Halloween Chocolate Biscuits

Halloween has just started to take off in Australia. As a child, I can remember jealously watching shows like The Brady Bunch and wishing we had Halloween here. Now it has arrived and is spreading like wildfire - after all what's not to love about dressing up and buckets of lollies? When you are in a household with a nine year old and an eleven year old, it is pretty obvious that Halloween is something you will be involved in.



Because of the time of year, I was inspired to make Halloween themed biscuits this week. I used an online recipe from Martha Stewart, which is pretty simple to make. Unfortunately, (and I know it is because the dough needs to maintain its shape), these biscuits were a bit on the dry side. You also need to watch them carefully in the oven because they can burn pretty easily. I don't think an adult would be in raptures over these cookies, but a kid faced with a chocolate pumpkin biscuit? What's not to love?

Ghostly Pumpkin (or Bat and Cat) Cookies

adapted from Martha Stewart Online

Makes 40 to 50
1 1/2 cups plain flour, plus more for rolling and cutting out dough
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
180g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg



Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg. On low speed, mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, and form into 2 disks, each about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap disks in plastic; chill until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.


On a lightly floured sheet of baking paper, roll dough to 3mm thick. (If dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate for a few minutes.) Cut out shapes, dipping cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking; place on a baking sheet, spacing them 3cm apart. Bake until surface is dry to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes (if decorating, press candies into dough halfway through baking). Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheet; transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve, or store in an airtight container up to 3 days.