Ingredients

The biscuits

• 125g butter
• 85g icing sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp skimmed milk
• 175g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 tsp fine espresso-style powder coffee, (I used Azeera)
• 50g cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt

To decorate

• 100g dark chocolate
• 1 tub chocolate hundreds and thousands
• 1 coloured writing icing (or make your own with 100g icing sugar, 3-4 tsp water and some colouring)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas mark 4 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and pale, then add the yolk, vanilla and milk and mix well.
3. Sift the flour, coffee, cocoa and salt into the bowl, then mix together to make a soft dough. Shape the dough into a circle, wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
4. Dust the dough all over with a little flour, then roll it between two large sheets of baking parchment, to the thickness of a £1 coin.
5. Remove the top layer of the paper, stamp shapes with a 8cm bat cookie cutter (or another shape if you'd like). Make sure to re-roll any trimmings to get the most out of your dough.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the biscuits feel sandy and smell rich and chocolatey. Cool on the parchment sheets for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely.
7. To decorate, melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. One biscuit at a time, brush chocolate over the bat ears and wings with a small paintbrush, then cover with chocolate sprinkles. Tap off the excess. Pipe faces onto your bats, then leave to dry.

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin (500g)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp tahini paste
• 400g can chickpeas, drained
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• Selection of mini breadsticks and pitta chips, to serve

Method

1. Cut the top off the pumpkin, about two-thirds of the way up. Remove the pumpkin seeds, then scoop the flesh out of the bottom and the lid.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas mark 6.
3. Cut the pumpkin flesh into pieces and put in a roasting tin with the garlic and olive oil. Season and bake for 45 minutes until very tender. Leave to cool.
4. Tip the pumpkin into a food processor with any juices from the roasting tin and the garlic. Add the lemon juice, tahini paste and chickpeas. Season with salt and blend to a paste.
5. Serve with the peppers and breadsticks.

Ingredients

• 200g strong white flour
• 200g strong wholewheat flour
• 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
• 250ml warm water

For the topping

• 300g passata
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 75g grated mozzarella
• 10 black olives
• Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• Handful basil leaves, to serve

Method

1. Mix the white and wholewheat flour with the yeast and a pinch of salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, or combine in a bowl.
2. Pour in the water and mix to a soft dough, then work for 1 minute in a processor or 5 minutes by hand.
3. Remove the dough, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a circle about 30cm across. Place the dough onto oiled baking sheets.
4. Mix the passata with the garlic, oil and a little seasoning. Spread over the dough to within 2cm of the edges.
5. Scatter with the mozzarella. Halve the olives and tomatoes. Put one half of an olive on the pizza to make the spider's body. Cut the other half of the olive into little legs and arrange them around the spider bodies. Add the cherry tomatoes.
6. Leave to rise for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C Fan/Gas mark 9.
7. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes until crisp and golden around the edges. Scatter with the basil to serve.

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• Food colouring of your choice
• 1-4 tbsp of vinegar
• 3 tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1 small red pepper, finely chopped
• A few tarragon sprigs, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika, for sprinkling

Method

1. Put the eggs in a single layer in a pan and add enough water to cover them by 2cm. Bring to the boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Leave for 12 minutes. Drain and cool completely in very cold water, then drain again. This may take several batches.
2. Add the food colouring of your choice into a bowl or container that will hold the eggs. Use 1 tsp food colouring and 1 tbsp of vinegar per 700ml of water. Use several bowls or containers if neccesary.
3. Gently tap the eggs all over using a spoon or knife to crack the shells without removing them.
4. Add the eggs to the bowls/containers with the food colourings, submerge them in the liquid and leave to soak for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight. If you can't submerge them fully, turn the eggs every hour so that they stain evenly.
5. Drain, rinse and peel the eggs, then halve them and put the yolks into a bowl.
6. Add the mayonnaise to the yolks and mix in 3 tbsp of the chopped pepper and the tarragon. Add a splash of food colouring if you want a frightening filling!
7. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the whites, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Ingredients

• 8 sturdy, clean twigs or lolly sticks
• 8 red apples
• 400g caster sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• Red or black food colouring
• 1 red or black food glitter (optional)

Method

1. Push the lolly sticks into the stalk end of each apple, making sure it is firmly wedged in. Put a large piece of baking parchment onto a wooden board.
2. Add the sugar into a large saucepan and add the lemon juice and 100ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Swirl the pan gently to move the sugar around, but don’t fully stir.
3. Add the golden syrup and allow the mixture to bubble (be careful it doesn’t boil over) until it reaches 150°C on a sugar thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, test the toffee by dropping a small amount of the mixture into cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle. If it's soft, continue to boil.
4. When it's ready, drip in some food colouring and swirl to combine. Turn off the heat.
5. Working quickly, dip each apple into the toffee mixture, ensuring full coverage. Lift out and allow any excess to drip off before putting on the baking parchment. Repeat with the remaining apples. Gently heat the toffee again if you need to.