Pack your day full of devilishly delicious halloween recipes, ready in as little as 10 minutes. From pumpkin pancakes to spiderweb spaghetti, why not get the little ghouls in your household to help. 

Breakfast

Pumpkin Pancake Stack

Start your Halloween morning right! Fluffy pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon and nutmeg, piled high and drizzled with a cream cheese icing web.

Serves: 8 pancakes
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

  • 250g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into chunks
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup (1 for pumpkin & 1 for pancakes)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 50g butter melted
  • 240ml semi skimmed or whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • Veg oil for cooking

For the icing:

  • 120g cream cheese
  • 60g butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g icing sugar sifted

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to keep your pancakes warm as you go later. Pop your pumpkin in a microwave-safe dish, cover and cook on high for 6-8 mins until tender.
  2. Bob your pumpkin, 1 tbsp maple syrup and 1/2 tsp of salt in a blender and blitz until smooth (you may need to add a little water to loosen). Set to one side.
  3. In a bowl, mix together all dried pancake ingredients. In another large bowl, mix together the pumpkin and melted butter followed by, milk, eggs and 2 tbsp maple syrup until combined.
  4. Add your dry ingredients to wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon to gently mix into a thick but runny batter. If too thick at this point add a dash more milk. Pop to one side whilst you make your cream cheese icing.
  5. In the bowl beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and smooth. Slowly add your icing sugar and beat until fluffy. If too loose add a little more icing sugar before popping in a piping bag with a small nozzle attachment (if you would like to create the web) and chill in the fridge whilst you cook your pancakes.
  6. Heat a large, non stick pan over a medium heat and add a little veg oil. Add a ladle of pancake mixture once hot and cook on one side for 2 mins. You will know it is ready to flip when you start to see bubbles appearing in your batter. Once flipped cook for another 30 seconds until golden. Repeat with all batter, adding any made pancakes to your baking tray and keeping in the oven to stay warm.
  7. Pile your pancakes high and pipe a spiderweb shape on top with your cream cheese icing, allowing to drip slightly down the sides and tuck into a a Halloween brekkie stack like no other!

Lunch

Graveyard Hum-mwah-ha-has

Made to look like a graveyard, this black bean hummus dip is packed with garlic and basil and topped with pesto 'moss', chives and lime zest. Finished with puff pastry parsley & oregano tombstones to make the perfect graveyard dippers.

Serves: 8
Cooking Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

For the hummus:

  • 2 tins black beans, drained but liquid reserved
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 150ml olive oil
  • 4 tbsp tahini
  • Juice & zest of 1 lime
  • Handful basil, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp pesto
  • Handful chives, roughly chopped

For the tombstones:

  • 375g puff pastry sheet
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

To decorate (optional):

  • Black coloured cake pen

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Onto the hum-mwah-ha-has! Start by adding 3 tbsp black bean liquid to a blender followed by all other hummus ingredients bar the lime zest, black beans, pesto and chives and blitz until smooth and frothy. Add your black beans and a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz on high speed until smooth. Add more oil if you need to loosen further.
  3. Serve your hum-mwah-ha-has into a small serving dish and dolop with pesto, using the back of a spoon to spread about a little to look like moss. Sprinkle here and there with chives and your lime zest to look like bits of grass. Cover and pop in the fridge whilst you make your tombstones.
  4. Unroll your puff pastry, sprinkle all over with your dried herbs and a little salt and pepper before giving a further roll. Cut out tombstone shapes from your sheet using a cutter or free-hand with a knife and evenly space on your lined baking tray. Prick each all over with a fork.
  5. Cover with another sheet of baking paper followed by a sheet of tinfoil and then top with another baking tray. This will ensure your puff pastry does not puff up in the oven, retains its shape and creates a crispier 'tombstone' dipper.
  6. Bob in the oven for 15 mins, before removing the top tray, tinfoil and baking paper and cook for another 10 mins until browned. Pop to one side to cool. If you have a black cake decorating pen use to add extra spookiness to your dippers.
  7. Now to assemble your graveyard! Remove your hum-mwah-ha-has from the fridge and add your tombstones (do not worry if they do not all fit as you can set the rest aside for dipping). Time to 'dig' in and get dipping!

