Eat one… if you dare!
I love Halloween. I mean, I seriously love Halloween.
Unfortunately, Halloween in Shetland isn’t nearly on the same scale as the Halloween of my rural Canadian childhood, where houses would be decorated up inside and out (with some teenage twerp invariably blowing up our carefully carved jack o’lanterns with fire crackers). Every child in the village dressed up and went trick or treating – with pillow cases. None of these little plastic pumpkins for stashing treats in, no, there was enough loot to fill a pillow case (sometimes twice!).
I’m sure this may have contributed to the mouthful of fillings I have, but that’s besides the point.
Maybe it’s just that UK Halloweens pale in comparison to those grand affairs of my North American upbringing, but do you know what? My kids are half-Canadian.
They get a kick-butt Halloween.
Look at that face – doesn’t that face deserve an awesome Halloween?
Don’t get me wrong, we do celebrate Halloween in my rural island village. There’s a village party at the local hall that takes an awful lot of effort to create. I know, I’ve done two out of my three required turns already. A group of village parents are selected/volunteer to host the party at the hall each year (and the Christmas party) and you’re expected to do it three times before your children reach secondary school. Those with newborns are excempt from volunteering.
The parents organize the whole event – party games, home bakes, prizes, everything and this takes some time to do. Do you know how many loaves of bread, litres of milk and tins of coffee are required to cater for a village party? It is pretty good fun, to be honest, although sometimes I struggle with the social aspect (I’m not, by nature, a sociable person – would you believe?!).
Earlier on in the year Lekue contacted me, asking if I’d like to try out a selection of their silicone bake ware. My two boys have birthdays close to each other in the Spring, so I picked the number five cake mould and the three tier cake mould to make their birthday cakes with. I also picked this Crazy Skull chocolate mould, to hold onto until Halloween.
I brought that mould out today, melting some gorgeous 85% cocoa solids Fairtrade dark chocolate and using white marzipan to make some zombie skull brains to hide inside (ok, I was feeling lazy – I could have concocted some elaborate filling, but there was a free 100 gram sample of Renshaw white marzipan languishing in my cupboard needing used up. That would do.)
Then I had to paint my daughter’s face to match the skull pattern on the mould. That was a little bit fun.
I ran out of dark chocolate, so I made another batch with plain chocolate – these are still nice, but I prefer the dark stuff myself.
Our village postie was treated to two of these while on his route today too (just mentioning him because I know he’ll read this!). 🙂
Zombie Brains Chocolates
Ingredients
- 150 grams good quality dark chocolate 85% cocoa solids
- 50 grams white marzipan
Instructions
- Break chocolate into a heat proof bowl and suspend over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted.
- Spoon a little of the chocolate into the base of a skull shaped chocolate mould and pop in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.
- Take a small ball of marzipan and shape into a flat oval shape. Place in the 'brain' area of the skull mould.
- Fill the remainder of each well with melted chocolate and pop back into the fridge until hardened.
Halloween in this household means dressing up for dinner (see my Spooktacular Halloween Feast for last year’s celebration) followed by a family film night involving a Tim Burton film. This year I think they’re all old enough for Edward Scissorhands – yay! 🙂
In the meantime, we got busy this week making Halloween cupcakes. This is a great way to keep the kids entertained for a little while: make your favourite cupcake batter to fill Halloween themed cupcake cases and let the children have free reign with the imaginations to decorate with assorted sweets.
We’re all dressing up this year for the village Halloween party. The kids want to be zombies and vampires, while I am going to go as a zombie chef, of sorts, wearing my new stylish paneled Halloween apron, part of the new C’est Ca Halloween kitchen textile range (a photo will be added after the day – I’m not dressing up beforehand for a photo and then doing it again on Halloween, but I did want to give them a mention before the big day).
I’m loving this cotton apron with its fitted bodice top and swishy skirt hand made in their factory in Norwich. If you want one for yourself Broadway Cook Shop sells them online. RRP £22-95
Linking up with Tasty Tuesdays, by Vicky at Honest Mum, Recipe of the Week by Emily at A Mummy Too and Cook, Blog, Share by Lucy at Supergolden Bakes. Also linking up with We Should Cocoa with Choclette over at Chocolate Log Blog and Hannah at Honey & Dough.
MORE HALLOWEEN INSPIRATION
Fun Halloween Recipes by Katie
Halloween Cookies by Sarah
Follow Choclette’s board Halloween / Guy Fawkes / on Pinterest.
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With thanks to C’est Ca @ictcCookware for the gorgeous apron, Premier Housewares for the Halloween themed baking cases and Lekue @lekue for the Crazy Skulls silicone mould. All opinions expressed in this post are those of Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. This is not a paid post.
Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home, for now. One eye is always on the horizon.
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
How awesome are these! They have such a professional finish. I need one of these moulds 🙂
Natally says
Great for parties, love them!
Paul Wilson says
Braaains!
Bev says
Ha – those chocolates are just fab!
LEE HARDY says
Great idea & fab pictures.
Pam Francis Gregory says
These are fantastically creative – well done!
Vohn McGuinness says
We celebrated Halloween in a big way growing up in Northern Ireland. I suspect that historically it was celebrated in celtic areas of Britain as a modern version of the ancient celtic festival Samhain. I always thought that the celts took the tradition with them to Northern America. I wonder if Halloween was celebrated in Britain in the past but became overshadowed by Bonfire Night after the Gunpowder Plot.
Whatever the history of it all is, Halloween remains one of my favourite times of year and I get excited just thinking about it. Love your zombie brain chocolates & your wee girl’s matching makeup too! Great way to get the shy one to pose for the camera!
