Spider web muffins with squash, cocoa and dates

Spider web muffins made with squash, cocoa, dates and wholemeal spelt flour, with a cream cheese topping and a cocoa web. Family-friendly Halloween desserts sweetened with dates and honey.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 32 min
• Total time: 62 min
• Calories: 206 kcal per serving
• Protein: 6 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Carbs: 23 g

Ingredients

• 250g Hokkaido squash
• 150g dates
• 2 eggs
• 80ml milk
• 60g butter
• 200g wholemeal spelt flour
• 150g cream cheese
• 1 tbsp honey
• 35g cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · muffin tin · stick blender · chopping board · knife · sieve

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and put 12 paper cases in a muffin tin. Cook the diced Hokkaido squash, covered, in a little water for 10 minutes until soft, then drain.
2. Stone the dates and blend them with the squash, eggs, milk and melted butter until smooth.
3. Mix the wholemeal spelt flour, all but one teaspoon of the cocoa powder, the baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and stir briefly into the squash mixture.
4. Divide the batter between the cases and bake the muffins at 180 °C for 20 to 22 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
5. Mix the cream cheese with the honey and spread it over the muffins. Stir the remaining cocoa into a spoonful of the cream, put it in a freezer bag, snip off a small corner and pipe three circles on each muffin.
6. With a cocktail stick, drag lines through the circles from the centre outwards to make the spider web.

Good to know

Chocolate muffins with a spider web disappear fast at Halloween. The batter has squash in it, which keeps the muffins moist, and dates do the sweetening. You drag the web through the cream cheese topping with a cocktail stick.

Swaps

Dates → 80 ml maple syrup (less moist). Wholemeal spelt flour → wholemeal flour. Butter → coconut oil. Cream cheese → skyr.

Cooking tips

Only stir the batter until no flour is visible, and the muffins will be fluffy. The web works best when the topping goes on completely cooled muffins.

Storage

With the topping, they keep for 3 days in the fridge; without it, they can be frozen for 2 months.

Allergens

Contains gluten (spelt), egg and milk; no nuts. Cocoa contains a little caffeine; fine for children and in pregnancy in this amount. No honey for babies under one year old.

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze spider web muffins?

With the topping, they keep for 3 days in the fridge; without it, they can be frozen for 2 months.

How long do spider web muffins keep in the fridge?

With the topping, they keep for 3 days in the fridge; without it, they can be frozen for 2 months.