Well here we are, the end of October already, and Halloween has arrived. A number of years ago, Brion and I decided to take a different approach to this occasion. Rather than spending the evening running to the door to hand out treats, I would make some special goodies for our immediate neighbor’s ‘kids’. We have been lucky to have had the same neighbors for many years. Since food is my passion, its always fun to ‘create’ something that I think our four ‘young’ people will enjoy.
My choice of treats this year are brownie ghosts, krispie candy corn and some bite size pizzas. Most kids love chocolate so I think brownies will cover that and I swapped out the ‘waxy’ candy for rice krispies in the candy corn treats. Pizza bites aren’t exactly following the Halloween theme but the kids are getting older and I’m sure they will love them anyway.
Just an interesting little side note on the actual candy corn ‘candy’ since they seem to be synonymous with Halloween. Originally they were never tied to any time of year. Many candies of the day were molded into what was recognizable to regular folks. At the time, that was vegetables, fruits and other simple, earthy things.
When the Goelitz Confectionery Company first produced candy corn, it was called ‘chicken feed’. The boxes were illustrated with a colorful rooster logo and a tag line that read: ‘Something Worth Crowing For’. The multi-colored design was ground-breaking in the candy industry at the time it was invented. One of candy corn’s least favored qualities is that waxy texture. Strangely enough, even after more than 120 years, it still has a huge following as well as many other candy corn related and/or flavored recipes on the market.
ENJOY YOUR HALLOWEEN IN WHATEVER WAY WORKS FOR YOU!
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Brownie Ghosts - 'Krispie' Candy Corn - Pizza Pinwheels
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Ingredients
Chocolate Dipped Candy Corn Treats
Ingredients
Chocolate Dipped Candy Corn Treats
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Instructions
Bottom Layer of Brownies
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine all bottom layer ingredients until crumbly. Pat into pan & bake for 10 minutes.
Middle Layer of Brownies
In the microwave, very carefully melt chocolate (do NOT overheat) & add butter. Stir until combined & slightly cool; add beaten egg & sugar. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder & salt. Add to chocolate mixture alternately with combined milk & vanilla. Fold in walnuts. Carefully spread batter over bottom layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes; do not OVER BAKE. Remove from oven & cool. Slice into 20 squares.
Fudge Frosting
If you prefer to make your chocolate ghosts BEFORE the frosting, it will give them ample time to set before needed. TO MAKE FROSTING: Carefully melt chocolate & butter in microwave. Cool slightly; stir in powdered sugar & vanilla. Blend in hot water & beat until a smooth consistency. Spread icing evenly over brownies & decorate with a white chocolate ghosts.
White Chocolate Ghosts
Carefully melt white chocolate wafers in microwave. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small hole tip. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface with a printout of ghost shapes underneath. Trace outline, then fill in the center. Allow to set completely, then peel ghosts from waxed paper & press lightly on top of brownies.
Chocolate Dipped Candy Corn Treats
Butter 2 round 5-inch baking pans. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows & stir constantly until they are melted. Stir in a few drops of orange coloring & remove the pot from heat. Add rice krispies, being sure to stir until well coated. Press into prepared pans to set. Once treats have set, cut them into triangles & use your hand to gently round the corners for a more realistic look.
Melt candy coatings in separate dishes. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper. Dip the base of each triangle into the yellow chocolate, shaking off excess, then dip the tips into the white chocolate. Place them onto the parchment paper. Once the chocolate has set, you can store the treats at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days. Yield 30 treats.
Mini Pizza Pinwheels
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. set aside.
Grate cheeses & combine in a small dish. Remove dough from packaging but DO NOT unroll. Slice each roll into 12 disks & space out on parchment paper. Using a 1/4 cup dry measure, (make sure you lightly butter & flour the bottom of your measure or it will stick to the dough). Press down the little disks to form a cavity. Divide the pizza sauce & grated cheese between the 24 disks.
Bake 10-12 minutes; remove from oven & cool on a wire rack.
