Halloween Treats!

These recipes won't be needed until next year but they are def worth keeping!! From the Good Food Magazine/ Website.

Spider web chocolate fudge muffins

Special Hallowe'en chocolatey bakes for lucky trick or treaters - you can make ahead and freeze Makes 10

Preperation and cooking times-Ready in 40-45 minute
(Freeze un-iced)

Ingredients
50g dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids is fine)
85g butter
1 tbsp milk , water or coffee
200g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
85g light muscovado sugar
50g golden caster sugar
1 egg
142ml carton soured cream
FOR THE TOPPING
100g dark chocolate (as above)
100g white chocolate

1.Preheat the oven to fan 170C/ conventional 190C/gas 5 and line a muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl, add the butter and liquid. Melt in the microwave on Medium for 30-45 seconds (or set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water). Stir and leave the mixture to cool.

2.Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and both sugars in a bowl. Beat the egg in another bowl and stir in the soured cream, then pour this on the flour mixture and add the cooled chocolate. Stir just to combine - don't overmix or it will get tough.

3.Spoon the mixture into the cases to about three quarters full. Bake for 20 minutes until well risen. Loosen the edges with a round-bladed knife, let them sit in the tins for a few minutes, then lift out and cool on a wire rack.

4.For the topping, make two piping bags out of greaseproof paper (or cut the ends off two clean plastic bags). Break the dark and white chocolate into separate bowls and melt in the microwave on Medium for 2 minutes (or over a pan as in step 1). Put 2 spoonfuls of dark chocolate in one bag and the same of white chocolate in the other.

5.Working with one muffin at a time, spread with dark chocolate from the bowl, letting it run down a bit, then pipe four concentric circles of white chocolate on top. Using a small skewer, drag through the circles at regular intervals, from the centre to the edge, to create a cobweb effect. Repeat with four more muffins. On the remaining five, spread over the white chocolate and decorate with the dark. Best eaten the day they're made - even better while the chocolate's soft.

Spooky Spider Cakes

Prep 40 mins
Cook 25 mins
Vegetarian
Can be frozen before decorating

Ingredients
200g butter , at room temperature
200g golden caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
4 eggs
tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
TO DECORATE
2 packs liquorice Catherine wheels
12 tbsp Nutella or other chocolate spread
liquorice allsorts (the black ones with the white centre)
tube black writing icing
1 length red bootlace

1.Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a muffin tin with 12 cases, preferably brown ones.

2.Put the butter, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Break the eggs into a smaller bowl, taking care not to get any shell into it, then tip on top of the butter mixture.

3.Add the baking powder and vanilla to the larger bowl, then beat with an electric hand whisk until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate drops or chocolate.

4.Spoon the cake mixture evenly into the cases and bake for 20-25 mins until golden - a cocktail stick pushed into the middle of one of the cakes should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

5.To decorate the cakes, unravel the liquorice wheels and cut into lengths with scissors to make dangly legs. Stick 8 into the top of each cake, making small cuts with the tip of a sharp knife so they push in really securely.

6.Spoon the chocolate spread on top and spread lightly within the liquorice legs to make a round spider's body. Now cut the Allsorts to make eyes and the red bootlaces to make mouths, then stick them onto the cakes and dot on the icing to make eyeballs. Will keep for up to 2 days in a cool place.