Spider Cookies

I found this idea on a blog, not sure which one but it was a great simple idea!  It is a little late for Halloween, but it will definitely work for next year or maybe if you were having a spider man birthday party!

Spider Cookies

• Oreo Cookies
• M & M's
• Pull apart Twizzlers (red or black)
• Frosting

Cut your twizzlers to the size of your spider legs.  Next push your legs into the yummy oreo centers.  I learned as I went it was much easier to pull the top off of the oreo and push the legs in the filling that way.  I then put a little frosting on top of the filling and placed the top back on.

Next 2 dots of frosting for the eyes and then place your M & M's on top!  You are done and the kids will love them!

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

This was a fun idea I found on the Our Best Bites site!

You use a gingerbread man cookie cutter and then decorate them into skeletons.  It is an alternative to traditional sugar cookies, especially at Halloween!  We made the skeletons, bats and spiders!  Super spooky fun!!  (and good cookies too!)

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

(http://www.ourbestbites.com/)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or use a baking mat if you have one!

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.

Slowly add your dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Add your cocoa powder first and then slowly incorporate the flour.  I used all 2 1/2 cups.  Scrape the sides of your bowl as you go.

Lightly dust your surface with flour or cocoa powder and roll your dough out.  It recommends to roll your dough and then place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  I didn't put mine in the fridge.  My dough wasn't sticky and I was able to work with it right away!

Cut out shapes and place on your baking sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until set.  Don't over bake!  Just make sure edges look set!

Let your cookies cool on your baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then place on a cooling rack!

Decorate and enjoy your spooky cookies!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe on www.ourbestbites.com.  They have a great site and a great cookbook~you should check both out!

These were fun to make and the kids loved that they were bite size.  I do think next time I will make them bigger!

This is a fun Halloween treat and an easy way to have sugar cookies without all the cookie cutters and frosting too!

 Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

(our best bites)

• 1 batch of your favorite cookie dough (I used the sour cream sugar cookies that is on this site! It is my favorite!!)
• yellow and orange food coloring

Optional:

• Sanding sugar, coarse raw sugar, or sprinkles ~ almond bark or white chocolate, melted (I didn't do this for sheer simpleness~would like sanding sugar though!)

Divide prepared sugar cookie dough into 3 equal parts.  Leave one as is and then color one part orange and one part yellow.  I used my mixer and mixed the colors in that way.  It was pretty simple.

Line a standard loaf pan with plastic wrap.  Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan.  Start with the uncolored dough and press into the bottom of the pan.  You don't have to fill the pan, just keep it about 1/2-3/4 inch tall or larger if desired. (This is where I messed up!  I pressed mine flatter, which made my cookies bite size!  This is still a fun cookie, but I had wished for the bigger size!)

Layer the orange dough on top and smooth and flatten.  Finally layer the yellow dough on top.  Wrap plastic over the top and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours or put in freezer for 30-60 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap and slice loaf into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Cut each slice into triangle shapes and dip tops (white part) into sugar if desired.  Bake according to your sugar cookie recipe.  Cool completely and if desired dip in white chocolate and decorate with sprinkles!

Trick or Treat Popcorn Balls

I know it is too late for Halloween this year, but I had to post this for thoughts on next! I also think that candy corns are great through Thanksgiving, so why not give this a try now (if your sugar high is starting to lower!!)!

I found this last year, but didn't get a chance to try until now! I am not a huge candy corn fan, but really liked these. I also think I may try these again with M&M's in it instead!

Trick or Treat Popcorn Balls

(Cooking Light)

• 8 cups popped light butter microwave popcorn - about 1 bag (I used the full butter!)
• 1 cup candy corn (or try M&M's)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 (10 ounce) bag marshmallows
• Cooking Spray

Combine popcorn and candy corn in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; stir in salt and marshmallows. Reduce heat to low; cook for 7 minutes or until the marshmellows melt and the mixture is smooth, stirring frequently.

Pour marshmallow mixture over popcorn mixture, stirring well to coat. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape popcorn into balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. You may need to reapply the cooking spray to your hands as you go!

Black Cat Cookies

I found this on the Taste of Home site. I needed a quick treat for a RS mtg and these seemed to be a fun Halloween idea and they got the kids involved. The boys put the candy corns and M&M's on and had great fun doing it!

