GOBLIN GOODIES

Ingredients:

• 1 small box rice cereal
• 1 small box corn or wheat cereal
• 1 small box rice puffs cereal
• 3 cups pretzel sticks
• 1 stick of margarine
• 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips
• 2 cups of milk

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet or large baking pan with tin foil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, putting margarine in the pan and the pan in the oven as the oven preheats so that the margarine will melt.

Remove pan from oven and add pretzels, rice puffs and corn and rice cereal – slowly stirring to coat with melted margarine or butter.

Once all the cereal/pretzels is in the pan, place pan uncovered in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Once the snack mix is finished baking, remove from oven and allow to cool. While cooling, in a small sauce pan, over low heat, melt milk chocolate chips with one cup of milk, adding milk slowly until melted. Repeat for white chocolate chips.

With a spoon, drizzle melted milk and white chocolate over the snack mix and allow to firm. Once chocolate is more firm, toss and serve. Store cool in airtight container for future snacks.

HALLOWEEN PARFAIT

Ingredients:

• 3 boxes instant vanilla pudding (enough to make 12 one-half cup servings)
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• 3/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• One 9-ounce package plain chocolate wafers
• 6 cups milk
• Chocolate syrup to taste
• One 8-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:

Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl as directed on the package. Refrigerate until firm. Crush chocolate wafers into crumbs, using a food processor, or put the wafers into a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Combine red and yellow food coloring in a small bowl. Stir into pudding thoroughly, until pudding is orange. Layer pudding with two layers of chocolate crumbs in a parfait cup or glass. Top each layer of crumbs with chocolate syrup, to taste before adding the next pudding layer. Top each parfait with mandarin oranges and additional chocolate wafer crumbs.

Makes eight 8-ounce servings.

SLIMY LIME FRUIT PUNCH

Adapted from Parent Magazine

Make sure top use a very large bowl or a saucepan with high sides when making this frothy mixture. The meringue powder will really foam up when you start whisking.

Ingredients:

• Powdered lemonade mix to make 2 quarts
• 1 peeled and sliced orange
• 1 sliced lime (approx. 1/8" slices)
• 1 pint raspberries
• 2 tubes red decorating gel
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. meringue powder
• 2 liters seltzer
• 10 drops green food coloring
• 4 drops yellow food coloring

Directions:

Squeeze red gel down the inside of 12 small, clear glasses. Let dry about 10 minutes.

In an extra-large bowl, combine lemonade mix, sugar and meringue powder. Slowly pour in seltzer, whisking continually until combined. Stir in green and yellow food coloring. Add sliced fruit and berries for color.

Pour punch into glasses and serve.

JACK O'LANTERN FRUIT CUP

Courtesy of Mountain Breeze

Make sure top use a very large bowl or a saucepan with high sides when making this frothy mixture. The meringue powder will really foam up when you start whisking.

Ingredients:

• 1 Orange
• Choice of assorted fresh or frozen fruits

Directions:

Wash and chop assorted fruits and mix together in a bowl. Set aside.

Slice off the top of an orange (as you would for a Jack-O-Lantern). Scoop out the inside of orange using a knife and spoon. Add the juice from the orange to your fruit salad.

Carve a face into the orange.

Fill the orange with the fruit salad, allowing the fruit to pop out of eyes and mouth.

ALMOND SUGAR COOKIE CUT-OUTS

Cut this easy-to-assemble dough into ghost shapes for Halloween.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract flavorings.

Combine the dry ingredients in separate bowl. Next, add the dry ingredients (by 1.2 cup measurements) to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix with a mixer on medium speed.

Chill the dough for 2 – 3 hours or overnight, or “quick chill" in the freezer until very firm, for about 30 – 45 minutes.

To bake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Separate the dough into fourths and roll each section until it is about 1/8 – 1/4 inch thickness and using a 2 1/2 inch ghost-shaped cookie cutter, cut into desired shape. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 – 9 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.

SUPER EASY ORNAMENTAL FROSTING

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 1/3 cup of warm water

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and mix at medium speed until smooth. Spread the frosting on each cutout. For spreading consistency, thin icing by adding tablespoons of warm water. Please note — it doesn’t take more than one or two tablespoons to thin the icing.

Ghost Eyes: Use a tube of chocolate cake decorator frosting, or small dabs of chocolate frosting on a knifepoint, to make the ghost eyes.

PUMPKIN COOKIE POPS

Adapted from Pumpkin Nook

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 Cup canned or fresh cooked pumpkin
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 2 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch salt
• 20 wooden sticks (tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks work best)

Directions:

reheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine with electric mixer the butter, brown sugar and orange zest. Add the pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix.

Gradually add the flour and spices. Mix with your hands to create a soft dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into two pieces. Roll out each piece to 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into pumpkin shapes with cookie cutters.

Place on ungreased baking sheet and securely insert a wooden stick into the bottom half of each pumpkin cookie.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Decorate with favorite frosting.

PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES

Ingredients:

• 1 box of favorite instant brownie mix
• 1 bag candy pumpkins
• 1 tube green decorating gel
• 1 tube orange decorating gel

Directions:

Follow brownie mix package directions and bake in a 9" by 13" pan.

Cool for 20 minutes; remove from dish.

To create a pumpkin patch, place pumpkin candies one inch apart all over surface. Draw lines (vines) with green gel and accent with orange gel as desired. Orthodontic patients are advised to remove the pumpkin candies before eating.

SCARY JIGGLERS

Adapted from the Kraft Foods Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups boiling water (Do not add cold water)
• 2 pkg. gelatin (any flavor, but we recommend Orange, Grape or Lime for Halloween)
• Halloween shape cookie cutters*

Directions:

Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl 3 minutes until completely dissolved. Pour into 13x9-inch pan.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm (gelatin does not stick to finger when touched).

Dip bottom of pan in warm water about 15 seconds. Cut into 24 decorative shapes using 2-inch cookie cutters, making sure to cut all of the way through the gelatin to the bottom of the pan. Remove from pan. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Do not swallow scary jigglers whole.

* If serving to small children, perhaps consider using smaller cookie cutters to make bites more manageable