Crispy Marshmallow Pumpkin Patch

Start off by popping the oven on and preheating to 180°C/160°C/Gas Mark 4, before lining a baking tray with greaseproof paper. 

Place the caster sugar, plain flour, Cocoa Powder and butter into a mixing bowl. Then time to get stuck in! Using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients to form a crumb consistency. Bake for 20 minutes then set aside to cool.

Line another baking tray with greaseproof paper and put to one side.

Then, place the Marshmallows, White Chocolate, Glucose Syrup and Vanilla Extract into a large heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted. 

Once melted, drop in the Orange Gel Colour and stir through. Once they’re a brilliant shade of orange, add the crispy rice cereal and stir to coat thoroughly.

Divide the mix into 10 or 12 portions, depending on the size of pumpkins you want to end up with, then roll on the fun bit! Roll each portion into a ball and then squish down with the palm of your hand to form the prefect pumpkin shape. Add grooves to the sides of the pumpkin using a cocktail stick for extra detail. 

Place the rolled pumpkins onto the prepared baking tray ready to be decorated.

Now to give these petite pumpkins some more detail! Take the Green Icing from the coloured fondant pack and roll into long, thin worm shapes. Wrap around a skewer or a chopstick and ta-dah! You’ve got yourself some curly tendrils. Make one for each pumpkin, plus a few extra to add to the soil later. 

For the stalks, roll 5p sized balls of the Green Icing then gently squeeze at the base to taper. 

Place the giant chocolate stars on top of each pumpkin then top with a stalk and a tendril. 

To add a cute touch of character to each mini pumpkin, grab the Black Icing and roll into tiny balls for the eyes, and long, thin worms for the mouths. 

Scatter the chocolate soil onto a serving dish, breaking up any large pieces with your fingers. Place the pumpkins on top of the soil and add a few of the green icing tendrils in amongst the soil and your pumpkin patch is ready to serve.

All that’s left to do is plant your patch down on the table at your Halloween party and let everyone dig in. We’ve got a feeling your crispy pumpkins won’t take long to be picked!