Witchy Treats: How to Make Easy Hocus Pocus Spellbook Cookies

These Hocus Pocus Spellbook Cookies are so easy that it's barely a recipe! But I had to share them because they're also surprisingly effective and if you want to make something fun for Halloween that won't take up much time then grab a packet of Tim Tams, some icing pens and see how to make these easy Hocus Pocus Cookies!

I re-watched Hocus Pocus a few weeks ago in preparation for Halloween. I love putting on my Halloween playlist and watching Halloween movies and Hocus Pocus is pretty much essential pre-Halloween viewing for me along with Gremlins and Stranger Things. I won't give the plot away but in the movie there are three witches and their spellbook is an essential part of the plot for Hocus Pocus. The spellbook is a brown book with a cover made from human skin with serpent, stitches and an eye on it. It's very distinctive and because of that it's perfect to recreate for Halloween. If you're an 80's kid you may recognise it straight away.

To make cookie version of the Spellbook all you need is a packet of Tim Tam biscuits or use any rectangular chocolate cookie. Then all you have to do is draw some patterns in black icing and then draw an eye and colour it in. It sets within 15 minutes and voila you have your Halloween contribution! It's perfect for a Halloween viewing party, a Halloween office party or Halloween party.

I wanted to show how easy it was so I set up my phone to record a little video so that people on Instagram and TikTok could see how simple it was and perhaps try it at home. I don't know about you Dear Reader but when I film things on video I get a bit nervous and tense up. Trying to avoid shaky hands I carefully traced the icing on top to recreate the spellbook design. By some absolute miracle it was great, perfect even. I was so happy that I let out a big sigh of relief and a soft "yay!". Then I went to stop recording only to realise that it hadn't recorded anything at all! Seriously, with all of that technology and people, Apple couldn't figure out one thing: that people often think they're recording when they're not because the little round red button is so similar looking when it is recording and when it is not.

I know I'm not the only one. This is a weird story but one night I was out in Brisbane at an event and Dannii Minogue was there too and everyone was doing caviar shots so she said that she would record me doing one (I know it sounds surreally weird and braggy but I promise this is not my normal Friday night!). She recorded me doing it and then handed my phone back to me. Dear Reader I know you can guess what happened...when I checked my phone later that night all I got was a few seconds of Dannii's face looking at the phone trying to figure out how to start recording and of course there was no video after that!

Anyway back to the cookie. Deflated, I recorded my Hocus Pocus cookie again. Of course it wasn't as perfect as that first time but I always knew that because the Spellbook has powers...

So tell me Dear Reader, has that ever happened to you with your phone? Are you doing anything for Halloween tonight?

EASY Hocus Pocus Cookies

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

• 1 packet of Tim Tams
• Black, white and green or blue icing pens or royal icing (see recipe below)

Step 1 - If you are right handed, it is easier to pipe from left to right (and the opposite if you are left handed). Also practice on a plate to test out your skills if you want. Take one Tim Tam and the black icing and draw a squiggly line near the spine edge of the biscuit. Then draw some curved lines where you will draw the stitches but make sure to leave room for the eye.

Step 2 -The stitches are the fiddliest bit and I find they can be a challenge with icing pens and I prefer to work with royal icing for this reason. Carefully draw stitches over the curved lines. I find it easiest to put pressure and then stop putting pressure on the pen and that will "cut" the icing. Draw the outline around the eye.

Step 3 -Take the white icing pen and draw a dot for the eye. Once this sets, draw in the iris with a little of the blue or green icing.

Royal Icing Recipe

• 200g/7ozs icing or confectioners sugar
• 30g/1oz. egg white (around 1 egg white)
• a few drops of lemon juice
• Food colouring in black and blue

Step 1 - Mix the icing sugar and the egg white together. I do this in a food processor because I'm lazy and hate sifting icing sugar. But it does create lots of tiny little bubbles so it's best if you rest this covered for about 15 minutes before using it to let the bubbles dissipate. First I whizz the icing sugar so that the lumps disappear and then add the egg white. You want to be able to draw a line and have it hold so add more icing sugar if necessary. Place 3 tablespoons of the royal icing in a bowl and tint it black. You will leave the remaining white. Always cover your royal icing as it dries quickly.

Thermomix royal icing: Place the icing sugar in the Thermomix bowl and set to speed 6, 10 seconds. Add the egg white and set to speed 5, 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and add lemon juice and set to speed 4, 10 seconds. Check that the icing is of pipeable consistency adding more icing sugar (if too liquid) or lemon juice (if too stiff) if needed.