If you're out camping, on the road in a van, staying in a cabin, or just want to bake something creepy-cute without a full kitchen, the KickAss Travel Oven is your secret weapon. It’s compact, works off 12V, and has a glass door & thermometer so you can keep a close eye on your creations.
Here’s a Halloween recipe using a modest batch size and simple ingredients – perfect for cooking in a travel oven, so you won't overwhelm the space or power.
Spider Web Brownies
Rich, chocolatey brownies with a spider web design on top using cream cheese. It’s a classic Halloween baked good. (Also a recipe style that appears in many Halloween baking roundups.)
Ingredients (makes one small tray, ~6–8 servings)
Brownie base:
- 100 g dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
- 60 g butter
- ½ cup (≈ 65 g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (≈ 45 g) plain flour
- Pinch of salt
Cream cheese web topping:
- 50 g cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Method:
- Preheat the travel oven to ~160–165 °C.
- Melt chocolate + butter (you can do this over a small pot or very low heat elsewhere, then pour into your baking tray).
- Stir in sugar, then eggs (one at a time), then flour + salt until smooth.
- Pour brownie batter into a small, oven-safe tray that fits your travel oven.
- In another bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a small zip bag or piping bag, and snip off a tiny corner.
- Drop small blobs (approx 5 or 6) of cream cheese mixture spaced evenly across the brownie surface.
- Using a toothpick, drag from the centre of each blob outward to create a web pattern.
- Bake ~20–25 minutes (or less, depending on how “fudgey” vs “set” you like brownies). Start checking at ~18 minutes.
- Remove from oven, cool a little, then slice. The web pattern will firm up as it cools.
Tips:
- Use a baking tray with shallow sides so heat circulates well.
- Rotate tray mid-bake if your travel oven has hot spots.
- You can add edible lolly spiders or plastic spider decorations on top for extra effect.
Power & Practical Tips
- Because the Travel Oven is 130 W (powered via 12V), be mindful of your power source — avoid running it at full load when your battery is low.
- Preheat fully before inserting your tray, and minimise the time the door is open.
- Use oven-safe trays or baking tins sized to your oven to maximise heat efficiency.
- Baking in small batches is better than overloading — it ensures even heat.