Halloween Treats

Halloween is just around the corner and you might be looking for some cute snacks for a party, or just to make with the kids. I have not made any of these yet so I can't give them a rating, but I promise I will. Also check out some other really cute ideas for halloween treats at picky palate!

Bugs in a blanket

Bugs in a Blanket

by Pillsbury

1 can (11 oz) refridgerated original breadsticks

24 cocktail-size smoked link sausages

3/4 cup shoestring potatoes

Ketchup, bbq sauce, or mustard

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough; separate at perforations into 12 breadsticks. with a knife or kitchen scissors, cut each breadstick into half crosswise, making 24 pieces.

2. wrap each piece of dough around center of each sausage, pinching to seal and leaving each end of sausage showing. Place seam side down and 1/2 inch apart on ungreased large cooking sheet.

3. Bake 11-14 min or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet; place on serving plate or tray. Cool 2 minutes.

4. Insert shoestring potatoes into baked dough to resemble legs and antennae. Decorate "bugs" with dots or stripes of ketchup.

Taste Rating: 3

Difficutly Rating: 3

Scary Skull Cakes

Scary Skull Cakes

by Pillsbury

1 box (18.25 oz) white cake mix with pudding in the mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

12 large marshmallows, halved

1 container (12 oz) vanilla whipped ready-to-spread frosting

48 small chocolate-covered mint candies (from 4.75-oz box)
24 chocolate chips

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and cool cupcakes as directed on box.

2. Carefully pull back a small section of paper from each cupcake; insert marshmallow half between paper and cake of each. Frost tops of cupcakes and marshmallows to look like skull shape.

3. For each skull cake, use 2 mint candies for eyes, 1 chocolate chip, point side down, for nose, and 6-8 almonds for teeth. Store loosely covered.

Wickedly Fun Witches

Wickedly Fun Witches

by Pillsbury

24 oblong peanut butter-filled sandwich cookies

1/2 cup vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting (from 1 lb container)

9 drops green food color

4 drops yellow food color

72 mini candy-coated chocolate baking bits

24 pieces candy corn

3 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy

12 chocolate wafer cookies

1. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place sandwich cookies on cookie sheet. In resealable food storage plastic bag, place frosting and food colors; seal bag. Squeeze bag until frosting is well blended. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag.

2. Pipe thick line across each sandwich cookie mear the top. Pipe 1 large dot of frosting above the line on each cookie. Pipe squiggles of frosting to look like hair below each green line. Pipe 2 dots for eyes, 1 for nose and 1 for mouth on each cookie. Place baking bits on dots for eyes and mouth; place candy corn on dot for nose.

3. Cut candy cars crosswise into quarters. Cut each quarter in half to form 2 triangles. Place 1 candy triangle over large dot of frosting on each cookie to look like top of witches hat.

4. With serrated knite and sawing motion, cut each chocolate wafer cookie in half. Place cookie upright on green line at base of each candy triangle to look like hat brim.

Monster Burgers

Monster Burgers

by Pillsbury

8 ground beef patties (4 oz each)

8 burger buns, split

8 slices (3/4 oz each) american cheese

8 thin slices cookes ham

16 slices dill pickles

ketchup

1. Place ground beef patties in broiler pan. Broil 3-4 inches from heat 10-12 min or until throughly cooked, turning once.

2. Place bottom halves of buns on serving platter. For each monter burger, place 1 cooked patty on bottom half of bun. cut cheese slices in half in zigzag pattern to look like teeth. Place half of cheese slice on burger, with "teeth" hanging off 1 side of patty.

3. Loosely fold ham into tongue shape; place on top of "teeth" place remaining cheese "teeth" on top of "tongue". Top with top half of bun. Place 2 pickle slices on top for eyes. Dot "eyes" with kethup for pupils.

Halloween Cake

Halloween Cake

by Betty Crocker

Cake:

2 boxes (1 lb 2.25 oz) yellow cake mix with the pudding in the mix

Water, oil, and eggs called for on cake mix boxes

Frosting and Decorations:

2 containers (1 lb each) vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting

yellow and red food color

1 pkg pull apart green licorice twists

chewy fruit-flavored snack rolls (any flavor)

edible glitter, if desired

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 2 1/2 qt ovenproof bowl with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, make 1 box cake as directed on bow, using water, oil and eggs. Pour batter into ovenproof bowl.

2. Bake 1 hr and 15 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Run knife just around top edge of cake. Remove cake from bowl; place rounded side up on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining box cake mix to make second cake. Cool cakes completely, about 1 hr.

3. In medium bowl, tint frosting with 9 drops of yellow and 6 drops of red food color to make orange frosting. Trim both cakes to form flat surfaces. Place 1 cake, round side down, on plate. Spread 2/3 cup of orange frosting over flat side of cake almost to edge. Place second cake, round side up, on frosted cake to make round shape. Frost entire cakes with remaining orange frosting.

4. To make stem, cut twist of licorice crosswise into thirds. Gather pieces together and twist. Use toothpick to make hole in top of cake; insert licorice stem. Pull apart licorice to make vines. Cut leaces from fruit snack rolls. Garnish cake with vines and leaves. Sprinkle with glitter.

Witches' Brooms

Witches' Brooms

by Betty Crocker

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

10 pretzels rods (about 8 1/2 inches long, cut in half crosswise)

2 tsp shortening

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 tsp shortening

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, water and vanilla until well blended. Stir in flour and salt. Shape dough into 20 (1 1/4 inch) balls.

2. Place pretzel rod halves on ungreased cookie sheets. Press ball of dough onto cut end of each pretzel rod. Press dough with fork to resemble bristles of broom. Bake 10-12 min or until set but not brown. Remove to cooling racks; cool completely.

3. Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place brooms on waxed paper. In 1-qt saucepan, melt 2 tsps shortening and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat. Spoon melted chocolate over brooms, leaving about 1 inch at top of pretzel handle and bottom halves of cookie bristles uncovered.

4. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave butterscotch chips and 1/2 tsp shortening uncovered on med-high 30-50 sec, stir after 30 sec, until chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is firm before storing.