Witches with Hats

To make the witches with hats, start by preparing the muffins: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the brown sugar along with the softened butter at room temperature 1 and turn on the paddle until you obtain a smooth cream 2. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the whisk, then add the whole eggs one at a time, waiting for one to be absorbed before proceeding with another 3.

Sift the flour together with the baking powder 4 and add it to the mixture little by little 5; keep the mixer going, in the meantime finely chop the dark chocolate with a knife 6

then add it to the batter 7. When the chocolate chips are well combined 8, with the help of a spatula, transfer the batter you obtained into a pastry bag without a nozzle to which you can make an opening 9.

Place 12 paper cups in a muffin tin and with the pastry bag fill each cup to ¾ with the batter 10. When you have finished 11, bake in a static oven preheated to 340°F (or 300°F for 20-25 minutes if using a convection oven) for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, you can prepare the witches' hats: first, place an aluminum baking sheet in the freezer (you will need it later); then melt about 4.5 oz of chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes at maximum power 12 (you can also melt the chocolate in a bain-marie); finely chop the remaining chocolate and set aside.

Stir with a spatula every 40/50 seconds 13 and once it has melted, add the chopped chocolate, continuing to stir until it is completely melted (if necessary, place it in the microwave for a few more seconds). At this point, pour 2/3 of the melted chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper 14 and spread it with a spatula to a thickness of 1/8 inch 15. Keep the remaining melted chocolate because you will need it later to cover and assemble the hats.

Transfer the parchment paper sheet onto the bottom of the inverted baking sheet that you previously cooled in the freezer 16: when the chocolate has slightly set, use a 2.2-inch-diameter pastry cutter to make 12 disks and then place them in the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes 17. Meanwhile, check the muffins' doneness by doing the toothpick test: insert the toothpick into the center of the muffin and if it comes out clean, it means they are ready 18; otherwise, extend the baking time by a few minutes. Then take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.

When the muffins have cooled, place a small amount of the reserved melted chocolate in the center of each muffin to ensure the base of the hat adheres well 19; then place the chocolate disk you made earlier: it will be the brim of the hat 20. If, during the hat-making process, the melted chocolate tends to solidify, melt it again in the microwave for a few seconds. With a knife, cut the tips off the wafer cones: these will be used to make the top part of the hats 21;

Brush the entire surface of the tips well with the melted chocolate, covering them evenly 22. With the remaining melted chocolate, attach the covered wafers to the disks you placed earlier on the muffins 23. Finish the witches with hats by making the eyes: roll out the sugar paste with a rolling pin to a thickness of 3/16 inch 24;

With the help of a plain tip of a pastry bag, make 25 discs measuring 1/4 inch 25 and with a paper cone filled with the remaining melted chocolate, create the pupils by placing a dot of chocolate on each disc 26. Once ready, attach the eyes by placing a dot of melted chocolate: you can decide whether to place them directly on the hats or on the muffins just below the brim. Let the chocolate cool for 30 minutes at room temperature and finally, you can serve and enjoy your witches with hats 27!