Best Halloween Gingerbread Recipes

HALLOWEEN GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the butter, syrup, treacle and sugar in a medium saucepan over a low heat for 6-8 mins until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool for 10 mins.
• Briefly whisk the bicarb, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and plain flour in a large bowl to combine. Add a pinch of salt, and the butter and sugar to the mixture. Mix briefly with a spoon, then knead to a rough ball in the bowl. Add 1 tbsp water to bring to the dough together, if you need to. Tip out onto a worksurface and knead briefly again until you have a soft, pliable dough. Press out to a flat disk, wrap and freeze for 15 mins or chill for 30 mins.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured worksurface, split the dough into sections and work in batches if you need to. Roll out to 5mm thick. Cut out using a gingerbread person cutter. Reroll the offcuts. You'll get 20-25 depending on the size of your cutter.
• Transfer the biscuits to a parchment lined tray with a little room in-between and chill again for 10 mins.
• Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Bake the gingerbread for 10-15 mins until the edges and lightly golden. Cool on the tray for 5 mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix icing sugar with ½-1 tbsp water to make a thick, pipeable icing. Transfer half of the icing to a piping bag and cut a very small hole in the bottom.
• To make the ghostsUsing the piping bag icing to make an outline around the gingerbread people and leave to set. Once set, add a drop more water to the remaining icing in the bowl to loosen slightly, then use to fill the ghost shapes. Use a cocktail stick to smooth out the icing right up to the set outline. Leave to set again. Add two black dots for the eyes, then an oval for the open mouth.
• To make the mummiesSnip a slightly larger hole in the piping bag at an angle, and go back and forth over the remaining gingerbread people, so it looks like bandages. Add two white dots as eyes and leave to dry. Add pupils to the white dots once set with the black writing icing.

HALLOWEEN GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with 12 to 18 Reynolds® StayBrite® Baking Cups with a black swirl design.
• Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Whisk together the milk and molasses in a medium bowl. Alternately add flour and milk mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.
• Frost with Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting. Sprinkle colored decorating sugars.
• Cinnamon Vanilla Frosting: Combine butter, sour cream, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in powdered sugar and ground cinnamon. Thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if needed to reach desired consistency.

HALLOWEEN GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray one 9-by-13-inch pan and one 8-by-8-inch pan with cooking spray. Line the pans with parchment paper. Combine the water with the baking soda, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, spices, and baking powder and set aside.
• In another large bowl, cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat on a medium-low speed until fluffy. Beat in the molasses and baking-soda mixture until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until combined. Add eggs, and beat well.
• Pour batter to equal heights in pans. Bake 15 minutes, and rotate pans in oven to opposite shelves. Bake 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Let stand on wire rack until just cool enough to unmold, 20 to 30 minutes. Unmold onto clean piece of parchment paper. Carefully peel off paper from bottom. This smooth surface will be used for stenciling. Let cool completely. (May be made up to this point a day ahead, tightly wrapped, and stored at room temperature.) Use cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Place stencil on gingerbread. Sprinkle sanding or confectioners' sugar over stencil; remove stencil. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat until all the gingerbread is used.