Shrunken Apple Heads

Shrunken apple heads are a classic halloween craft. They're simple to make, creepy and every one is unique.

You Will Need:

Apples (any variety will do)

Apple Peeler

Sharp Knife

String

Start by peeling your apples - remove every bit of skin but leave the stem. To do this, use the peeler for the majority of the apple and then use a sharp paring knife to get the remainder around the stem.

Next, shape your apple into an approximate head or skull by cutting away pieces until you get the shape you want.

Use a sharp knife (you can also use toothpicks to scratch in finer details) to carve a face or skull into your apple. I chose to do a shrunken head, a skull and a monkey. Don't worry if your carving isn't perfect, as the apples will shrivel and warp anyway. Some smaller details may be lost but others will become pronounced - you'll just have to wait and see.

If you mess up and cut away too much or cut off the stem, etc - just try again and serve up the discards as a severed apple head dessert.

Attach a string to the stem of each apple and find a place to hang them. You can insert whole dried cloves for eyes (or beans, etc). I used powdered clove to get a two-toned monkey.

Some people use lemon juice or a salt water soak on their apples but I didn't do either - I wanted them to turn brown and shrivel as fast as possible. Once you've hung your apples, leave them alone for at least a week.

If you live in a moist climate like I do, your apples will go mouldy. This is okay because it only makes them creepier and there's no way you can save them for next halloween anyway. Once they've gotten good and scary (I left mine for two weeks) just display them somewhere they can be seen.