October 31 is a time for frights and delights. We have the latter covered, with 15 sweet recipes ideal for Halloween baking.
It’s a day for spooks, for poking fun at social norms and diving into treat-filled bowls.
Is there an occasion that rivals Halloween’s enthusiasm for sugar?
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Whether you’re cosying up to enjoy a screening of blood-soaked, jumpscare-filled horrors, spooking friends with creepy and clever costumes or simply going about your day without even the slightest of scars, these sweet recipes are a tasty way to mark the day.
These vibrant puff pastry bites are easy to make and very rewarding. Whether you’re using fresh fruit or syrupy tinned options, you’ll find that baking the fruit creates extra sweetness. This is a breezy choice if you’re looking for a recipe that caters to communal baking, especially for young trick-or-treaters.
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Advertise with NZME.With the arrival of warmer weather, citrus season is winding down. This slice could be your last hurrah – the recipe integrates zest, juice and fresh slices for plenty of zest. The speckle of poppyseed is also very pleasant.
Two doughs are rolled together to create the cartoonish swirl on these crunchy and chocolatey cookies. They blend vanilla with cocoa and hazelnut spread (though you could also substitute this for cocoa powder).
This recipe sees the tangy, sour-sweet flavour of tamarillos – which are in season now – enveloped in a vanilla and cinnamon-tinged pudding.
Perhaps you could reach for this recipe after your trick-or-treating? Explorer lollies are submerged in a confection of condensed milk and malt biscuits.
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This recipe sandwiches chocolate brownies with caramel condensed milk. For greater complexity, you could finish the filling with a sprinkle of sea salt.
If you’d prefer to enjoy your sweets with a sit-down meal, these pretty ramekins of homemade custard will do nicely. The glossy vanilla glaze adds great depth to the dessert.
Susie Theodorou and Christine Rudolph share this recipe from their cookbook Copenhagen: Cult Recipes. The twist can be enjoyed with the spice of either cardamom or cinnamon. A spiced sugar syrup provides the treat with an unmatched sheen.
These caffeinated cookies are a buzzy bite. The dough is made with a touch of coffee, while the icing blends it with a couple of teaspoons of cocoa. This is a low-stakes baking project for young ones to practise their icing skills.
These sweet and fruity cupcakes are well balanced with mascarpone icing (filled with orangey notes and vanilla paste). You can use frozen berries for this recipe and switch to fresh in the summer.
Making marshmallow from scratch can feel more like a science experiment than a baking project. If you manage it correctly, it should expand in the pot and gain a light and fluffy texture.
These little cakes are the perfect pairing for a cup of tea or coffee. Friands are made of ground almonds, citrus and butter – this recipe is also enlivened with zested citrus, orange juice and blueberries.
These biscuits gain a little lightness and crunch from the addition of cornflakes. A sweet hazelnut icing also adds a kick, with a tablespoon of espresso coffee.
This crunchy fudge recipe is an especially excellent balance of salty and sweet. Cardamom, simmered with plenty of butter, also adds an earthy and floral note.
The alchemy of homemade doughnuts might be intimidating. Fear not. This recipe breaks the process into simple steps, from checking the yeast to operating a deep fryer. The best part? Rolling your treats in a bowl of sugar.