Bread of the Dead

A simple, gory and delicious 1 tray bake to share with the fam this Halloween. Ready-rolled pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella, pepperoni and garlic and herb butter, twisted into 'intestines' on a baking dish and sat on a 'blood-bath' chunky tomato sauce. The perfect tear and share with a gruesome twist.

Serves: 4-6
Cooking Time: 1hr plus cooling time

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves sliced
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • Small bunch of basil roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp balsamic glaze

For the pizza:

  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 x 400g ready-rolled pizza dough
  • 250g grated mozzarella
  • 120g pepperoni
  • 100g sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and heat your oil in a large, non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add your garlic and onion.
  2. Fry for a few mins until fragrent and the onions have softened before adding all other sauce ingredients plus salt and pepper and simmering for 15 mins until thickened before setting aside to cool.
  3. Once cooled, add your sauce to a large oven dish (this will be your 'blood bath' base for your 'intestines'). Mix your butter and garlic and pop to one side.
  4. Unroll your first pizza dough and slice horizontally in half. Spread 1/4 of your garlic butter across the centre of each half and top each with 1/4 of your mozzarella followed by 1/4 of your pepperoni and sundried tomatoes. Pinch the long sides of the rectangles together to enclose around the fillings to create a sausage shape and close each side. Repeat the above process with your second pizza roll.
  5. Arrange your 'intestines' over the sauce seam-side down, curling them into the shape of intestines. Ensure to leave a little space as your dough will expand when baking.
  6. Sprinkle all over with oregano, pop in the oven for 25 mins and bake until golden. The perfect tear and share with a gruesome twist!


 
 

Snake Salad

Sweet, Sour & Smokey! A slitheringly scary side to your Halloween party banquet. Cucumber sliced and arranged to look like a slithering snake stuffed with smoked salmon and dressed with a sweet 'n' sour dressing of chilli sauce, soy, white wine vinegar, honey and ginger on a bed of mixed leaves. Perfect loaded onto toast with cream cheese! This can be made without the smoked salmon so vegetarian if preferred!

Serves: 6 as a sharing side to a buffet
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

For the snake:

  • 1 wooden skewer
  • 2 large whole cucumbers (for head & body)
  • 1 smaller whole cucumbers (for tail)
  • 2 peppercorns for eyes
  • 120g smoked salmon

For the sauce:

  • 3 tbsp chilli sauce
  • 2 garlic gloves minced
  • 3 tbsp soy
  • 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 inch ginger grated

For the salad:

  • 120g mixed leaves
  • 1 red onion thinly sliced
  • Large handful coriander roughly chopped

To serve (optional):

  • Small handful toasted sesame seeds

Method

  1. Start by throwing all sauce ingredients in a pan, stir, bring to a simmer and then set aside to cool.
  2. Pick which large cucumber you think is best shaped to be the head and start of the snakes body (the more tapered the end is, the more realistic your snake head will look). Now onto spiralizing your cucumber! To do this thread a wooden skewer through the centre of the large cucumber that will be the head and start of the body.
  3. Pop down on a chopping board and place your knife at an angle around 3 inches down from the end of the cucumber that will make a head. As you press your knife down to the skewer, slowly rotate the cucumber to create a spiral around the skewer. Once at the end, carefully remove your skewer. Repeat this process with your other large cucumber that will make the body and smaller which will be the tail. Ensure to cut all the way from top to bottom rather than leaving 3 inches. Cut away all rounded ends of your cucumbers bar the head and tail.
  4. Scatter your leaves, sliced red onion and coriander on a serving platter/tray. Arrange and match up your cucumbers on your salad bed to create a slithering snake shape and sprinkle all over with a large pinch of sea salt and generous helping of cracked black pepper. Use a skewer to create holes in the head and push in your peppercorn eyes.
  5. Tear away small pieces of salmon and gently push into the gaps of your snake. You will not have enough salmon for every gap so just evenly distribute along your snake. 
  6. Drizzle all over with your dressing and sesame seeds and serve centre stage of your Halloween banquet. Perfect loaded onto crusty bread with cream cheese- now thatsss ssslitheringly good!

Dinner

Spiderweb Spaghetti

Spaghetti spiked with a little black food colouring for a dark twist, tossed simply with golden garlic, silky olive oil and parsley and finished with fine parmesan gratings to make a super simple, quick and spooky dinner this Halloween.

