Creepy hand-shaped hamburgers may gross out your Halloween party guests, but they'll squeal in delight when they take their first bite. These Hand-Burgers are frighteningly good and are easy to make.
Originally published on Hungry Happenings on September 21, 2011.
Whether you plan to host a party with a gruesome theme like Dead Man's Diner, or are just looking for a Halloween recipe with a bit of whimsical gore, these little Hand-Burgers are sure to be a big hit.
We hosted a Dead Man's Diner party in 2009, and these bloody hands were gobbled up by guests of all ages. The kids, in particular, thought they were a scream.
This year, we have decided to bring the diner back to life! My guests will once again get to enjoy menu items like these hand-burgers and open-face sandwiches and Cake Ball Brains.
Back in 2009 we served our hand-burgers on dinner rolls (slider buns) and drenched them in blood-red ketchup. Of course, our burgers couldn't be served alone so we fried up some fingers to go along with them. The recipe for the finger fries is available in my book, Hungry Halloween.)
That book was written right after the party before I began blogging. It has some really fun Halloween recipe ideas. My photography skills have come a long way since then but I'm still really proud of the book.
We decked out our house to look like a classic yet bloody looking diner. See our transformation, here. I share information about our decorations, recipes, and even a few craft ideas.
I had a blast creating everything for this party and especially loved the recipes I created for our event. We served open-face sandwiches, bone calzones, grilled feet, and more to our guests, and all but the most squeamish really had fun eating our diner fare.
The hand-shaped burgers were the most popular item on the menu at our diner. I made over 100 of them for our party and they were all devoured.
Supplies
Hand shaped cookie cutter
grill pan or skillet
Video
Be sure to watch the video shown in the recipe card below to see how to make these fun Halloween hamburgers.
Printable Recipe
- 1 slice white bread, crust removed
- 1 ½ tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 6 small dinner rolls sliced in half
- Ketchup
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Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Set a wire cooling rack on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
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Break bread into small pieces. Place in a mixing bowl. Pour milk over bread and mash with a fork until it forms a paste. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic, and ketchup. Add ground sirloin and stir, just to combine.
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Spray a hand shaped cookie cutter with non-stick cooking spray.
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Press ⅙th of the mixture into the cookie cutter, being careful to press the meat into the finger area.
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Remove the cutter and use a spatula to transfer the Hand-Burger to the prepared rack.
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Repeat for remaining burgers.
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Bake for 12 minutes.
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Spray an indoor grill pan (or skillet) with non-stick cooking spray.
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Heat over high heat. Remove Hand-Burgers from oven and place them onto grill pan.
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Brown burgers on both sides.
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Cook to medium (140-145 degrees) or medium well (150-155 degrees).
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Serve on dinner rolls or slider buns with ketchup.
Recipe Video
- Using ground sirloin will ensure that your Hand-Burgers remain in the shape of a hand when cooked. Fattier meats will lose their shape.
- Baking the burgers before grilling them allows for even cooking of the fingers.
- You can cook the burgers to order at your party, or cook them ahead of time and keep them in a chafing dish. They will stay moist and delicious for hours in a covered chafing dish. Fill your chafing dish with a small amount of liquid (water or beef broth) before adding the Hand-Burgers. The steam will keep them from sticking and will help keep them moist.
Related Recipes
If you want some more creepy Halloween recipe ideas be sure to check out my book, Hungry Halloween featuring Movie Monster Munchies, Bewitched Buffet, and Dead Man's Diner.
It is a self-published book and it's available on Amazon.
You can also see over 100 Halloween Recipes right here on Hungry Happenings too.
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Kellie
This totally cracked me up! Great pre-Trick-or-Treating meal to fill the little bellies.
The White Farmhouse
Is that ever cute! Love it! I don't know if I could actually eat one but would have fun serving them! I need to break down and buy the cook book! Thanks for posting this!
Tiffany Yang
Lol..... That really is a hand-burger 😀