Trick or treat, Canberra! This Halloween weekend will be the first that we can properly celebrate in recent years. Why not go all out with a spread that’s totally ghouls?

Unidentified frying objects

Serves 4 | Cook 10 mins

• 1 red onion, very finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 500g beef mince
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup multigrain breadcrumbs
• Sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
• Cooking oil spray
• 8 slices smoked cheese
• 4 burger buns
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Ketchup and mustard
• 8 cornichons
• 8 stuffed olives

Sauté the onion, garlic, dried herbs, and cumin in the extra virgin olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat until softened, then set aside to cool.

Combine with the mince, egg, and breadcrumbs in a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, then mix well until smooth.

Spritz with cooking oil spray and cook over a hot griddle until firm. Top with cheese and set aside.

Build up burger buns with the lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mustard.

Skewer the cornichons onto toothpicks to make ears and repeat with the olives to make eyes, then put in the burger tops.

Haunted forest cupcakes

Makes 12 | Prep 25 mins | Cook 20 mins

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp natural vanilla extract
• 250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 500g icing sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 cups chocolate biscuit crumbs
• 150g dark chocolate melts
• 80g white chocolate melts

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and half the salt into a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, caster sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk and half the vanilla in a second bowl, then add to the flour mix and stir gently until smooth.

Spoon into 12 lined muffin moulds and bake for 20 minutes, until firm to touch, then cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, put the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on high speed for 5 minutes, until light. Add the icing sugar and beat for a further 5 minutes. Mix in the remaining vanilla and salt, then mix again. Spread on the cupcakes and top with biscuit crumbs.

Melt both chocolates separately. Pipe the dark chocolate into tree shapes without leaves, then pipe the white chocolate on top to make ghosts in the trees. Add small dots of dark chocolate for eyes. Place these in the cupcakes for decoration.

Sweet & salty spectres

Serves 24 | Prep 10 mins | Cook 20 mins

• 150g white chocolate melts
• 24 mini pretzels
• Edible eyes, to decorate

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, until just melted.

One by one, dip the pretzels until well-coated, then put on a sheet of non-stick paper. Decorate with edible eyes, then allow to set.

Are you more about the tricks, than the treats? Check out our healthy Halloween alternatives.

Get the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.