One thing, make sure not to over bake! Them need to firm up and not be doughy, but I would watch the time!

Great fun idea to give the kids at school!

Black Cat Cookies

(Taste of Home)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 24 wooden craft or Popsicle sticks
• candy corn
• red-hot candies (or I used M&M's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients and gradually add to the butter mixture.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Insert the wooden stick into each ball. Flatten the ball with a glass dipped in sugar. Pinch the top of the cookie to form the ears. For whiskers, press a fork twice into each cookie.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from oven and immediately press the candy corn in for the eyes and a red hot or M&M in for the nose.

Remove to wire racks to cool!

Spider Cupcakes

"These creepy, crawly critters are perfect for a haunted Halloween party." I found this on www.brightideas.com and think it was so fun to make with the kids and they turned out really spooky!!
Spider Cupcakes

• 1 box Devils food cake mix (or whatever you want to use)
• 1 can chocolate frosting (or make your own)
• Chocolate sprinkles
• 24 large marshmallows
• M & M's
• red or black licorice laces

Prepare the cupcakes according to package directions and bake.

Frost the cupcakes and then sprinkle the chocolate sprinkles on top. Cut the marshmallows in half and put on the marshmallows on top for the eyes. Dab some frosting on an M & M and then place on the marshmallow.

Cut each licorice lace into 4 pieces. You can use a toothpick to poke holes into the cupcake to insert the legs, or I just put the licorice legs into the frosting and they stuck just fine!! Put 4 legs on each side and you are done with your Spooky Spider!!

Cake Doughnuts

One of our family Halloween traditions is to make these yummy cake donuts.
I really love the nutmeg in these!!!

2 quarts oil
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups of cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 pkt. of dry yeast
3/4 cup, plus 2 T. buttermilk
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups of powder sugar (or you can make a glaze like I did for on top)

1. Heat oil in a low sided frying pan till it registers 375 degrees. Line one cookie sheet with paper towels and one dusted with flour. Put aside
2. Meanwhile, heat sour cream till warm to the touch. Place in the microwave and heat in 10 sec. intervals till ready. Set aside
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Make a large well in the center and place the yeast in it. Pour warm sour cream over it and let it sit for about a minute.
4. Place buttermilk, whole egg, egg yolks, and vanilla in a bowl and mix till combined. Pour egg mixture over sour cream. Using a wooden spoon, gradually draw flour mixture into egg mixture, stirring until smooth and incorporated. The dough will be very sticky.
5. Sift a heavy coat of flour on a clean work surface and turn the dough onto it. Sift another heavy coat of flour onto the dough and pat until it is 1/2 inch thick. Use your doughnut cutter to make your donuts and put them on the floured cookie sheet, let them rest for 10 minutes, no more. Take the remaining scrapes and push into a rectangle and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. When the doughnuts are ready place in the oil and brown then turn them over to the other side. (takes about 2 minutes each, watch so you don't burn them) When done, take out with a slotted spoon and put on your paper towels to cool off. Continue till done. You can dust them with powder sugar or make a glaze. Enjoy!
   

Spider Web Cookies

Spider Web Sugar Cookies

found on www.preschoolsnacks.blogspot.com

Here's what you'll need: sugar cookies (made), frosting, black icing and toothpics

Here's what you do:Frost the cookie with the vanilla frosting, and with the black icing make a dot in the middle and circles around it (like a target) with each circle getting bigger and going around the next. Then take a toothpic, start in the center dot and drag it out to the edge of the cookie, repeat all around the cookie until it looks like the picture above.

VARIATIONS: can be used on a large cake or small cupcakes. I remember as a kid my mom did that on a large cake and put a ding dong spider on top. It was so cute!

Goblin's Orange Popcorn

This came from the October & November 2008 Taste of Home magazine!

Super Yummy Fun!

4 quarts popper popcorn

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp light corn syrup

dash salt

1 tsp vanilla

12 drops yellow/4 drops red food coloring (or if you have orange use a few drops)

Directions:

Place popcorn in large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla and food coloring. Pour over popcorn; toss to coat. Transfer to two greased cookie sheets. Bake at 250 for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight containers (if you have any left!!!)