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Cosy and scary – Halloween is the perfect time to get busy in the kitchen

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The spooky season is upon us! Time to bring out your favourite cauldron – this scarily tasty selection of treats will bewitch your tastebuds and make you scream for more.

Blackberry Chocolate Skullcakes 

Macabre and delicious, these skull-topped cupcakes are the ultimate darkly enjoyable treat. Conjure up the fluffy dark chocolate cupcakes with a homemade blackberry coulis for an exskullent Halloween treat!

INGREDIENTS:

For the cupcakes

  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules mixed with 2 tbsp boiling water
  • 1/3 cup apple puree
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ cup caster sugar
  • ¼ cup light muscovado sugar

For the filling

  • 350 g blackberries
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • ¼ cup water

For the frosting

  • 1 cup vegan butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons liquid (water, vegan milk, juice...)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the garnish

  • 300 g dark chocolate
  • ½ cup fresh blackberries

Prep time: 1 hour |  Cook time: 22 minutes |  Total time: 1 hour 22 minutes |  Servings: 12

Instructions:


PART 1: THE CAKES

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Line the cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
  • Pour the soy milk and apple cider vinegar into a bowl, stir well, and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Add the apple puree, coffee granules, vanilla extract and olive oil and stir.
  • In a separate bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, baking soda, salt, and muscovado sugar. Mix thoroughly.
  • Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and whisk gently.
  • Pour the batter into the cupcake tin. Bake for 22-25 minutes.
  • Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and cool them for an additional 30-40 minutes.

PART 2: THE COULIS

  • Mix blackberries, caster sugar, and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Remember to stir often until the mixture thickens.
  •  When the coulis cools to room temperature, let it rest in the fridge.

PART 3: THE HOMEMADE VEGAN BUTTER(S)CREAM

  • Make homemade vegan buttercream. Mix vegan butter and half the powdered sugar on low speed. Use a mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the other half of the powdered sugar and mix again on low speed.
  • Add the chosen liquid and vanilla extract; mix on low until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.

PART 4: THE DARK MAGIC HAPPENS

  • Ahead of time, melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Pour it into skull-shaped moulds and keep it in the fridge. Alternatively, moulds in the shape of bats, ghosts, gravestones or pumpkins work just as well!
  • When the cupcakes are cool, cut out the centres with a cupcake or apple corer.
  • Pour the blackberry coulis into all the cupcakes and place the cuts on top.
  • Split the buttercream into 2 parts. Add 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the first half and blend; then add 2 tablespoons to the second half and blend.
  • Add both buttercreams to a piping bag with an open star nozzle. Alternate between the two buttercreams when filling the bag to get a swirl effect.
  • Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes. Decorate with chocolate skulls and fresh blackberries.

Cookie Dough & Peanut Butter Horror Cups

These little cups of horror are so yummy they will make your skin crawl with delight. Sink your teeth into the rich chocolate cup shells filled with no-bake cookie dough and gooey peanut butter caramel.

INGREDIENTS:

For the cookie dough

  • ½ cup ground almonds
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 50 g chocolate chips (for a vegan option, try dairy-free ones!)

For peanut butter caramel  

  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the chocolate coating 

  • 300 g dairy-free chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Prep time: 25 minutes  |  Chilling time: 20 minutes  |  Total time: 45 minutes  |  Servings: 12 

INSTRUCTIONS:


PART 1: THE CHOCOLATE COATING

  • Line the muffin tray with cupcake liners.
  • Melt the chocolate over a water bath.
  • Pour 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each bun case. Let it rest for a few minutes, then store it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Save the remaining chocolate for later.

PART 2: COOKIE DOUGH

  • Blend ground almonds, peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and sea salt in a food processor until they form a dough.
  • Pour the dough into a bowl. Add the chocolate chips and knead them through the dough.
  • Distribute the dough into 12 discs and place each disc into a cupcake liner on top of the chocolate layer. Leave room around the edges for the chocolate coating.

PART 3: PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL

  • Whisk peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt in a bowl until smooth. Add one teaspoon of the peanut butter caramel on top of each cookie dough mix.

PART 4: THE FINAL TOUCHES

  • Pour the rest of the melted chocolate over each cookie cup and let it rest in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

Gluten-Free Mummy Crispy Treats

Got friends with kids coming over in an hour and want to treat them to a spooky dessert? These yummy rice crispies will delight any guest – undead or alive!

INGREDIENTS:

For the rice crispy treats

  • 3 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 280 grams of vegan marshmallows
  • 6 cups crispy rice cereal
  • 450 grams of vegan frosting
  • Edible googly eyes

For the DIY edible eyes

  • Black colouring or cocoa powder

Prep time: 15 minutes  |  Cook time: 20 minutes  |  Chilling time: 5 minutes  |  Total time: 40 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS:


PART 1: RICE CRISPY TREATS

  • Over low heat, melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan.
  • Add in the vegan marshmallows and keep stirring until everything is melted and combined (about 15 minutes).
  • Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in crispy rice cereal.
  • Line your 13×9 baking tray with baking paper.
  • Spread the marshmallow and rice mixture onto the tray with a silicone spatula.
  • Chill the mixture for 5 minutes.
  • Cut them into rectangles – however big or small you want your mummies!

