We are in the final stretch to enjoy one of the holidays that I like most of the year, Halloween or the eve of our celebration of All Saints Day. Today I leave you a compilation of Ten recipes to enjoy on Halloween.
I know that many of you do not usually celebrate this day despite being a holiday that is increasingly present in our culture. On the contrary, it is more common to celebrate All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day. Certainly, each country has its traditions and customs, which is exactly what makes every corner of this world so special. In the compilation I also leave you some recipes for the parties that happen after Halloween night.
I hope you will forgive me, but I love these dates and everything that surrounds it. I am like a little girl who wants to live every moment intensely. I am sure that many of you will be on my side and will enjoy this witches’ night together with your family and friends. So for all of you who like to dress up your houses and tables with magic, I leave you a small compilation to surprise and enjoy on that day.
Buñuelos de viento.
We start with one of the simplest and most “enjoyable” of these dates, the famous buñuelos de viento. This marvel that falls within the famous “pan fruits”, is a fried dough filled with pastry cream, traditionally, or other types of fillings or creams. In Spain, this type of pastry is consumed mainly during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. In fact, they are also called buñuelos de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day fritters).
Undoubtedly this is one of the elaborations that we can classify as an easy or simple recipe. As simple as mixing and frying. In my case I show you how to fill them with a pumpkin spiced pastry cream or with chocolate ganache.
In this link you can see how to make the famous fritters and here you have the video of the process.
Huesos de Santo.
Another pastries that are not usually missing during these dates are the classic Huesos de Santo (Saint’s Bones). These are considered a symbol of the millenary tradition of the cult of the dead that is celebrated on November 1st, the main element to make the Huesos de Santo is marzipan. As I told you in the recipe for Marzipan Eel, this elaboration made with almonds was already known centuries before in Italy. There is a theory that the origin of marzipan comes from a monastery in Sicily and the Arab countries.
These marzipan pieces, similar in appearance to a bone with its marrow, are usually texturized with a specific rolling pin, and then filled with yolk and covered with a glaze that helps preserve their freshness. In addition to giving them their characteristic finish. Nowadays, they can be found with an infinite number of fillings: chocolate, sweet potato, angel hair, coconut…
In this link you can see how to make the famous huesos de santo and here you have the video of the process.
Pan de muerto.
If there is one sweet bread that you can’t miss during these dates, without a doubt, it is Pan de Muerto. This bread is made as an offering, exclusively, during the Day of the Dead celebration to honor the deceased.
Tradition has it that the dead return to their families from October 31 to November 2. The moment in which the elaboration of a specific bread for these dates originated dates back to the time of human sacrifices and the arrival of the Spaniards to Mexico in 1519.
The appearance of this bread has its own symbolism; the little ball on the top of the bread symbolizes the skull, the cords or shins that cross it represent the bones and the orange blossom water is for the memory of the deceased. In addition, you can find classifications of these depending on whether they represent human figures, animals, flowers or mythological beings. It is a day in which memories for loved ones predominate along with great banquets, fruits, flowers, lots of color and, of course, these wonderful pan de muerto breads.
In this link you can see how to make the traditional pan de muerto.
Hocus Pocus Book Cookie.
Here we come to the recipes full of magic, charm… Those that, certainly, require a little more time in their process and elaboration, but that undoubtedly will leave our guests speechless. To be honest, they are the ones I enjoy the most above anything else. These elaborations allow us to express ourselves and give shape to everything that comes to our mind.
Let’s start with Winifred Sanderson’s Hocus Pocus book cookie. Yes, as you may have guessed this was my favorite movie when I was little. “The Return of the Witches” in Spanish or “Hocus Pocus” (its original English name) is still one of my favorites and we still watch it at home from time to time. Especially on Halloween. I’ve seen it a hundred thousand times, I could tell you the whole script off the top of my head.
My favorite? Winifred Anderson, of course! In fact a few years ago I dressed up as her, you can see me here, hahaha.
In this link you can see how to make the Hocus Pocus book cookie and here you have the video of the process.
Monster Pumpkin Cake.
This little cake was a before and after in my work when it came to making cakes or pies. It was the first time I was able to model an elaboration that, later on, could be eaten. And here began my craze for creative recipes. While it is true that I can not publish them as often as I would like, it is something that I will not stop doing because they are the recipes I enjoy the most.
