LET’S TASTE A SWEET HALLOWEEN TREATS…
Candy Apple
8-10 small to medium apples, washed and dried
wooden skewers or popsicle sticks, for apples
Ingredients:
Candy syrup:
1 cup water
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup red hot candies
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
Preparation:
Insert wooden skewers into the stem end of each apple.
In a large (at least 2 quarts) aluminum heavy pot, stir the candy syrup mixture together until sugar dissolves. On medium heat, bring mixture to boiling without stirring. Do not stir, and let boil until mixture reads 290-300 F on a candy thermometer (or when a drop makes hard threads in cold water). This takes about 20 minutes, depending on type of pan and amount of heat.
Remove pan from heat and immediately tilt pan and swirl each apple quickly to coat. Allow a second for excess to drip, then set apples on a greased cookie sheet to cool and harden. If syrup in pot thickens too fast, return pot to low heat, then continue.
Let apples cool at least one hour before serving. Wrap each apple in a square of clear plastic wrap to keep moist air from making them sticky. (Don’t use waxed paper!)
Caution: Do not ever double the recipe; it works best when made in single batches.
Ref: razzledazzlerecipes.com
Candy Corn
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup powdered milk
food coloring
Instructions:
Combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup in pan and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Turn heat low and boil 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
In a separate dish, combine powdered sugar, salt, and powdered milk. Add all at once to the mixture in the pan. Add food coloring if desired. Stir until cool enough to handle. Shape.
Makes 1 3/4 pounds of candy.
Candy Ghosts
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of evaporated milk
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Black or red string licorice
Preparation:
Measure the milk into the bowl then add the sugar slowly using a fork to mix it in until
all the sugar has been added. It will be thick and you will be able to knead it with your hands. Knead it until the mixture is very smooth and easy to work with, like play dough.
Tear off bits of the mixture and shape into little ghost shapes. Cut bits of the licorice to use as eyes and mouths. Chill.
Makes about 10 ghosts depending upon how big you make them. This can also be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters.
Halloween Spider Pie
Serving Size: 8
Notes: By using a little decorator frosting, you can turn a frozen pumpkin pie into something special.
Ingredients:
– 1 Pumpkin Pie (frozen and baked or ready baked)
– White Frosting (cake decorating icing)
– Writing Tip (for white frosting)
– 1 Plastic Spider
Preparation:
Draw a spider web on your favorite pumpkin pie and give that web its own spider. The little ones will love it and it make a nice touch to any Halloween buffet.
Web Cookies
Total: 13 min 30 sec
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 1 min 30 sec
Bake: 7 min
(Total time will vary; cook or bake time is per batch.)
Makes 2 1/2 dozen 4- to 5-inch cookies
Ingredient:
3/4 cup Gold Medal? all-purpose flour or unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Powdered sugar
Preparation:
1. Beat all ingredients except powdered sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour batter into plastic squeeze bottle with narrow opening. Heat 8-inch skillet over medium heat until hot; grease lightly.
2. Working quickly, squeeze batter to form 4 straight, thin lines that intersect at a common center point to form a star shape. To form cobweb, squeeze thin streams of batter to connect lines.
3. Cook 30 to 60 seconds or until bottom is golden brown; carefully turn. Cook until golden brown; remove from skillet. Cool on wire rack.
4. Heat oven to 325^(o)F. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until almost crisp (cookies will become crisp as they cool). Remove from cookie sheet; cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store cookies in container with loose-fitting cover.
Ghost Cookies
Notes: These can be put together in a jiffy.
Ingredients:
1 lb. white chocolate coating
1 pkg. Nutter Butter Peanut Bars
1 pkg. mini chocolate chips
Preparation:
In the top of a double boiler melt white chocolate coating. Dip cookies into coating covering completely. Set on waxed paper to cool. Spread melted chocolate to areas which did not get covered. Add eyes using mini chocolate chips.
Jack-o-lantern Crispy Rice
Notes:
This is an easy way to make a Jack-o-lantern you can eat.
Ingredients:
1 Stick Butter
2 (10 oz). Packages Marshmallows
12 C. Rice Crispy Cereal
1 tsp. Yellow Food Color
1/4 tsp. Red Food Color
Green Decorating Icing in Tube
Black Decorating Icing in Tube
Decorating Tips
12 C. Bowl (not plastic)
Preparation:
Melt butter on low heat and add marshmallows. Stir marshmallows frequently. When marshmallows have dissolved, add food colors and mix well. When the marshmallow mixture is uniform in orange color add cereal and stir and mix until rice crispies are completely coated.
