Pumpkin Pizza Balls 

Get into spooky season with these autumnal versions of mini little calzone pizzas. Filled with oozing cheese, these showstoppers are perfect for parties!

Prep Time: 40 mins

Bake Time: 15 mins

Servings: 8 

Tip

For a vegetarian option, substitute the pepperoni for either eight cooked sliced mushrooms or 150g cubed roasted squash.

Soak the string in a little olive oil before using, to make it easier to remove.

Equipment

Large bowl 

Wooden spoon 

Rolling pin 

Scissors

Pastry brush 

Food-safe cooking string

Tea towel

Ingredients

350 g strong white bread flour 

One 7g sachet of fast acting yeast 

½ tsp sugar 

200ml water 

200g packet mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into 8 pieces  

100g pepperoni slices 

350g jar of tomato pasta or pizza sauce 

1 egg yolk 

1 tsp paprika 

Handful of fresh basil leaves to decorate (optional)

Method 

1.    Pre heat the oven to 200’C.

2.    Tip the flour into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast. Now make a well in the middle and add the water, stirring until all the flour is mixed in and you have a soft dough. 

3.    Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

4.    Wash out the bowl, place your dough into it and cover with a tea towel. Now leave to rest for five minutes. 

5.    Divide the dough into eight equal pieces and roll these out. Now top each piece of dough with a slice of pepperoni, a spoonful of sauce, a piece of Mozzarella and another slice of pepperoni. 

6.    Bring the edges of the dough together, enclosing the filling and pinch well at the top to seal. 

7.    Now tie a piece of string around the ball three times, crossing over at the top and the bottom.  Pull the string just tight enough that the dough looks like the segments of a pumpkin.

8.    Mix the egg yolk and paprika and brush all over the pumpkin balls. Then place these in the oven and bake for 15 minutes till they are cooked through and golden. 

9.    Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before snipping the string and carefully removing it, and if using, garnish with baby basil leaves 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins 

Makes 12 @ 70g per muffin 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

1. Ingredients 

215g pumpkin puree (this comes in a can and is available in supermarkets) 

2 eggs 

125ml/g sunflower or vegetable oil 

75ml/g water 

300g caster sugar 

225g self raising flour 

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

3 tsp mixed spice 

Pumpkin seeds 

 Equipment  

Large mixing bowl 

Whisk or spoon 

Lined muffin tin 

Measuring spoons 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 160°c (fan). 

2. In the large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil and water then add in the sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice and whisk until a smooth batter is formed. 

3. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases, top with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen, golden and springy to the touch. 

4. Allow to cool before serving. 
   

Mummy Sausage & Pumpkin Pies

Makes 9 portions

Ingredients

1.   350g plain flour 
2. 2.    175g salted butter, cubed
3. 3.    4 tbsp cold water
4. 4.    350g sausage meat
5. 5.    150g pumpkin purée
6. 6.    1 tsp dried sage
7. 7.    ½ tsp salt
8. 8.    1 egg
9. 9.    18 edible eyes

Equipment

1.    Mixing bowl

2.    Lined baking tray

3.    Rolling pin

4.    Spoon 

5.    Fork

6.    Knife

Method

1.    Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan).

2.    In the large mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter by rubbing it together between your fingertips, until a crumb consistency is achieved. Add the water and bring together with your hands to form a pastry dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and pop in the freezer to rest while you make the filling.

3.    Wash up the mixing bowl then use it to combine the sausage meat, pumpkin purée, sage and salt. Set to one side.

4.    Take the dough out of the freezer and, on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a large rectangle (2-3mm thickness) then portion into 12 smaller rectangles. 

5.    Place 9 of the pastry rectangles onto the tray and spoon the sausage filling into the centre of each one leaving an index finger width border around every edge.

6.    Beat the egg, then use your finger to egg wash the edges of each pie.

7.    Cut the remaining 3 rectangles into 1 cm strips and lay them over the filling of each pie, using the egg washed edges to stick them. Trim if necessary. 

