Halloween Treats for Spooky Season

Bat Sandwich Cookies 

Ingredients

• Black Cocoa Cookies
• Royal Icing
• Black sanding sugar, for decorating
• Vanilla Buttercream

Directions

1. Prepare cookie dough as directed. Use cocoa-coated bat cutters to cut out bats. Bake as directed and let cool completely.
2. Use black-tinted royal icing to decorate bottom half of half the cookies and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Sandwich with vanilla buttercream.

Spider Web Cake 

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake, plus ingredients called for
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. confectioners’ sugar
• 7 1/2 oz. jar marshmallow crème
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of kosher salt
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tube store-bought vanilla icing

Directions

1. Butter and flour two 9” cake pans. Prepare cake batter according to package instructions.
2. Bake according to package instructions and let cool.
3. Once cool, place first cake on a platter.
4. Make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, marshmallow crème, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until fluffy and combined.
5. Top with second cake.
6. Make ganache: In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream just until it bubbles. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and pour over heavy cream. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk until chocolate is completely combined.
7. Pour ganache over cake. Frost a spiral of frosting on top of ganache and use a toothpick to draw cobwebs.

Ghouly Deep

Ingredients

• 4 packages of ghost Peeps
• 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. heavy cream, warmed
• Graham crackers, for serving
• mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°. In the bottom of a square baking dish, spread out chocolate chips and pour cream on top. Cover completely with a single layer of ghost Peeps. Place mini chocolate chips over eyes and mouth. (The already-drawn faces will fade in the oven.)
2. Bake until the chocolate has melted and the ghosts are golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Serve warm with graham crackers for dipping.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. skim milk
• 2 drops yellow food coloring
• 2 drops orange food coloring

Frosting:

• 1 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 4 c. powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp. heavy cream
• 4 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 drop yellow food coloring
• 1 drop orange food coloring
• Royal icing eyes, for garnish

Directions

1. Make cupcakes: Heat oven to 350°. Fill cupcake pan with liners and set aside, then sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined, then scrape down bowl and beat in egg white. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Alternate adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Evenly divide batter into three separate bowls and color two portions, one with yellow food coloring and the other with orange food coloring. Divide batter evenly among liners until each cup is three-quarters full.
5. Bake until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat butter until lightly whipped. Add 1 cup powdered sugar at a time, beating on low until slightly blended, about 5 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat until fully incorporated, 5 to 7 seconds more, then repeat with remaining powdered sugar. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and vanilla and beat to combine (add additional heavy cream as needed to achieve desired consistency), then add salt and beat to combine. Evenly divide frosting into three separate bowls and color two portions, one with yellow and the other with orange. Fill three pastry bags with each color. (Fit yellow and orange pastry bag with a closed star tip; fit white pastry bag with a round tip.) Pipe three layers with each color onto cupcakes, and finish with royal icing eyes.

Dracula Mouths 

Ingredients

• 1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• red food coloring
• mini marshmallows
• slivered almonds

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll cookie dough into 1 ½” balls and place on baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely then cut in half.
2. Add a few drops of red food coloring into vanilla frosting and stir until smooth. Spread a thin layer of red frosting onto each cookie half.
3. Place mini marshmallows around the round edges of half of the halves. Place the remaining halves on top, then stick a slivered almond on each side to create fangs.

Skeleton Dipped Candy Apples

Ingredients

• 2 c. white chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 4 Granny Smith apples 
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. corn syrup
• 2 tbsp. milk
• Black food coloring

Directions

1. In a large bowl melt together chocolate chips and coconut oil. Dip apples into melted chocolate and place on a baking tray lined with a cooling rack. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until hardened. 
2. In another large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and black food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag. 
3. Pipe eyes, lips, and nose. Let set another 10 minutes to harden. 

Candy Corn Layers 

Ingredients

• 3 c. heavy cream
• can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 drops each red, yellow, and orange food coloring
• 10 plastic dessert cups
• 10 candy corns, for decorating

Directions

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until completely combined.
2. Separate mixture evenly into three separate bowls.
3. In one bowl, add 2 drops each red and yellow food coloring to form your orange ice cream layer. (Continue to play with the color until you’re happy with the shade.) In another bowl, add 2 more drops yellow food coloring to form your yellow ice cream layer and stir until combined. (Continue to play with the color until you’re happy with the shade.)
4. Among 8 to 10 plastic dessert cups, layer white, yellow, and orange ice cream colors. Top with candy corn and freeze until firm, 5 hours. (If you don’t wish to make individual cups, you can also layer colors in a 9-x-5” loaf pan and garnish with candy corn.)
5. When ready to serve, remove ice cream from freezer 10 minutes to soften.

Mummy Pops 

Ingredients

• 8 straws or lollipop sticks
• 11 oz. chocolate, melted
• 8 Nutter Butters, opened
• 1 c. buttercream frosting (homemade or store bought)
• M&M’s Minis, for decorating

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dip straws or lollipop sticks into chocolate before topping on open Nutter Butter. Press cookie back together, then dip into melted chocolate until completely coated. (Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan.)
2. Place dipped cookie onto prepared baking sheet to set, about 25 minutes (to speed up the process, transfer pops to the refrigerator for 10 minutes).
3. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a straight flat tip with buttercream and pipe from side to side. Fill another bag with chocolate, lightly cover backside of M&M’s minis, and press onto cookie pops. Dot each M&M with chocolate to finish eyes.
4. Set aside at least 1 hour to fully set.

Tiny Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients

• 3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp. white vinegar
• 3 tbsp. ice-cold water
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
• 1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 beaten egg, for brushing

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. (If your food processor is a 7-cup or smaller, remove half of the mixture and make the dough in two batches.) Pulse in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Add the vinegar and cold water, pulsing until the dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (add additional water 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary). Do not over mix. Shape the dough into three 1-inch-thick disks, cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling: In a small saucepan, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, to cook out the moisture, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, mix in the vanilla and cream cheese until fully incorporated, then mix in the egg yolks. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Working one disk at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the disks to 1/8-inch-thick. Cut out twenty-eight 3 1/2-inch pumpkin shapes, transferring them to the refrigerator as you work. Cut 3 vertical slits in half of the cutouts as shown (these will be the tops of the pies).
5. Place 7 “bottoms” on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place 2 tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture onto each bottom, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Lightly brush the border with egg. Sandwich the filling with the scored pumpkin cutouts and press the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining cutouts and pumpkin mixture.
6. Brush the tops of the hand pies with the remaining egg. Bake until golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes.