Description
Cheeseburger Skulls recipe featuring skull-shaped hamburger buns baked to perfection and juicy skull-shaped cheeseburgers cooked in a skillet, perfect for a fun and spooky meal presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Skull-Shaped Hamburger Buns
- 5 tablespoons (56 grams) salted butter, softened
- 3 ½ cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) instant yeast
- ¾ cup (170 grams) lukewarm water, 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit
Skull-Shaped Cheeseburgers
- 32 ounces 80/20 ground beef
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter, lard (bacon fat), or vegetable oil
- 8 slices white cheese (American, Cheddar, Provolone, Havarti, etc.)
- Burger toppings: tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, onions, pickles
Instructions
- Prepare the skull pans: Use 1 tablespoon of butter to liberally grease 8 skull cavities in Nordic Ware skull pans, reserving 2 tablespoons of butter to use later for topping the buns.
- Make the dough: Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and place in a mixing bowl with flour, egg, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour lukewarm water over ingredients and mix until well blended using a spoon or dough hook in a stand mixer.
- Knead the dough: Knead manually on a floured surface or with a stand mixer for 5-7 minutes until dough springs back when poked.
- First rise: Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Shape dough: Deflate dough, divide into 8 equal pieces (~95 grams each), and press into greased skull cavities in the pans.
- Second rise: Cover pans with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven: Towards the end of rising, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake buns: Bake for 14 minutes for lighter buns or 18 minutes for darker buns, rotating pans midway through.
- Butter buns: Remove buns from pans onto cooling rack, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and brush over buns for a shine; add a second layer if desired.
- Cool buns: Let buns cool completely before slicing in half.
- Shape burgers: Divide ground beef into 8 portions and shape into skull forms; refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Season burgers: Just before cooking, season patties with salt and pepper.
- Cook burgers: Heat 1 teaspoon butter, lard, or oil in cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook 3 burgers at a time for about 3 minutes per side to desired doneness (135°F for medium-rare).
- Melt cheese: Place a slice of cheese on each burger, cover pan with lid and allow cheese to melt.
- Repeat cooking: Repeat cooking for remaining burgers in batches.
- Assemble burgers: Place cooked burgers on skull buns and add desired toppings like tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, onions, and pickles.
- Serve: Serve immediately and enjoy your creative skull-shaped cheeseburgers.
Notes
- If thinner skull-shaped buns are preferred, divide dough into 10 pieces (~75 grams each), and adjust ground beef quantity accordingly for more burgers.
- Store baked buns at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Burgers can be cooked ahead and reheated; cooking to rare (120°F) and using fattier ground beef (70/30 or 73/27) helps retain juiciness after reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheeseburger with bun
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
