup.

Pumpkin Scones

A tasty way to use up those pumpkin remains.

Ingredients

  • 40g butter
  • 200g pumpkin flesh, cut into small pieces (or butternut squash)
  • 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 handful grated cheddar
  • 1 small handful fresh coriander
  • 4 tbsp milk, plus extra for brushing

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Rub a little butter on a baking sheet to grease.
  2. Cut the pumpkin into pieces and put into a saucepan with enough water to cover.
  3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and mash with a fork then leave to cool.
  4. Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub together until you get a breadcrumb like consistency.
  5. Add the pumpkin into the mixture, then add your cheese and herbs. Also add enough milk to make a dough.
  6. Sprinkle flour onto your work surface and knead the dough for 30 seconds.
  7. Form the dough into balls and cut out the scones with a rounded cutter. Roughly 3cm thick.
  8. Place on a baking tray, making sure they're spaced apart.
  9. Use the spare bits of dough to cut out the remainder of the scones and brush with milk.
  10. Bake the scones in the oven for around 12 minutes, until they're a golden colour. Then remove and cool.

Chocolate Orange Spider Cupcakes

Create these spooky spiders, guaranteed to scare.

Ingredients

  • 125g butter
  • 125g golden caster sugar
  • 110g self raising flour
  • 2½ tbsps cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs beaten lightly
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 50g chocolate chips
  • 4 tbsps buttercream icing
  • 1 chocolate strands
  • 3 packs Mikado
  • 50g plain chocolate
  • 1 liquorice allsorts

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a separate bowl. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with the second egg.
  2. Mix the remaining flour, then add the orange zest and chocolate chips. Line a muffin tray with 10 paper cases and fill each one two - thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes.
  3. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove the cakes and place on a wire rack. When cool, spread buttercream over each cupcake, and dip in the chocolate flavoured strands.
  4. To create the legs, take 120 Mikado sticks and cut 40 of them in half. Melt the plain chocolate and dip one end of each of the whole sticks into it. Attach the half sticks onto them at an angle on a tray until the chocolate cools and sets. Stick four of the legs, into either side of the cakes and add liquorice allsorts for the eyes.

Ghost and Mummy Cookies

A Halloween baking idea, and decoration all rolled into one. These ghost and mummy cookies are sure to go down a treat.

Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 50g butter
  • 100g soft, dark brown sugar
  • 100g golden syrup
  • 1 egg, yolk only
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 340g icing sugar
  • 1 black writing icing

Method

  1. Sift the flour, salt, ginger and baking powder into a bowl. Put the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan and heat gently, stirring until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat.
  2. Beat the egg yolk and milk together and stir into the cooled butter and sugar. Pour the pan’s contents into the dry ingredients and stir to form a soft dough. Wrap tightly in clingfilm, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to around 3mm thick. Use the templates (details above) to cut out ghost and mummy shapes and transfer to baking sheets, spacing them about 2½cm apart. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out more cookies until all the dough has been used.
  4. Make holes in the tops of the cookies using the end of a straw. Chill the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake for 11-12 minutes until they start to turn darker around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Make the icing according to the pack instructions. Ice the cookies and decorate using the silver balls and sprinkles, then allow to set. Thread thin ribbon through the holes to hang the cookies.

Eyeball Cauldron Halloween Cake

This eerie eyeball cauldron Halloween cake is really simple and doesn't require much baking knowledge, which gives you more time to make sure those eyeballs and the cauldron look as realistic as possible to give yourself the creeps.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 450g sponge mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 black food colouring
  • 1 dusting icing sugar
  • 1 kg ready-to-roll icing
  • 2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
  • 1 bag marshmallows, as many as needed to line your cauldron
  • 1 red food colouring
  • 1 green food colouring
  • 1 black writing icing
  • 1 blue writing icing
  • 170g buttercream flavour frosting
  • 6 black jelly beans

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/ Gas 5. Lightly oil a 20.5cm Pyrex bowl.
  2. Make up the cake mix with the eggs and 6 tbsp water. Pour into the oiled bowl and bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Turn the cake out of the bowl and allow to cool.
  3. Knead the black food colouring into one and a half packs of the white icing (remember to wear protective gloves while using food colouring). Roll out two thirds of this on a surface dusted with icing sugar into a circle large enough to cover the cake.
  4. Turn the cake upside down so the flat side faces down. Brush the cake with warmed raspberry jam and lift the icing over it, smoothing down the edges with your hands. Turn the cake the other way up and lift onto a serving plate.
  5. Roll the remaining black icing into a long, thin strip and lay the marshmallows in a line on top. Brush the edge of the icing with water and lift up the edges to enclose the marshmallows and form a long tube. Place this on top of the cake to form the rim of the cauldron.
  6. Roll the white icing into 8 balls. Paint on veins with the red food colouring and pipe on the eye using the writing icing.
  7. Mix the frosting in a bowl with some green food colouring and a few drops of black. Spoon into the centre of the cauldron and fluff up with the back of a spoon. Put the eyeballs in the green ‘soup’ with the jelly beans. We added jelly snakes and teeth too for maximum effect!

