Creepy Halloween Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 untreated oranges
• 1 Vanilla bean
• 350 g pumpkin flesh (e.g., Hokkaido)
• 75 g sugar
• 2 tbsp liquid honey
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 170 g flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 pinch ground clove
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 5 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar (for dusting)
• 1 Egg white
• 200 g powdered sugar
• orange food coloring
• yellow sugar lettering
• red sugar lettering
• black sugar lettering (or brown sugar lettering)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the oranges hot, pat dry, grate the zest, halve the fruit and squeeze out the juice. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise. Dice the pumpkin flesh, steam with the vanilla bean and orange juice for 10-15 minutes until soft, remove the bean and finely puree the pumpkin. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) fan‑fry. Add sugar, honey, eggs and milk to the pumpkin purée. Mix grated zest with flour, baking powder, clove powder and cocoa, then fold into the pumpkin mixture until a smooth batter forms. Insert two paper cups into each other, fill the batter two thirds high, sprinkle hazelnuts on top and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes (check with a toothpick). Remove and cool. Whisk the egg white with powdered sugar until thick. Glaze the muffins with this mixture and let the surface dry well. Use yellow sugar lettering to draw two eyes, red lettering for eye sockets, nose and a ghostly mouth, and black lettering for eyebrows and pupils. Allow everything to dry completely.