Our collection of Halloween recipes from The Hoxton Street Monster Supplies Cookbook continues with these delightfully frightening Bump-in-the-Night Biscuits. We'll let them introduce the philosophy behind this bake...
"Everyone assumes that monsters are genetically programmed to go ‘bump in the night’. In reality, we all know that it takes years of extracurricular classes and daily practice to perfect the skill. These biscuits will help those of you struggling to pass your ‘Quiet Entrance’ and ‘Art of Surprise’ exams, or nocturnal humans with a malevolent streak."
You will need (makes 10–12 biscuits)
250 g self-raising flour
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
125 g unsalted butter, softened
100 g demerara sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
100 g sultanas
75 g currants
50 g mixed peel or chopped glacé cherries
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3–4 tablespoons milk
1 Line a large baking sheet with nonstick baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles ne breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar, orange zest, sultanas, currants and mixed peel or cherries. Pour in the egg and add enough of the milk to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
2 Drop 10–12 mounds of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet so that they resemble rocks and sprinkle with a little extra sugar, if using.
3 Bake in a preheated oven, 200°C, for 18–20 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, then serve warm.
For more fiendish recipes, pick up a copy of The Hoxton Street Monster Supplies Cookbook is published by Mitchell Beazley, £12.99 (octopusbooks.co.uk). Or for a bit of "bump-in-the-night" debunking, read our feature on urban legends in Oh Comely issue 33.