Bonfire Night

Enjoy a toasty and tasty Bonfire Night. Whether hosting at home, or heading out to the fireworks, we've got your bonfire bakes covered. So let's make up for last year and start autumn with a bang.

 

Chestnut Mushroom and Leek Pies

This warming, wintry veggie dish can be whipped up the day before you eat it - ready to simply pop in the oven when you’re ready to serve.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 200g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp dried tarragon
  • 3 tbsp crème fraiche
  • 450g puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten, for glaze
  • 300g leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the mushrooms and leeks. Fry the mixture gently until softened.
  2. Add the garlic and tarragon and mix well.
  3. Press a disc of pastry (the lid) over the top of each filled 'base' to create 6 pies - press the edges down well to seal.
  4. Cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat and mix in the crème fraiche and season.
  5. Using a small, sharp knife, make a pattern around each top and lift the pies onto a baking sheet.
  6. Brush the pies with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is well risen and a lovely golden colour.

Chilli Cheese Macaroni Pies

Tuck into a platter of bitesize mac and cheese 'muffin pies' with a kick - perfect for your Bonfire Night party.

Ingredients

  • 500g macaroni
  • 6 slices chilli cheese
  • 250g extra mature cheddar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 180ml whole milk, warmed
  • 150g breadcrumbs
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 3 / 170℃ / Fan 150℃ and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
  2. Cook the macaroni as per the instructions on the pack.
  3. Cut the cheese slices into small pieces and mix in with the grated cheddar.
  4. Drain the macaroni, add the milk and beaten eggs, stir until smooth, then add most of the cheese (leave enough to sprinkle on top) and the chopped chives.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, pile the mixture high then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.
  6. Place in the oven for 35 mins or until golden brown on top.
  7. Serve and enjoy.

Parkin

This simple version of traditional Yorkshire ginger cake takes little effort to prepare and is sure to delight your family and friends. Moist, sticky and deliciously aromatic, it's packed full of flavour and is the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa.

Ingredients

  • 255g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 225g medium oatmeal
  • 175g black treacle
  • 150g sunflower spread
  • 100g light soft sugar
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Sift the flour, salt, allspice, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add the oatmeal and toss together well. Make a hollow in the centre.
  3. Put the treacle, spread, sugar, milk and egg in a pan and stir over a low heat until dissolved. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until cooked through (to test it is cooked, insert a knife gently into the centre; it should come out clean).
  5. Cool in the tin slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Sparkling Marshmallows

Marshmallows get even better when they're smothered in chocolate and dipped in sprinkles. These are perfect party finger food.

Ingredients

  • 175g chocolate
  • 80g sprinkles
  • 200g marshmallows

Method

  1. Place the sprinkles into a serving ramekin or bowl.
  2. Finely chop the chocolate. Place into a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and stir continuously until smooth and melted.
  3. Arrange all of the marshmallows on a serving plate, dip into the melted chocolate and then in the sprinkles and enjoy.

Apple Flapjack Bites

Feast on mini flapjack bites at the fireworks this year. Topped with red-skinned apples, they look as good as they taste.

Ingredients

  • 180g butter
  • 100g light soft brown sugar
  • 5 tbsp clear honey
  • 300g oats
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 red-skinned apples

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ Gas 4. Lightly oil an 18cm x 22cm rectangular cake tin.
  2. Place the butter, sugar and 4 tbsp of the honey in a pan and heat gently until melted.
  3. Tip the oats into a mixing bowl and stir in the cinnamon and melted ingredients, then mix well.
  4. Core and dice one of the apples and mix in. Press the mixture into the prepared tin, then core and slice the remaining two apples and arrange on top of the mixture, pressing in gently.
  5. Drizzle with remaining honey and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then mark out and divide into 24 squares.

Baked Stuffed Apples

Get bonfire ready with this stuffed apples recipe. It's really simple to pull together, and makes for a great light bite with a mixed salad.

Ingredients

  • 4 apples, we recommend Cox's apples when they're in-season, however Gala apples have a longer season and work perfectly for this recipe
  • ½ lemon, juice only
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 100g goat's cheese, leave the rind on
  • 2 tbsp red onion, peeled and finely diced
  • 75g chunky fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Cut the top off 4 apples and use a spoon to scoop out the core, leaving the apple whole.
  2. Take a small slice off the bottom of each apple so it will sit securely. Rub all the cut apple pieces with the juice of half a lemon. Prick the apples a few times with a fork then rub over 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the rinded goat’s cheese and red onion and season. Stuff this into each apple and stand them in a baking dish.
  4. Place the chunky fresh breadcrumbs in a bowl with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the hazelnuts. Season and mix then press this over each apple.
  5. Replace the apple tops and roast for 25 mins until golden. After 15 mins, take the tops off so the breadcrumbs can brown. Serve with mixed salad.

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