Honest mum says
Wow they are incredible! Love this post! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays, please can you add my badge or link back, thanks x
Elizabeth says
Link’s already there! 🙂
Sarah (@tamingtwins) says
Elizabeth these look awesome! The photos are brilliant and your little model is a star.
Laura@howtocookgoodfood says
What a brilliant idea for halloween and that face painting is so impressive. I love marzipan so that hidden surprise would be perfect for me. Enjoy your trick to treating!
anna @ annamayeveryday says
I don’t know which is more fantastic, the face or the chocolates – both are brilliant! We are going to a Canadian hosted Hallowe’en party this afternoon which I know will be fun!
Alison says
Oh my those look amazing and a bit scary. Love your cupcakes as well
Helene @Croque-Maman says
WOW!!! These chocolate skulls look scary and delicious but I have to admit that your daughter’s make-up is really impressive too. I don’t know what would be my reaction if she would knock at my door lol I think I would be so scared at first :-)))
Lucy Parissi says
Forget the chocolates (which are totally awesome) your face painting skills are out of this world. That face is going to haunt my dreams. I wish we could go trick or treating together it would be so much fun. Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare
Dominic says
very cute. They look so perfect too! I would have dyed the brain red but then i’m a bit sick like that!
Camilla @FabFood4All says
Dark chocolate, marzipan my perfect treat at any time of year:-) The chocolates and your daughter look fab:-)
Di Wareing says
They look brilliant!
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
We didn’t grow up with the bigness of halloween (or at least we didn’t if we are over about 40)…. it is a bit of a ‘foreign import’ and I think we are quite reluctant to embrace it full-on as a nation…… It always feels very different when experienced with friends who grew up across the pond. But those chocolates look fab and the face painting is truly striking! I love the community spirit (and expectation) in sharing responsibility for hall parties…. You just don’t get that mutual pitching-in in a large town or city! You are very lucky!!
Choclette says
I’ve seen that face several times now and I still find it scary – very cleverly done. We didn’t celebrate Halloween at all when I grew up – Bonfire night was the big one, so I’ve never really gotten into it. I do love your chocolate marzipan skulls though and thank you for sharing them with We Should Cocoa.
Hope you all have a splendid time on Friday 🙂
Sam Williams says
These look absolutely fantastic!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I’m loving your chocolates and child! Have a fun Halloween.
When I was wee it was called guising. We didn’t decorate apart from carving turnips and popping candles in them. Our mums would make us costumes and we would rehearse a song, dance, poem or jokes. You didn’t get off with just turning up at a door.
Keep Calm and Fanny On says
These look fab, and a really fantastic photo too! We always had a big time guising at Halloween, it actually feels like it’s less of a thing now than then.., we dressed up, did a turn, dooked for apples, had bags full of nuts and sweets and visited everyone in the village! It was great, I kinda miss it… I’d have loved to get these chocolates then!
Heather Haigh says
Can I come and live with you? You sound so much fun as well as cooking amazing food! I’m a big kid who still loves halloween and every other celebration day I can think of lol.
Elizabeth says
Heehee, sure why not! 😀 Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
Holly says
Great great photos! I love that face make up. I love using moulds for things, they look yummy!
Elizabeth says
Thanks Holly 🙂 The face paint is a recent addition to the house – I realised the costume our youngest wanted was going to cost a fortune to make, so I opted for face paint instead, hoping he’d be happy with that (he’s not and I still have to make(or buy) a costume!)
Johanna GGG says
brilliant chocolates and great face painting.
If I was you I would probably be celebrating halloween with my kids too. But we never grew up with it so it is something that feels more of an import here – probably even less relevant here as hallween seems so full of pumpkins and autumn which are also not happening here right now.
However halloween is creeping in – sylvia has a halloween dress up day tomorrow at school and has her witch outfit all ready. But I am yet to see trick or treating even though I hear some friends live on streets where it is popular
Elizabeth says
I suppose it is a very North American creation. I grew up with it so that is what I remember, but it would be strange celebrating Halloween without Autumn. It was always the turning point in the seasons for me – sometimes the first snow would happen on Halloween while out Trick or Treating.
Becky Johnson says
I love love love Halloween it’s my favourite day of the year! When I was a teenager every Halloween was spent ‘kale casting’! Last year I did a little teepeeing of my neighbours car (all innocent fun) I always put up decoration especially in my big tree in my garden. This year I am dressing up as a corpse bride and going to watch nightmare on elm street at mareel with friends
Elizabeth says
Sounds like good fun Becky! 😀
Becky says
Have you heard/expirenced kale casting?
Elizabeth says
Someone chucked a clump of dirt and some plant matter in our front door some random night once, many years ago – was that it? 😀
The mummy madness says
That is amazing that your postman reads your blog. we do not do halloween in our house but like that the idea could be used for something else too!
Elizabeth says
I think these chocolate moulds are very Mexican day of the dead too. They’re quite festive, but then again any mould could be used. Chocolate and marzipan are a great, simply combo 🙂
Berit Bailey says
These look absolutely amazing – and there is nothing I love more than chocolate and marzipane – these 2 together = heaven!
Elizabeth says
I thought I would go with something simple and what else am I going to use a tiny pack of marzipan for? 😀
DANIELLE VEDMORE says
Wow! They are fab! Brainsssssssssssss!
Elizabeth says
Thank you! 😀
Beth - Musing Housewife says
These look fab! The perfect spooky halloween treat!
UK Halloween is shockingly dull compared to anything anywhere over the pond… My street is actually full of grumpy people who put huge signs in their window saying “no trick or treaters”… Worse still they don’t even say please!
Happy Halloween for Friday!
Beth
P.S I’m stopping by from UK Bloggers
Elizabeth says
Oh no, that sounds like a dreadful street! Well, at least they’re honest putting up signs and don’t just switch the lights off pretending not to be home!