Pour mixture into the bowl that has been well sprayed with a non-stick spray. Carefully press down cereal (spray the spoon or your hands when pressing the cereal, this helps so the cereal will not stick). Place into the refrigerator until completely chilled and firm. When the pumpkin is chilled remove from refrigerator and invert onto a plate. Remove bowl and decorate with leaves and stem. A great jack o lantern smile will be the finishing touch.
The Jack-o-lantern makes a great centerpiece and a delightful treat.
R.I.P Cake
Ingredients:
8-inch square baked chocolate cake (from mix or scratch)
Store bought chocolate icing
1 cup shredded coconut
Green food coloring
White chocolate bar
Black icing (can also use semisweet chocolate morsels, melted in microwave)
Preparation:
Coat cake with chocolate icing. Combine coconut and enough green food coloring to make green “grass”.
Break the white chocolate bar into squares for tombstones. Break off a few with jagged edges to look like old stones.
Place black icing or melted chocolate into a plastic zip-tip bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Pipe ‘RIP’ onto the chocolate squares. Allow to dry. (You can place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes for a quick dry.)
Sprinkle grass over top of cake. Insert pieces of white chocolate to make tombstones.
ref: foodnetwork.com
Wicked Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cups prune juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
4-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 drop food coloring (green), optional
Chocolate wafer cookies
Licorice strips
Toasted coconut
Small candies
Special equipment: 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners
For the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Set liners in muffin cups.
Preparation:
Put the chocolate and prune juice in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on low power, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.
Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and yolk with an electric hand mixer at high speed until slightly thick and lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Slowly add buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Divide the batter among muffin tins, filling them 1/2 of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed gently, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and cool completely.
For the frosting: Beat the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and milk mixing until the frosting is smooth. Add food coloring as desired. Refrigerate the frosting until firm.
To decorate the cakes: For the witches hat, score a circle in the middle of a cupcake. Cut a deep cone-like shape with a knife held at an angle. Rotate the cupcake to complete the circle and remove the center. Repeat with all the cupcakes. Generously scoop or pipe enough frosting into the center of each cupcake to fill the whole and to come over the cake to make a face. Top with a chocolate wafer cookie. Put a dot of frosting in the middle of the wafer cookie and invert the cone shaped piece of cake on top to make a witches hat. Use skinny licorice, toasted coconut or cereal flakes for hair and candies for eyes and/or nose. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving.
Ref: foodnetwork.com
Haunted hayrides are haunted attractions set in farmers’ fields, primarily across the US. There is no definite record of where the first one was held. As popularity increased entrepreneurs began to view the haunted hayride as a legitimate family attraction, and helped to create a new Halloween tradition.
A haunted trail or spooky trail is usually held at night in a public park, garden, or preserve, although it may be held at any outdoor venue. They are often included as one of the attractions at a Halloween carnival. In most instances, a trail or walkway is used. When said trail or walkway does not exist, one is cordoned off through use of ropes or barriers. Along this trail are displays or exhibits representing cemeteries, crime scenes, and the like. Also along this trail are human subjects dressed up to resemble mummies,vampires,werewolves,ghosts, and various other scary characters. These actors frequently jump out at guests along the trail, or they may walk back and forth in silence and make threatening gestures with axes, chainsaws or other sharp garden equipment. Some haunted trails may have a maze near the end. A variant of the haunted trail that has gained popularity over the past few years has been the cornfield maze, in which patrons follow a path cut through the dense foliage of a cornfield and encounter various creatures.
An American Halloween tradition is to decorate a house, yard or garage and open it to other members of the public. For some, the yard is something created specificially for Trick-or-treating and is in place for one night only. For others, the decorations are done more in the tradition of Christmas decor and appear a month or so before the actual holiday.
Cutely Halloween Spooky 🙂
A Dazzled Vampire 🙂
Pumpkin Balloon Party 🙂
A Stubborn Pumpkin 🙂
A Boo Web 🙂
Dead Mummy Walking 🙂
A Scary Graveyard 🙂
Glowed in the Dark Pumpkin 🙂
A Hip-Hop Skeleton 🙂
A Boo Mummy 🙂
