Halloween Food & Fun!

Here’s to Halloween Food & Fun! I love Halloween because of the creepy cool decorations and yummy fun food and I bet you do too. So I am going to share some yummy recipes, decorating tips & activities. No matter what is going on in the world, you can still have a fun Halloween–and should! None of us are too old for fun, right? And even if you are on a tight budget, there are many cheap and easy ways to decorate and inexpensive recipes. So go, create, and enjoy! It’s time for Halloween Food & Fun!

RECIPE:

White Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cream or half and half

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp corn starch

1 tsp baking soda

10 oz. bag of candy corn

1 cup white chocolate chips

Using electric mixer, cream together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract. Add cream (or half and half), flour, corn starch, and baking soda. Add candy corn and chocolate chips.

IMPORTANT: Cover and refrigerate for three hours (or up to four days) before baking. Otherwise, the dough will not be hard enough so the cookies will be too thin and flat. Make sure the candy corn is inside the cookie dough balls and NOT on the bottom or the top of the cookie dough ball. Otherwise, the candy corn will melt or burn.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Be sure to grease the cookie sheet with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do NOT overbake. The cookies will harden as they cool but if you bake for more than ten minutes you will burn the bottom of the cookie. Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

NOTE: These sweet treats can be made in advance and stored in airtight container for one week or 3-4 months in the freezer. Or you can make the dough in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to one week or 3-4 months in the freezer. If you prefer, you can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate.

These cookies are so pretty to look at that you almost don’t want to eat them! Plus, they are a huge hit with all ages so be sure to make enough!

And remember that dogs like Halloween too…

Easy No Bake Pumpkin Dog Treats

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

Mix all ingredients in bowl and roll into 1-inch balls. Place on parchment paper and refrigerate for one hour. Store in airtight container and will last for one week. Optional: Use hearts and bone cookie cutters to create these healthy, yummy dog treats. My doggie loves them!

PUMPKIN DECORATING TIP:

Carve a medium-sized or large pumpkin to have two eyes and a large mouth. Fill empty pumpkin with wrapped candy that can be accessed through the large mouth.

If you are interested in serving healthier snacks. Use a pen or paint to create a cute face on a medium or large pumpkin and insert fruit skewers on the top, sides, and back of pumpkin. Suggestions: orange slices, grapes, strawberries, and melon cubes.

OUTSIDE DECORATING TIP:

This is a super simple yet frightfully fun idea. If you have a wheelbarrow or can borrow one, throw in some dirt and leaves. On top of this mixture, add some dollar store skulls and body parts. Leave a shovel and lantern beside the wheelbarrow. You can put this by your porch or in your front or back yard. I like to do this in my yard beside the cemetery I create using dollar store tombstones, ghosts and bats on the tree branches, body parts, and other cheap props.

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE DECORATING TIP:

Buy a package of self-sticking stenciled letters at your local craft store or use colored construction paper to make your own and attach using double-sided tape. Place these “warnings” on your porch steps, deck steps, or interior steps. Suggestions: Boo! Turn Back! Beware! Do Not Enter! Happy Halloween! Come & Sit a Spell! If you are talented artistically, you can add spiders, bats, and ghosts beside your sinister warnings or on steps between warnings.

PARTY GAME:

Scavenger games are good for most ages. Hide tiny pumpkins in your house or yard and after the young ones have found them, you can have a pumpkin craft station where they can decorate them and take them home as party favors. Be sure to have enough pumpkins for all the participants and specify that once a participant has found a pumpkin he/she needs to leave the game and proceed to the craft station. Optional: small prizes for the first five to find pumpkins.

For older kids and teens or even adults I like a pirate scavenger hunt. Hide gold coins (plastic or chocolate foil wrapped) around your house. The coins will contain clues were to find the hidden pirate treasure chest. The coins will also be used to cash in for bigger prizes found in the chest. Suggestions: books, gift cards, movie tickets, candy, and pirate paraphernalia.

You can also plan a more sophisticated scavenger hunt. For more about this or more Halloween party recipes, activities, and decorating tips, check out my helpful guide to a perfect Halloween (hot off the press).