Today on Delicious Horror I have my favorite Canadian, Sam, aka @literaryhooker over on Twitter! Through the Woods is already on my TBR, and Sam has made me want to read it even more now! Check it out below and find out how to submit your own Delicious Horror post here.

Sam is a reader, reviewer, and all around fan of all things spooky. She lives in Quebec, Canada with her husband and their cat, both of whom mostly tolerate her love of horror films. When not reading, Sam can usually be found cross stitching, knitting, staring at her stacks of unplayed video games, or taking on a new and ill-advised hobby. You can find Sam’s reviews on Sci-Fi & Scary, or on Instagram @theliteraryhooker and Twitter @literaryhooker.

Tell us what horror book you chose to highlight and why it’s a favorite of yours:

I chose Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods as my book. I read this one earlier this summer, and it immediately became one of my top books of the year. The stories are deliciously gothic, and Carroll’s artwork is beautifully paired with the tone of these stories. It’s a perfect read for this time of year too – lots of autumnal colors in the illustrations, and of course the creepy woods in each story!

This is the first graphic horror “novel” (it’s actually a short story collection) I’ve read, and I loved it so much that I’ve since added a few others to my TBR so that I can explore the genre and format a bit more. I love a book that opens new horizons, and this one definitely did it for me.

What did you decide to make to pair with the book, and what from the book inspired your delicious treat?

While the whole book is fantastic, “The Nesting Place” was definitely the story that stuck with me. There’s one panel in particular that made me react out loud as I was reading, it was THAT horrifying. Without giving away the story, apples play a significant role, so doing something with apples seemed like the obvious choice. I decided to make caramel apple tarts – with the pastry creating a nesting place for the apples, and the hidden caramel centre representing the hidden monsters in the story (except much tastier, I promise!).

Can you share the recipe or a link to the recipe?

Definitely! This one is a bit of a mishmash. The pastry was made following this recipe from Love Foodies. For the apples, I peeled and diced 3 Granny Smith apples, mixed them with ⅓ cup packed brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and let them sit for a bit while I rolled out the dough. Those little soft caramel squares work well for the caramel, but a thick homemade caramel sauce is an extra layer of deliciousness. I used this recipe from Of Batter and Dough for my caramel, and it’s well worth the effort!

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