This little pumpkin is inspired by the wonderful work of Mélanie Launay, her blog is Qui a Volé les Tartes? Her pumpkin cake “Mister Citrouille & Compagnie“ made me fall in love, and thanks to her and her wonderful work, came this creation that I share with you. Sponge cake, SMBC and modelable chocolate or plastic chocolate is all we need to make it.
In this link you can see how to make this Monster Pumpkin and here you have the video of the process.
Sleeping Beauty Cake.
Maybe you think… There’s nothing scary about this recipe. And, it’s true. But many people during Halloween not only dress up as scary characters, but also as their favorite characters. That was my case in 2020, I decided to dress up as Fauna and recreate the scene where she makes Aurora’s 16th birthday cake. As you can see in this image.
That moment when she holds the cake with the broom, added to her kind face, is priceless. I could watch this scene together with the battle with the wands in that same scene, for hours! hahaha.
In this link you can see how to make this cake and here you have the video of the process.
Dorothy Gingerbread House – The Wizard of Oz.
The following year something similar happened to me again…. No horror costumes. But yes, I did a little version of Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz to adapt it a little for those dates. Trying to give it an air of terror. My costume, as you can imagine, was Dorothy, but I was also very well accompanied! My little Björn played Toto 🙂
Here we are both enjoying our moment.
The house is made entirely of cookie dough and royal icing, except for the legs of the Wicked Witch of the West, which are made of plastic chocolate. Even the details to paint, is very diluted icing with coloring. For the ruby chatins I used edible red glitter.
The scene I wanted to represent is the moment when the house just flew away after the tornado in Kansas and arrives in Oz. Falling next to the famous yellow brick road. But, as we are celebrating Halloween, I decided to give it a somewhat spookier finish, trying to maintain the original aesthetics of the house.
In this link you can see how to make this house and here you have the video of the process.
Poisoned apple of Snow White.
Last year I fulfilled another of my dreams, to dress up as the Evil Queen. And, taking advantage of the occasion, I prepared the poisoned apple. It was another of the challenges I wanted to fulfill and, finally, I was able to do it. I made this apple with chocolate and a whipped apple ganache filling with a cinnamon candied apple jelly core. It sounds much more complex than it actually is.
But, if any of you want to go for it without getting so complicated with the filling, a few years ago I left you with a recipe for Snow White’s apple made with a homemade marshmallow filling.
Can you imagine a Halloween table with a fruit bowl full of poisoned apples next to a witch’s cauldron? Sounds terrifyingly good!
In this link you can see how to make the Snow White apple and here you have the video of the process.
Harry Potter Butterbeer.
Not only can we prepare edible recipes, but also drinks to go with them. One of the ones you can’t miss at your party is Harry Potter Butterbeer.
It is an absolute and complete wonder, promise. It’s actually a warm drink, at least this format I’m sharing with you. So that makes it doubly recommended for this cooler time of year. Snuggled up with a blankie? I like it.
Butterbeer is the drink of choice for younger mages. It can be served either hot or cold and, in either case, will have a comforting effect and warm us up.
Butterbeer, or “Buttered beere” as it was described in the year 1594, has been around for many centuries. In Tudor times, beer was already a typical and commonly consumed beverage. In fact, there was a very mild ale known as “small beer” that was consumed by everyone, even children. The reason was that water was not considered very safe for consumption, since river water was polluted and made people sick.
It was carried out by mixing beer with butter, sugar, spices and egg. The recipe can be found in the book “The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin“.
In this link you can see how to make this drink.
Vampire Cocktail.
We end this small compilation with a cocktail that, I assure you, will not disappoint you. Vampire Cocktail.
The origin of this cocktail is Mexican. It seems that this cocktail was born on the shores of Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, located in the town of San Luis Soyatlán, in the state of Jalisco.
Several decades ago, a fruit vendor named Oscar Hernández, prepared a drink with different fruit juices, spicy chili and tequila, Mexico’s national drink. He decided to call it Vampiro because of its intense red color. In a single glass he manages to combine two of the most characteristic flavors of this country; Tequila and chili.
Although the cocktail is traditionally made with sangrita, a combination of citrus fruit juices and vegetables, mixed with tabasco (hot sauce), Worcestershire sauce (enhances the flavors of the cocktail), salt and pepper.
In this link you can see how to make this drink.
