Halloween #Goals: Pastry Edition

Studio 360

Most home bakers stick to layer cakes and pies, but Christine McConnellsculpts pastries worthy of Ladure ... if it were run by Tim Burton. McConnell is aphotographer anda self-trained baker, and started chronicling her bakinga few years agoon Instagram. Her moody pictures with one-of-a-kind pastrieshave earned her more than 150,000 Instagram followers(and counting). She combines prim 1950s baked goods with eerie, unexpected touches. Likea domed ivory cakewith a snake coiled atop Victorian lace, or airy lemon barscrawling with "dragon bees."

Halloween is clearly the holiday best suited toMcConnell's aesthetic, so we're including some of her work for October #goals inspiration.

A tray of Halloween treats
Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate that McConnell calls 'Beelzebub Buckeyes'

Halloween isn't the only time of yearwhere McConnell embraces fangs and spiderwebs. She gives just as much care to a birthday cupcake:

Spooky can also be dainty

Some of her projects like a raspberry gelatine and "screamberries" are almost sweet:

Christine McConnell's 'screamberries' started as an experiment in homemade waffle cones

McConnell regularly takes inspiration from movies. There's her pie pastry inspired byAlien ...

An  em Alien /em -inspired 'facehugger' made from pie pastry

... as well as an elaborate recreation of Gremlins:

McConnell combines her photography skills with her baking to reimagine a scene with cakes of 'Gremlins' characters

McConnell gives behind-the-scenes photos too, showing her process to make each cake:

Caramel pecan turtle cake is stacked into a gremlin shape, then his features are sculpted from modeling chocolate

So far, McConnell has only shared pictures of her work, but next spring she publishes a cookbook (yes, I preordered it). You can find out more on her website.

Do you have a signature Halloween creation? Tell us in the comments below.

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