Sesonal treats don’t get more fun than this
Seasonal treats don’t get much more fun than this
Quirky Halloween ghosts tickle me, especially if they are piped out with Seven-Minute Frosting and adorned with googly eyes.
But when it comes to Halloween history, in early days, folks weren’t focusing on goblins made with marshmallow-like frosting. No, those ghosts were taken more seriously and were the focus of Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival in which revelers lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off spirits. Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 as a time to honor all saints; soon after, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
To my way of thinking, Halloween is a great excuse to crank up the oven and do so some holiday baking. Bring on the whimsical ghosts and candy corn. We need something fun and humorous this year — something chocolaty, or laden with peanut butter or adorned with candy eyeballs.
The kids can join into making part of these three recipes. Although adults need to make the ghost-building frosting, the kids can pipe out the ghouls using a pastry bag. They can practice making some ghosts on a plate before adorning the desserts. Later, they can gobble down those practice ghouls off the plate with a spoon.
And as for the mini cupcakes, children can gleefully unwrap a load of miniature peanut-butter cups and press them into the batter in each paper-lined mini muffin cup. Older children, after a warning about the hot pan, can press a candy corn atop each one once they are out of the oven.
Have a cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail.com.
Chocolate Ganache Ghost Tartlets
These luscious tartlets take some time and special equipment to prepare. You will need an electric stand mixer and a candy thermometer to make the frosting, plus eight (21⁄2-inch wide) tart pans with removable bottoms. You will also need a couple of hours at home because the first two steps require cooling time. Consider making the tartlets one day in advance without the ghosts and leave them at room temp. Classic ganache can stay at room temperature for one day, kept in a cool place. Make the frosting the next day and pipe out the ghosts; serve within 8 hours. Yield: 8 tartlets, plus leftover frosting
INGREDIENTS Crust: 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Ganache: 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Frosting: 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided use 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 4 tablespoons water 3 large egg whites, room temperature
Garnish: Sugar candy eyes, 2 for each ghost, see cook’s notes
Equipment: Stand electric mixer, pastry bag fitted with 1⁄4-inch plain tip, 8 (21⁄2-inch wide) tart pans with removable bottoms, candy thermometer
Cook’s notes: Candy “eyeballs” are sold at some supermarkets in the cake decorating section, or at craft stores. If they sell two sizes, get a pack of each.
PROCEDURE
1. Make crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar; stir to combine. Press into 8 (21⁄2-inch) mini tarts pans, making sides and bottom about 1⁄4-inch thick (use about 3 heaping measuring tablespoons per tart pan). Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake 18-20 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool.
2. Make chocolate ganache: In a small saucepan, bring cream over medium-low heat to a simmer. Remove from heat; add chocolate and whisk well until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Spoon into cooled crusts. Cool.
3. Make Seven-Minute Frosting: Place egg whites in large bowl of electric stand mixer; attach the whisk attachment. Set aside. In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine 3⁄4 cup sugar, corn syrup and 4 tablespoons water. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. (Meanwhile, in bowl of the mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the sugar mixture.) Raise heat on sugar mixture to medium high and bring to a boil without stirring; add candy thermometer. Continue boiling until candy thermometer registers 230 degrees, about 5 minutes. (Meanwhile, gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar to egg whites while beating on medium speed.) Remove sugar syrup from heat when it reaches 230 degrees. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup in a steady stream down the side of bowl (to avoid splattering). Beat the frosting on high speed until cool, about seven minutes. It should be thick and shiny.
4. Make ghosts: Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain 1⁄4inch tip with about 11⁄2 cups of frosting. Referring to the photo, pipe a ghost atop each tartlet. For each, apply pressure to squeeze out some frosting for a base, then lift the bag slowly, decreasing the pressure until the ghost is the desired size; stop the pressure and lift off the bag. Add 2 candy eyes to each ghost. Store in cool, dry location; serve within 8 hours.
Mini Triple-Treat Cupcakes About 48
Yield:
INGREDIENTS
48 mini-muffin paper liners
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup natural peanut butter (no added sugar)
6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1⁄4 cup buttermilk
1⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
48 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, wrappers removed
48 pieces candy corn, for decorating, see cook’s notes Cook’s notes: You can use any small decorative Halloween candies in place of the candy corn. Try ones shaped like pumpkins, skulls or spiders and other creepy crawlers.
PROCEDURE
1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with paper liners.
2: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together peanut butter, butter and brown sugar on high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and egg yolk, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture, buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
3: With the large end of a melon baller or a spoon, place 2 teaspoons batter into each muffin cup (because it is faster and easier, I use a very small ice cream-style scoop that holds 1 tablespoon and I fill it almost full, but not packed — my yield is 44 instead of 48). Press a Reese’s peanutbutter candy into each center until batter aligns with top edge of candy. Bake until puffed and set, about 10-11 minutes, rotating pans halfway through. Immediately place a piece of candy corn on top of each cupcake and press very lightly; let cool completely in pans on wire racks.
Source: Adapted from marthastewart.com
Halloween Ghost Cake
The cake can be store-bought angel food, homemade angel food (from a mix or from scratch) or your favorite homemade layer cake.
8-10 servings, depending on size of cake
Yield: INGREDIENTS
1 store-bought, 9-inch round angel food cake Seven-Minute Frosting. Ingredients are 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons (divided use), 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, 4 tablespoons water, 3 large egg whites at room temperature. Note that depending on the size of your cake, you may need to make two batches of frosting.
PROCEDURE
1: Place the cake on a round cake plate or footed cake plate that is large enough to have at least a 1-inch border free for piping ghosts. If desired, have some shallow tiny bowls, such as salt dishes and/or egg cups to hold additional ghosts.
2: Prepare frosting (see recipe for chocolate ganache ghost tartlets)
3: Reserve about 11⁄2 cups of frosting to make ghost figures. Using an offset spatula, fill the hole in the center of the cake with frosting and then spread frosting over the top and sides. Add the reserved frosting to the pastry decorating bag fitted with a 1⁄4-inch wide plain tip, or snip off a corner tip of a zipper-style plastic bag to create a 1⁄4inch opening. Referring to the photo, pipe as many ghosts as you like onto and around the cake and into the egg cups or small shallow bowls. For each, apply pressure to squeeze out some frosting for a base, then lift the bag slowly, decreasing the pressure until the ghost is the desired size; stop the pressure and lift off the bag. Add 2 candy eyes to each ghost; discard leftover frosting. Store in cool, dry location; serve within 8 hours.