Wicked! Devilishly good party treats

Let your imagination run wild and throw a Halloween party your family won’t forget. These scarily good recipes will get them screaming with delight

Yummy mummy éclairs

These have a blueberry lemon filling, but if you prefer, use crème pâtissière or any other filling instead.

MAKES 16 PREP 40min, plus drying and setting COOK about 45min

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY

• 185g plain flour, sifted

• 1tbsp caster sugar

• 125g salted butter

• 4 extra-large eggs, beaten

FOR THE FILLING

• 150g blueberries

• 75g caster sugar

• 250ml whipping cream

• Finely grated zest 1/2 unwaxed lemon

• 2tbsp lemon juice

TO DECORATE

• 200g white modelling chocolate

• Gold edible paint

• 200g white chocolate, chopped

• Green or blue cocoa base food colour (squires-shop.com)

• Edible flowers, optional 1 First, make mummies using modelling chocolate and mould (see Cook’s Tip). Paint gold and let dry completely, about 2hr.

2 Make choux pastry. Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan) mark 7 and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Combine flour, sugar and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl. Pour 250ml water into a saucepan over low-medium heat, add butter and stir until melted. Bring to a quick boil, then stir in flour mixture all at once with a wooden spoon. Stir vigorously until the dough comes off the sides of pan and forms a ball. Transfer dough to an electric mixer and turn it on slow speed until it cools down, about 3-4min. Start adding beaten eggs slowly until you get a glossy dough that holds its shape. You may not need to use all the egg. Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag with a plain round tip and pipe it into 16 straight lines on baking trays. Wet finger to smooth peaks. Reduce the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 and bake for 25-30min, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and prick a hole in the base of each éclair to release steam.

Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan) mark

4 and bake the buns for another 5-8min to dry out.

Remove from oven and leave to cool completely.

3 For the filling, cook blueberries and sugar in a pan over low-medium heat until berries start breaking down. Blend in a food processor until smooth, then pass purée through a sieve. Set aside.

4 Whip cream to soft peak stage, then add lemon zest and juice. Stir in blueberry purée and spoon into a piping bag. Make 3 holes in base of each éclair and pipe in filling.

5 Melt white chocolate either in microwave at 30sec intervals or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water, then colour it green or blue.

Dip the top of each éclair into chocolate, then leave to set slightly on a wire rack, attaching the mummy before the chocolate sets completely.