Halloween Treats – No Tricks!

Whether you’re party hopping or relaxing at home with friends, Halloween is the perfect time to enjoy some spookily delicious treats. Below is a list of creative desserts, drinks and snacks taken from MarthaStewart.com to jump-start your inner food ghoul!

How about some Bloody Floats to drink with some thirsty friends? Mix grape and lime juice, white wine and raspberry sorbet for a delicious Halloween drink!

To make, combine:

4 cups of grape juice
750 ml of sparkling white wine (or apple cider) 1⁄2 a cup of lime juice
Scoop of raspberry sorbet

• • • •

Spook your friends with Scaredy-Cat Brownies! To make this treat, you will need:

• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup flour

• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar

• 1 1⁄2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

• 3 large eggs

• 1⁄2 teaspoon fine salt

• 32 miniature chocolate peppermint patties

• Icing pens

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, butter an 8-inch square metal baking pan lightly and line it with parchment paper. You should leave 2 inches of paper hanging off each side. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, melt the butter, sugar and chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Combine the two mixtures before stirring in the eggs and vanilla.

  Put the some of the batter into the pan and space 16 peppermint patties on top. Add the rest of the batter, spreading evenly. Once the oven has preheated, bake the brownies for about 35 minutes and cool on a rack for 25.

Put the remaining peppermint patties on the brownies, and arrange the candy eyes and chocolate chip ears on top. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes before lifting the brownies from the pan using parchment paper. Use icing pens for added decoration!

How about some Broken Glass Cupcakes? This one takes a little more time to make, but the result is eerie!

For these cupcakes you will need:

• 4 1⁄2 cups cake flour (the website says not to use self-rising flour)

• 2 tablespoons baking powder

• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 7 large egg whites, room temperature

• 11⁄2 cups whole milk

• 1 tablespoon and 1⁄2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 4 sticks and 2 tablespoons of room-temperature, unsalted butter

• 3 3⁄4 cups granulated sugar

• Salt

• 3⁄4 cup water

• 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

• 6 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 cup of strained cherry preserves

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place baking cups into a cupcake tin. Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and 3⁄4 teaspoon of salt into a medium-sized bowl. Combine the milk and vanilla in a measuring cup.

  Use a mixer to beat butter on a medium-speed until fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and beat for about three minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low before adding the flour mixture and milk mixture alternatively.

  In a new bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the whites into the cupcake batter. Fold in remaining egg whites in two batches.

  Pour the batter into the cupcake tin and fill each about halfway. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched, 18-20 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, let the cupcakes cool completely.

  Caramel:
  Boil granulated sugar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high temperature, continue boiling until the color becomes a light gold around the edges of the pan.
  Take pan off of burner and pour caramel onto a baking sheet. This will be easier if the baking sheet has a rim to stop the caramel from dripping off the sides.
  Tilt the pan to spread the caramel thinly to the edges, and let it harden.

  Frosting:
  Beat the cream cheese and butter on a medium-high speed until fluffy.
  Slowly add vanilla and confectioner’s sugar and continue beating the mixture until it is of a creamy texture and easily spread.

  Frost the cupcakes.

  Twist the baking sheet to break the caramel so that it resembles broken glass and place 1 or 2 shards on top of each cupcake. Use the cherry preserves to decorate the top of each cupcake.

Guacamoldy with Creature Chips, anyone?
To make this delicious guacamole snack you will need:

• Plain vegetable-oil cooking spray

• 24 assorted large flour tortillas

• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 fresh jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped

• Coarse salt

• 3 pounds ripe avocados (about 7), pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks

• 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)

• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and, using Halloween cookie cutters, cut different shapes from the tortillas. Place the shapes on the baking sheet and coat with cooking spray, then add salt for seasoning. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the shapes are crisp. Cool before eating.

  Guacamole:
  Using a large bowl, mash avocados, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, 11⁄2 teaspoons salt and pepper with a fork until the mixture is chunky.

Want some Bat and Cobweb Cookies? These gingerbread designs are sure to decorate your plate and fill your stomach.

To make these creepy cookies you will need:

• 6 cups all-purpose flour (sifted, then measured)

• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

• 11⁄2 cups unsulfured molasses

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 11⁄2 teaspoons salt

• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

• 4 teaspoons ground ginger

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 11⁄2 teaspoons ground cloves

• 2 large eggs

• Royal Icing (ingredients are listed below)

  Add flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Set the bowl aside.

  Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is fluffy. Continue beating and add ginger, cloves, cinnamon, salt, eggs and molasses. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture.

Divide dough into three equal pieces and flatten into disks. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out until it is one-eighths inch thick and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut cobweb and bat shapes out of the dough using a paring knife. Put shapes back on baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

-Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are crisp. Let cookies cool, and then frost. Royal icing ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites

• 4 cups sifted confections’ sugar

• Juice from one lemon

• 3 drops of glycerin

  Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar, lemon juice and glycerin and beat for one minute. To thin icing, add more egg whites. To thicken, add more sugar. The icing is good for three days if stored in an airtight, refrigerated container.

  Hopefully, these recipes will give you a few ideas for some deliciously spooky Halloween treats this season! Thanks to Martha Stewart for the scary delicious recipes and pictures used in this article. Check out her website for more scrumptious and spooky treats.

  If these have intrigued your inner food fiend, check out http://www.kraftrecipes.com, http://allrecipes.com, and www.bhg.com for more Halloween recipes!

  Recipe and Picture Source:

  http://www.marthastewart.com