8.    Use your finger to egg wash the strips then bake the pies for 20-25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before placing two edible eyes on each one and serving. They can also be enjoyed cold.

Homemade spaghetti and spooky “eyeballs”  

This scary, saucy spaghetti and “eyeballs” recipe will be a fun and frightening addition to your Halloween! Incorporating homemade pasta, meatballs and a delicious tomato sauce, these tick all the boxes and are sure to delight children and adults alike. While we recommend making your own, if you’re short on time, feel free to buy ready-made pasta for a simplified (but still full of fun!) version. 

 Serves 4 

Prep time: 45 mins  

Cook time: 25 mins 

Ingredients 

For the pasta: 

315g plain flour 

3 eggs, beaten 

For the meatballs: 

750g lean beef mince  

150g breadcrumbs  

1 egg, beaten 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

4 slices mozzarella cheese 

Black olives, sliced 

For the pasta sauce:  

1kg passata 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

2 tsp garlic granules 

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs (or dried basil if that’s all you can find) 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

Reserved pasta water 

Equipment 

Rolling pin 

Knife 

Mixing bowl  

Baking tray 

Large saucepan or casserole dish 

Piping nozzle or bottle cap 

Method 

To make the pasta dough: 

1. Form the flour into a heaped pile on a clean surface, then create a well in the centre. 

2. Pour the beaten eggs into the centre of the well then fold in the flour, bringing it in from the edges. This will be a little messy at first but keep going until all of the egg has been worked in and a dough is formed. 

3. Use a little extra flour to knead the dough until smooth, then wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for around 20 minutes. 

To make the meatballs: 

1. While the pasta dough is resting in the fridge, prepare the meatballs. 

2. Preheat the oven to 190°c (fan). 

3. In the mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the beef mince, breadcrumbs, egg and seasoning. 

4. Form the meatballs (approx. 40g each, see pictures for size estimate) and place onto a baking tray.  

5. Cook the meatballs in the oven for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through. 

6. Set aside on the counter (ensure these aren’t left out for more than two hours). 

To make the eyes: 

1. Use a piping nozzle, bottle cap or cut freehand to create 24 discs of cheese, placing them on a plate. 

2. Top each disc with a black olive slice to create an eyeball and leave in the fridge until assembly. 

Rolling the pasta: 

1. Once the meatballs are cooked, it will be time to roll and cut the pasta. 

2. Place a large saucepan or casserole dish filled with salted water on the stove and bring to a rolling boil. 

3. Take the pasta dough from the fridge and cut into 4 equal pieces. 

4. Lightly flour a clean work surface, then roll one of the pieces out—the aim is to get it as big and as thin as possible without the dough breaking or sticking. Extra dustings of flour throughout will likely be needed to achieve this. 

5. Fold the rolled dough in half and then onto itself again before using a sharp knife to cut it into thin strips. 

6. Pick up the strips and give them a good shake to unravel them, dusting with a little extra flour to prevent them sticking. 

7. Set aside and repeat for the other 3 portions of dough. 

8. Carefully drop the pasta into the pan of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. 

9. Before draining, reserve some of the pasta water in a cup/jug for the sauce. 

10. Drain the pasta and set to one side. 

To make the sauce: 

1. Return the saucepan/casserole dish to the stove over a medium heat. 

2. Pour in the passata, tomato paste, garlic granules, dried herbs and seasoning. 

3. Bring to a simmer and cook out the tomato paste for a few minutes. 

4. Add in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. 

Assembly: 

1. Add the meatballs to the sauce to allow them to heat through then add the cooked pasta. 

2. Once everything is heated through, arrange the meatballs on top of the pasta and place a disc of cheese and an olive slice on top of each one to create the eyeballs. 

3. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve hot. 

Recipe from FAB Flour’s Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, making baking simple. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes, information on the campaign, and info on how flour nourishes the nation over on the FAB Flour website: https://fabflour.co.uk/ or on social: @fab_flour on Instagram or @fabflour on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).