With Halloween just a few days away we thought we’d put together a couple of recipes for some terrifyingly tempting treats. Now there surely can’t be another event any time in the year that brings out so many recipes and such imagination and creativity? There’s every type of food of food you can think of for morning, noon, and night, and themed on everything and anything associated with the spooky day.
Here we have some devilishly delightful Chocolate Monster Cookies, and some Chocolate Truffle Spiders that you’ll have to move fast to catch, as they’ll be gone pretty quick.
Chocolate Truffle Spiders Recipe
Makes: 12-15 Truffles
Prep time: 1 hour | Inactive time: 2 hours | Assembly time: 2 minutes | Total time: 3 hours 2 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 cup dark chocolate baking chips
• 1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (6 ounce) box black string decorating candy
• 30 candy eyeballs
• 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
• 1 package cotton candy (for the spider web garnish)
Instructions:
For the chocolate truffle spiders:
1. To a medium-size, microwaveable glass bowl, add the chocolate chips and cream. Stir together.
2. Heat the chocolate chip mixture in the microwave for 60 seconds, and then stir. Then heat for another 40 seconds, and stir.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours or until the chocolate is firm enough to roll.
4. Remove from the fridge, and use a spoon to scrape out the chocolate.
5. Roll the chocolate into balls with your hands.
To finish the spiders:
1. Cut the black string candy into about 3-inch-long pieces for the legs (6 pieces per spider).
2. Poke 6 candy legs into the top area of the truffle, 3 on each side. Shape the candy to look like spider legs if needed.
3. Add 2 candy eyeballs to each spider.
4. Top each spider with a pinch of cocoa powder.
5. Store in the refrigerator, and serve at room temperature.
To serve the spiders:
1. Remove the spiders from the refrigerator, and set them on the counter until they reach room temperature.
2. Just before serving, on a large serving plate, make a mound out of cotton candy, and lay the spiders on the sides and top of the cotton candy. Make sure the spiders have time to sit out at room temperature so they don't have moisture on them (when sitting on top of the cotton candy).
Chocolate Monster Cookies Recipe
Makes: 9 Monster Cookies
Prep time: 1 hour, Cook time: 15 mins, Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Ingredients
Icing:
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate, coarsely chopped (This used 60% Ghirardhelli)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Also needed:
• one jumbo marshmallow for teeth
Instructions
The day before, make your candy googly eyes. They require at least 24 hours to fully dry, but once you make them they last for weeks so you'll be set for the season.
On the day you plan on making your monster cookies, make the chocolate chip cookies. My recipe for faithful chocolate chip cookies is the best you'll find.
How to make the icing:
1. Place coarsely chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat safe bowl and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring the heavy cream to a boil. You just want to get it to the point of a boil and then remove it from the heat as soon as it does.
3. Pour the scalded heavy cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2-3 minutes undisturbed until chocolate has softened.
4. Slowly whisk the mixture until smooth and add the room temperature butter. Whisk until butter is melted and incorporated.
5. Either add icing to pastry bag or place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing and allow to cool at room temperature for 2-4 hours.
To assemble monster cookies:
1. Match cookie pairs according to size. Put the first cookie face down. Pipe on some icing, making it thicker on one side. Place top cookie on icing and press down on only one side to give the illusion of an open mouth.
2. Use additional icing on top to make your eyes stick.
3. Cut out small teeth from the marshmallow. Get creative!
4. Store in an airtight container if not eaten right away.
For and more great recipes please head on over to selfproclaimedfoodie.com and sheknows.com/food-and-recipes