The_Australian_Women_Weekly_Food_Issue_21_2016

116

Kids’ Party

BLACK BATS

PREP + COOK TIME 45 MINUTES

(PLUS REFRIGERATION TIME) MAKES 24

125g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

1 egg

1⅔ cups (250g) plain flour

rainbow choc chips

GLACÉ ICING

2¼ cups (360g) icing sugar

¼ cup (60ml) water

black food colouring

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan.

Grease and line two oven trays with

baking paper.

2 Beat butter

 extract

 sugar and egg

in small bowl with an electric mixer

until combined. Stir in sifted flour



in two batches. Knead dough on a

floured surface until smooth.

3 Roll dough between sheets

of baking paper until 5mm thick;

refrigerate for 10 minutes or

until firm.

4 Using an 11cm bat cutter

 cut out

shapes from dough. Carefully place

bats on trays. Bake for 15 minutes;

cool bats on trays.

5 Meanwhile

 make glacé icing.

6 Place bats on a wire rack

 in a

single layer; pour glace icing evenly

over bats. Position choc chips on each

bat for eyes. Stand until set.

GLACÉ ICING

Sift icing sugar into a small heatproof

bowl; stir in the water and colouring.

Stir over a small saucepan

of simmering water until

icing is pourable.

TAKE-HOME TREATS

As the witches and wizards take to

their broomsticks and get ready to fly

home

 send them off with a pocket of

“poison”. These little plastic “cauldrons”

are available from party shops – and

are just the thing to put take−home

tricks and treats in. Tie them up with

cellophane and ribbon to stop little

hands from making them disappear

before they actually get home!

For the take−home treats

 you

could also cut 40cm squares from

black or purple fabric

 or clear or

purple cellophane. Fill with witchy

sweets like black cats

 jelly snakes

and toffee apples. You can also add

a magic trick

 then tie up the bag

with a thin cord.

Send the wizards and

witches home with a

cauldron of wicked sweets