Last updated 10:01, Saturday, 25 October 2008

It’s half-term and Halloween next week, so why not get the youngsters to make some spooky treats for themselves and any trick or treaters who come calling?

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Children holding Halloween lanterns

Get them to draw their own designs for a pumpkin lantern face and then cut out the eyes, nose and mouth – but makes sure any cutting is supervised! Use the scooped out innards for a whizzed-up silky soup or risotto – or add to a stew. Kid’s food guru Annabel Karmel is dead keen on getting your little darlings into the kitchen.

“Making the haunted food is half the fun, so encourage your wee witches and little goblins to get stuck in,” she says. “Lay out a spooky spread, dim the lights and share a ghost story or two around the table while you enjoy a devilishly delicious Halloween party,” she says.

Here’s a couple of her recipes for broomsticks you can eat and some shocking cakes and an easy one from me for a messy pud...

TWIGLET BROOMSTICKS:

A pack of Grissini breadsticks or sesame seed sticks

A pack of Mini Twiglets or pretzels.

String

Chives

Method

1) Attach the mini Twiglets to the Grissini sticks with some string and then tie chives around them.

SCARY MONSTER CUPCAKES

Makes 12 cakes:

125g/4 1/2oz soft margarine

125g/4 1/2oz caster sugar

2 large eggs

125g/4 1/2oz self-raising flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tub creamy vanilla icing

For the decoration:

Various food colourings

Marshmallows

Mini marshmallows

Strawberry liquorice laces

Liquorice Allsorts and a selection of sweets

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

2) Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at time, together with a tablespoon of flour. Add the vanilla essence and fold in the remaining flour.

3) Line a bun tin with paper cases, half-fill each case with the mixture and bake for 20 minutes.

4) You can tell they are done when they have risen, are golden in colour and spring back into shape when pressed gently with your finger. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

5) Colour the vanilla icing using your favourite food colouring. Spread the icing over the top of the cakes and have fun with your children decorating them with sweets.

SLIMES

1 packet of lime flavoured jelly

1 pack of strawberry/raspberry flavoured jelly.

Method

Make up lime jelly so that it is half-set – slippy but drinkable.

Either chop the raw red jelly into chunks, or use half the water to make a strong mix, then use a teaspoon to scoop round or oval eye-shaped blobs out and carefully mix into the green slime.

n The Annabel Karmel Family Cookbook: Winter & Christmas (Dennis Publishing, £7.99).