Malted milk eyeballs. Photo: Monika Bartyzel.

With sweet ghost blondies and brownie bats out of the way, it's time to focus on more ghoulish fare that's not usually found on the Halloween table: Malted Milk Eyeballs.

Unfortunately, these aren't 100-percent true malted milk balls with that Whoppers-like crunch -- rumor has it those are made in a vacuum to achieve the right texture. We don't have a vacuum, nor are we interested in mass experimentation with sponge toffee to concoct something similar, so we're relying on taste. And that classic flavor is easy to recreate at home. You can buy malted milk powder in most supermarkets.

Just a bit of that powder and some chocolate (white chocolate in this case, to get the eyeball color), and soon you'll be surrounded by eerie rolling eyeballs just waiting to be devoured.

If you do some malt Googling, you'll see that most recipes rely on a simple 1 to 1 ratio of malted milk powder to white chocolate, and that's what we used here. This malted milk mixture will taste just like the real thing, and seems to dry with the same crunch, although it melts easily on the tongue.

One batch of malted milk balls makes approximately 20 balls. Don't get ambitious and try to double this recipe. You need to shape the mixture before it starts to cool, and doubling or tripling the batch will just make your job harder. Do one batch after the other for more treats.

Visit the gallery for pictures of the process and finished product.

Step 1: Melting
Measure out one cup of malted milk powder and set aside before measuring one cup of white chocolate chips and melting it in a double boiler over medium heat. Having the chocolate in chip form (as opposed to bars) helps it to melt faster, both because of its size and increased contact with the hot bowl. Once it's about 3/4 of the way melted, stir until the rest of the chips are fully melted. It will happen quickly, and should be taken off the heat.

Step 2: Mixing
As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, pour in the powder and mix until well combined. Then take the mixture and pour it out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Gather the ends and twist them together. By creating a makeshift ball of the dough, you'll contain the powder and everything will combine to form a solid mass.

Step 3: Forming the Balls
Gather a truffle-sized amount of the malt/chocolate mixture and form it into a ball. This batter isn't the easiest to work with -- it's quite dry and crumbly -- so it's best to work fast. This can be aided by making mini plastic-wrapped balls to get the drier bits to cooperate. The balls don't have to be perfect since they will be covered. Set the balls aside until well hardened.

Step 4: Coating with Chocolate
Working in small batches, melt more white chocolate and coat the hardened malted milk balls. This process can sometimes leave powder residue behind, which makes small batches a handy way around a potentially lumpy, ugly coating. Work quickly, then let the balls cool and harden on a non-stick surface such as wax paper or tin foil.

This will yield slightly irregularly shaped eyes. If you're striving for perfection, or you prefer milk or dark chocolate, coat the balls in your preferred melted chocolate, then add an additional coating of liquid fondant for a smoother finish.

Step 5: Adding Eye Details
When the balls are dry and hardened, there are two decorating options -- dye right on the chocolate or piping icing. If using the dye (creamy varieties work best) straight, use a toothpick or paint brush to create an iris (pupils too, if you like) and add red squiggly lines if you want the eyeballs to look particularly stressed. If using icing, carefully pipe it onto each ball.