Serves: 4-6
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp black food colouring gel
  • 500g pack spaghetti
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or chopped red chilli (reduce or remove if not a fan of spice)
  • Zest & juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 bunch parsley roughly chopped
  • Parmesan finely grated to serve

Method

  1. Start by bringing water to the boil in a deep pan and add your food colouring and a pinch of salt. Give a little stir, add your pasta and cook for 10-12 mins.
  2. When your pasta is around 5 mins from being cooked heat your oil in a large, non-stick pan. Add your garlic and chilli, stir and sizzle until fragrent and your garlic is lightly golden. Reduce your heat to low whilst you drain and rinse your pasta. Add a little more black food colouring and stir if not dark enough.
  3. Add your pasta to the pan and increase to a medium heat before adding a large pinch of salt and generous amount of cracked black pepper. Toss about to combine with tongs and add your lemon zest and juice.
  4. If your spaghetti feels a little dry add another drizzle of oil before turning off the heat. Add half of your parsley and stir through.
  5. Serve onto plates with another sprinkle of parsley and generous helping of Parmesan for a super simple, quick and spooky dinner this Halloween!

Bat Wings

Wings marinated in a hoisin, sesame, sugar, black bean and soy sauce baked until charred and finished with black sesame seeds. Serve with fries splattered with vampire blood (ketchup or hot sauce) for a Halloween fakeaway ideal as a weekend treat.

Serves: 4-6
Cooking Time: 30 mins plus marinating time

Ingredients

For the bat wings:

  • 75ml soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp black bean sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp black food colouring gel
  • 1 tbsp garlic chilli sauce (optional)
  • 1kg chicken wings

To serve (optional):

  • 500g frozen thin cut French fries
  • Ketchup/hot sauce

Method

  1. Mix all bat wing ingredients together in a large bowl, add your wings, thoroughly coat, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (the longer you leave to marinade the tastier your bat wings will be).
  2. Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a large baking tray with baking paper (you may need 2 depending on size).
  3. Lay your wings in a single layer on your lined baking trays and ensure wings are extended to look like bat wings. Brush with extra sauce and keep any leftover sauce to one side. Pop in the oven for 25 mins.
  4. When there is 15 mins left, brush your wings with extra sauce and pop back in the oven. Lay your fries on another baking tray in a single layer and cook in the oven as per the back of pack details (around 12-15 mins), flipping half way through.
  5. Remove your bat wings from the oven and serve with fries splattered with vampire blood (ketchup or hot sauce) for a Halloween fakeaway this weekend!

Trick or treats

Heart Popping Corn

A 5 min recipe perfect to tuck into whilst watching a Halloween classic on the couch. Popcorn splattered with a homemade blood caramel sauce and white choc bones.

Serves: 4 plus extra caramel sauce to save for next time
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 100g salted butter
  • 120ml double cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp red food colouring
  • 100g sweet popcorn
  • 120g Morrisons white chocolate skeleton bones

Method

  1. Start by heating your sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. The sugar will eventually melt into a light amber coloured liquid. Be careful to not take this too far as if it becomes dark it will taste very bitter.
  2. Immediately add your butter, and stir continuously until combined- the mixture will bubble when the butter is added. Slowly pour in the double cream, again the mixture will bubble. Once added, leave to bubble for 30 seconds to 1 minute and remove from the heat.
  3. Stir through a pinch of salt, your vanilla extract and food colouring and allow to cool slightly.
  4. Mix your chocolate bones amongst your popcorn and serve into bowls before splattering all over with your 'blood' caramel sauce. The perfect spooky snack to tuck into whilst watching a Halloween classic on the couch.

DIY Halloween Slab

The perfect way of using up leftover sweets from trick or treating. A homemade double chocolate slab with white chocolate ghosts, scattered with trick or treat faves.

Serves: 1 large slab
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 400g milk chocolate
  • 100g white chocolate
  • Leftover trick or treat sweets
  • Black coloured cake pen

Method

  1. Melt the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a deep pan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). In a seperate bowl repeat the melting process for the white chocolate and set aside.
  2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and pour the milk chocolate into the centre. Spread out into a rectangle shape using the back of a spoon.
  3. Drop small spoonfuls of the white chocolate onto your milk chocolate and use the back of a teaspoon to make ghost shapes.
  4. Scatter your leftover sweets across the milk chocolate ensuring you do not cover your ghosts and pop in the fridge to set.
  5. Once set draw eyes and a mouth onto your white choc ghosts, snap and share!