Halloween costumes have come a long way since my days of trick-or-treating. Back then, I had the choice of two attires for the evening. I could don an old white sheet to masquerade as a ghost, or a black refuse sack to take on the role of a witch. Even though the ghost ensemble looked more the part, the fact that I could barely navigate my way down the road made the witch’s rig-out the favoured option.

The costumes may have advanced from the 1980s, but the party games we play and our Halloween treats still somewhat resemble what my mother would have prepared. This ghoulish feast is one of the easiest parties to cater for as really anything goes, and the gorier the food can look, the better. Once there are a few spooky looking treats, which I generally prepare a day or so in advance, and a large bowl of some kind of punch for the children to self-ladle into goblets, the party is in full swing.

This could be why Halloween is my favourite holiday. With a little imagination, and even less expense, an evening filled with magical memories is ever so easily achievable.

Halloween cookies

These are quite simply shortbread cookies and young children love to make them. The dough is perfect for little hands to manipulate and they tend to always turn out rather well, even if the cook hasn’t the lightest touch. They can be easily decorated with a little icing and a few sweets to fit perfectly into any Halloween buffet.

Makes about 25 cookies

100g of icing sugar

200g of butter, softened

1 tsp of vanilla extract

300g of plain flour

Icing

250g of icing sugar

2 tbsp of water

15-25 circular liquorice sweets

1 tsp of red food colouring in a bowl

1 tsp of black food colouring in a bowl

  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Milk
  • Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/ fan 170°C/ gas mark five.
  • Using an electric mixture, beat the icing sugar and butter until soft and well combined, which should take about five minutes.
  • Add the vanilla extract and with the mixer on a low speed, gradually add the flour. Don’t over beat. Once combined, bring the dough together into a ball. Place it on a sheet of greaseproof paper, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, to harden slightly.
  • Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface and roll out the dough to your desired thickness. Using a cookie cutter, or a glass, make circular shapes out of the dough.
  • Prepare two baking trays with a sheet of greaseproof paper on each. Transfer the raw cookies to the trays and place in the pre-heated oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on their thickness.
  • While the cookies are cooking, prepare the icing. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the icing sugar with the water. Add a few more drops of water if required.
  • Take the cookies from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool, which will only take a few minutes.
  • Top each cookie with a teaspoon full of icing and smooth the top using the back of a knife. Place a circular liquorice into the centre and using a toothpick and the red food colouring, draw a few lines to represent veins. For the Jack ‘O’ Lantern cookies, simply use the black food colouring and another toothpick to draw the face. Allow the icing to set before serving. The cookies will keep in an airtight tin for up to three days.
  • Mummy cake pops

    These mummy cookie cake pops are so visually impressive that you’d be forgiven for thinking that they are simply for show and may not deliver on taste. I must tell you, however, that even the adults fight over these when I make them. The method is straightforward, however, I must stress the importance of refrigerating the pops in between each step to ensure that they set properly. The white chocolate sets perfectly over the refrigerated pop, giving a satisfying crunch of thick chocolate when bit into, before being met by the soft truffle-like centre.

    Makes 20

    300g of Oreo biscuits

    150g of cream cheese

    20 cake pop sticks or wooden sticks

    Sprinkle of icing sugar

    50g of ready-to-roll icing

    200g of white chocolate

    40 candy eyes

  • Using a food processor, blitz the Oreos for a few minutes until they resemble crumbs. Add the cream cheese and continue to blend for a minute or so. The Oreos and cream cheese will combine to look almost like a ball of dough.
  • Scoop out into a bowl, cover with cling film and pop into the fridge for an hour to stiffen up.
  • Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Take the Oreo mixture from the fridge. Take a spoonful of the mix and quickly mould into a ball using your hands. Insert a stick into the top of the Oreo ball and place on the prepared tray. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
  • Meanwhile, sprinkle a little icing sugar on a worktop and thinly roll out the piece of ready-to-roll icing. Cut into small thin strips, which will act as the mummy’s cloth wrapping. Place on a plate along with the candy eyes, ready for assembling the pops.
  • Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of just boiled water. Take the pops from the fridge and dip each one into the melted chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off. Then immediately stick on the two eyes and add a few strips of icing. Place upright to set, possibly in a glass filled with sugar. They will set in a few minutes. Once the chocolate is hard, place the decorated pops back onto the greaseproof paper lined tray and refrigerate for a further few hours before serving.
  • These pops can then be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Don’t leave these pops sitting out of the fridge for too long, as they may begin to melt a little.
  • Chocolate mice

    This is my regular chocolate truffle mixture, which I normally scoop into balls and dip into chopped nuts. However, since it is spooky season, I’ve moulded the mixture into mouse-like shapes and added some eyes, ears and a tail to create tasty little creatures that would be welcome at any party.

    Makes 20 mice

    200g chocolate, good quality, approximately 46% cocoa

    100ml of cream

    25g of butter

    40 flaked almond

    A strip of liquorice rope, cut into 20 one-inch pieces

    40 white chocolate drops or white candy coated mini sweets

  • Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just-boiled water. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and cream together. Just before it comes to the boil, remove from heat. Very gradually stir into the melted chocolate. Stir gently, for about five minutes, until smooth and thick. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for about two hours.
  • Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Scoop up a teaspoon-full of truffle mix and using two spoons quickly mould into a ball, before gently moulding one side a little pointy to create a mouse shape. The chocolate mix will melt with the heat of your hands so you must work quickly. Place on the tray. Add two almond slivers to each mouse for their ears. Repeat with remaining mix and then chill for another hour.
  • Take from the fridge and with the assistance of a toothpick, guide the liquorice tail into place and stick the white chocolate drops/white candy coated sweets on for the eyes.

  • Pop back into the fridge to set. These chocolate mice can then be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days.
  • Nessa Robins grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath, where she lives with her husband Diarmuid and four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen is published by New Island. Visit here blog here