No creativity required for some Halloween treats
When it comes to Halloween baked goods, I am always in awe of
the ideas I see in magazines and on cooking shows. There are
cupcakes frosted to look like ghosts and goblins, cakes in the
shape of pumpkins and cookies decorated to look like black cats.
But I have never been that artistic or crafty
– even when it comes to costumers I usually forego the tradition
in favor of staying home and handing out candy to little kids.
No creativity required for some Halloween treats
When it comes to Halloween baked goods, I am always in awe of the ideas I see in magazines and on cooking shows. There are cupcakes frosted to look like ghosts and goblins, cakes in the shape of pumpkins and cookies decorated to look like black cats. But I have never been that artistic or crafty – even when it comes to costumers I usually forego the tradition in favor of staying home and handing out candy to little kids.
So I sorted through some recipes this year and found a few that I figured even I could handle. These recipes require no real artistic talent, but are still sure to be hits at Halloween parties this season.
I happened to have a box of brownie mix at home so the marble brownies seemed like a perfect dessert. To make the treats a little more festive, I turned the cream cheese mixture orange with a few drops of yellow and red food coloring. A regular box of brownies could also be decorated with the black, green, orange and Halloween-colored decorating icings found in local grocery stores this time of year.
The Ghosts in the Graveyard recipe is perfect for kids and is reminiscent of a “worms in dirt” recipe my mom used to make when we were kids. It combines pudding and cookie crumbs to make the ground for the graveyard. Other cookies are decorated to make the ghosts and tombstones. The cheesy Jack o’ lantern offers a savory option and the sweet and spicy popcorn balls offer a mix of both.
Marble brownies
Recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods
1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (most require the addition of water, eggs and canola oil)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla
Prepare brownie batter as directed on the package. Spread into a greased 13×9-inch pan.
Beat cream cheese with a mixer until creamy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla. Add in a few drops of food red and yellow food coloring to make the mixture orange for Halloween. Mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls over the brownie batter. Swirl with a knife.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cream cheese is lightly browned (if colored, it will not brown, but should be firm like cheesecake.) Cool completely before cutting to serve. Keep refrigerated.
Makes 32 servings.
Calories: 150, Fat: 8 g.; Carbs: 17 g.; Protein: 2 g.
Ghosts in the Graveyards
Recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods
2 pkg. (3.9 oz. each) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
3 c. cold milk
1 tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
15 Oreo Cookies, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
Assorted decorations: 3 Cameo Creme Sandwich Cookies, decorating gel, 5 candy pumpkins, 10 candy corn pieces
Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Stir in 3 cups Cool Whip and half the cookie crumbs. Spread into 13×9-inch dish; sprinkle with remaining crumbs.
Refrigerate 1 hour. Meanwhile, decorate creme sandwich cookies with decorating gel to resemble tombstones.
Insert decorated cookies into top of dessert just before serving. Add candies. Drop large spoonfuls of remaining Cool Whip onto dessert to resemble ghosts.
Cheesy Jack o’ lantern
Recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods
3 green onions, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/4 c. finely chopped red peppers
2 slices pepperoni
Cut 4-inch length from green end of 1 onion; slice remaining onions. Beat cream cheese and 1-1/4 cups Cheddar with mixer until well blended. Stir in sliced onions and peppers. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Shape into ball; roll in remaining Cheddar. Cut pepperoni into shapes for the jack-o’-lantern’s eyes, nose and mouth; press into cheese ball to make face. Insert green onion piece into top for stem.
Serve with Ritz crackers.
Sweet and spicy pepitas popcorn balls
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchens
3 (3.5-oz.) bags natural microwave popcorn
2 c. pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for forming
1/4 tsp. fine salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Pop the popcorn according to package instructions. While hot, carefully open package and dump into a large bowl.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until browned and popping, tossing and stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. (Do this in batches, if needed.) Add to the popcorn.
Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar. Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and cayenne. Cool for about a minute. Pour caramel over the popcorn and stir to evenly coat.
When the popcorn is cool enough to handle, coat your hands with some butter and shape into 4-inch balls. Wrap in waxed paper and tie with a string, if desired. Serve or store covered at room temperature.