PART 2: DECORATION

  • Spread the vegan frosting on the rice crispy treats.
  • Pipe some frosting, too, so it resembles cloth.
  • Add edible googly eyes, and you’re done!
  • If you want a healthier version of edible eyes, follow part 3.

PART 3: EDIBLE GOOGLY EYES 

  • Mix cocoa powder or black food colouring into vegan frosting to make it black.
  • Pipe two drops of undyed frosting onto each treat.
  • Pipe two smaller drops of black frosting on top.

Vegan Chocolate Honeycombs

Crunchy and horrifically tasty, our vegan honeycombs will have you licking your fingers. This chocolate-coated goodness melts in your mouth – and it’s perfect for trick-or-treating, too!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 170 g caster sugar
  • 100 g golden syrup
  • 50 ml water
  • 1½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 160 g vegan chocolate

Prep time: 35 minutes  |  Cook time: 2 hours  |  Total time: 2 hours 35 minutes |  Servings: 10

INSTRUCTIONS:


PART 1: HONEYCOMB

  • Make sure all your ingredients are measured, and your equipment is ready, as you need to work quickly with the honeycomb mixture. You will need silicone moulds for the bars, but you can also use an 8×8 inch baking tray, but line it with baking paper.
  • Also, prepare a pot, a wooden spoon, a candy thermometer and a whisk.
  • In your pot, mix water, caster sugar, and golden syrup and place on medium heat.
  • Use your wooden spoon to stir until the sugar has melted.
  • After this, you must not stir anymore, as this might cause the sugar to crystallise.
  • Turn the heat up to medium-high and place your candy thermometer into the syrup. The mixture needs to reach 149°C, which will take around 15 minutes.
  • When the syrup hits the 149°C mark, remove it from the heat and whisk in the bicarbonate of soda. Whisk only in one direction so your honeycomb mix doesn’t deflate.
  • Be careful; the mixture will be very hot!
  • Pour the mixture into your silicon moulds (or a baking tray) and leave the honeycomb mixture to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Do not move it!
  • Once the honeycomb is set, you can remove it from the moulds. If you used a baking tray, you could cut it into bars.

PART 2: CHOCOLATE

  • Melt your vegan chocolate over a double boiler.
  • Dip your honeycomb bars into the melted chocolate and put them on a cooling rack.
  • Once the chocolate on the bars has set, your vegan chocolate honeycombs are ready.

PART 3: STORAGE

  • Store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and they will last for a few weeks – but we bet you won’t be able to resist eating them much sooner than that!

Vegan Hocus Pocus Halloween Brownies  

Want to bring some magic into your day? These fun and easy vegan brownies will ensnare your senses and steal your heart. Perfect to nibble on while you watch the Halloween classic that inspired them!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 batch of your fave vegan brownie box mix
  • 1 ½ cups vegan chocolate chips
  • 1 cup vegan butter
  • 1/3 cup oat milk or coconut cream
  • 1 ¼ cup homemade vegan buttercream (see Skullcakes recipe for more info!) or vegan vanilla frosting

Prep time: 30 minutes |  Cook time: 12 minutes |  Total time: 32 minutes |  Servings: 10

Instructions:


PART 1: THE BROWNIES

  • Follow the instructions on the box and make the brownies.
  • Let them fully cool.
  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it into the freezer.

PART 2: THE VEGAN GANACHE

  • Melt the vegan butter in a microwave or over a water bath.
  • Add 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is fully melted into the butter.
  • Add the oat milk or coconut cream and stir until they’re fully mixed and drippy.
  • Take the baking sheet from the freezer and the brownies from the fridge.
  • Carefully place each brownie into the chocolate ganache using a fork and fully coat it. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
  • Place each brownie on parchment paper.
  • Let the coated brownies sit in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Use a drop of vegan vanilla frosting to create an “eye” near the side of each brownie.
  • Melt the remaining chocolate chips. Use a spoon or a toothpick to drip and drizzle the design of Hocus Pocus’ The Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy onto the brownies.
  • Leave in the fridge for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Your new favourite Halloween treat

While it’s superfun to dress up as a mummy or a vampire for an evening, we know you still want to wake up as your most radiant and healthy self the next morning. But that doesn’t mean the yummy treats have to go!

We have the perfect combo of health benefits and fantastic flavours to help you feel and look your best. Give your skin a gorgeous glow with lemon-flavoured Glowing Skin Gummies, strengthen the hair and nails with Hair Care Gummies, and give your well-being a magnificent boost with Multivitamin Gummies.

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