A seriously spooky Halloween dessert
I've just knocked up this ghoulish treat which I'll be making this Halloween and thought I'd share the recipe with ghoulish foodies on allaboutyou! It makes 4-6 cobwebs and 4-6 chocolate spiders, but you can just make the meringues - the spiders are optional. In fact I think I'd better practise to get mine just right for October 31st! Here's the recipe...
You will need: 1 large egg white, caster sugar, white sprinkles (optional), 70g dark chocolate, 1 tbsp double cream, 10g butter, sweets (for the eyes of the spider)
1) Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 120°C/100C fan oven/gas mark ½. Weigh the egg white and put in a spotlessly clean greasefree bowl, then measure out double the weight of the egg weight in sugar into a separate bowl.
2) Whisk the egg white until the mixture becomes thick, white and stands in soft peaks. The mixture should be firm enough for the bowl to be held upside down over your head without it moving. If it slips around as you do this, whisk a little more.
3) Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Spoon into a plastic piping bag we used this Sainsburys piping bag. Dot a little of the meringue from the bowl on each corner of the parchment to stick it to the baking sheet. Snip the end of the piping bag so there is a small hole, then slowly draw lines in the shape of a cobweb. Repeat to make four or six, depending on how big youve drawn them. Scatter over the sprinkles, if using. Bake in the oven for around 50 minutes until the meringues come away easily from the parchment. Cool on the plates you'll be serving them on.
4) Put 50g chocolate in a bowl and microwave on low until melted. Stir in the double cream and butter very slowly, then chill this ganache until set.
5) Melt the remaining 20g chocolate in the microwave as before. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment and use the chocolate to draw a round (for a base body of a spider) and eight legs off this round to make the main shape. Continue with the remaining chocolate to make more spiders.
6) When the chocolate mixture has set, divide into four or six small pieces and roll in your hands to make a body. Stick onto the chocolate spider bases. Cut the jelly beans in half and stick onto the ganache.
7) Place the chocolate spiders on top and serve with a bowl of whipped cream.
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