Boston Cream Pie, a French inspired cake that dates back to the late 1800’s. Considered an American classic, Boston cream pie is typically credited to Chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel right in downtown Boston, USA. One of the theories as to why it was called ‘pie’ instead of cake is that at that time, pie and cake tins were often considered interchangeable, as were the words themselves.
The original Boston cream pie consists of rich butter sponge cake filled with a rum-infused pastry cream. The sides are coated with toasted sliced almonds and topping it all is a layer of chocolate fondant. A delicate ‘spider web’ of white fondant adds a touch of elegance.
Most women of my mother’s time would do there own version of this pie/cake even if it was just a simple jam-filled layer cake topped with powdered sugar. Definitely the ‘classic’ version was reserved for special occasions. Men generally loved this ‘pie in cakes clothing’. Over time, homemakers as well as the food industry have come up with numerous ideas to recreate this dessert in donuts, cake pops, cupcakes etc.
I’m forever in pursuit of saving time and calories but ending up with a memorable ‘creation’. These Boston Cream Cupcakes are a good example. Tender little cakes filled with vanilla pudding and topped with a chocolate glaze.
Print Recipe
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Tasty little mini cakes with a few shortcuts.
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Ingredients
Chocolate Glaze ( 2 versions,you chose)
Ingredients
Chocolate Glaze ( 2 versions,you chose)
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Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cupcakes
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.
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In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt & sugar with a wire whisk. Add butter & with a pastry blender combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs, using a hand mixer on low, combine. Add milk & vanilla, increase to a medium speed & mix until batter is light & fluffy & free of lumps.
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Fill lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Do not overfill. Bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.
Custard
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Beat dry pudding mix & 1 cup milk with a whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in Cool Whip. Let stand 5 minutes before using.
Chocolate Glaze
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For glaze #1... Microwave chocolate & butter in a microwave bowl on HIGH 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted. Add sugar & 2 Tbsp milk; mix well.
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For glaze # 2 ... Microwave chocolate & 1 cup Cool Whip topping in a microwave bowl on HIGH for 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted & mixture is well blended
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To Assemble: Insert a small knife at a 45 degree angle about 1/8-inch from the edge of each cupcake & cut all the way around, remove a cone of cake. Cut away all but the top 1/4-inch of the cone; leaving only a small disk of cake which will be used to top the cupcake.
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Fill each cupcake with about 2 Tbsp of custard & top with the disk of cake. Carefully top each filled cupcake with 1-2 Tbsp of chocolate glaze. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Halloween means many things to different people. When I think back to Halloween when I was growing up on the farm, it was fairly ‘low key’. My mother did all that she could to make it fun for us — carving jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples and making a special treat of popcorn balls. My dad had his own point of view of such a holiday that being, ‘if he wanted his kids to have candy he would buy it for them’, as opposed to us asking the neighbors for it. Nevertheless, the world didn’t end because of it. There was always the school parties in grade school to ‘dress up’ for that were fun. Looking back at some photos of my sister Loretta and I in our costumes brings back some treasured memories.
Something Loretta and I always had in common was being adventurous. An almost forgotten memory came back to me as I was thinking about my Halloween blog. Whenever we got the chance to explore something mysterious that was right up our alley. One such occasion arose one day when we decided to investigate an old empty farm house. This house was 2 or 3 miles from our farm. The land itself was being farmed by a neighboring farmer and was posted ‘No Trespassing’. Nevertheless, this intriguing old ‘haunted house’ was like a magnet for us. If I remember correctly, it took a little bit of doing to get in but we managed it. For being such an old house, I recall the inside being quite unique in its design. It had one of those staircases that you see in the movies. We went upstairs and snooped around. Of course, to add to the intrigue, one room was locked. When we listened we could hear a distinct buzzing or humming sound. After figuring out how to get in, to our surprise wasps had made it their home. The floor was covered with a huge pile of dead wasps but there was still lots of live ones buzzing around. At this point we decided we best call it a day and leave. Just when we were about to go the farmer had come and was working in the fields close to the buildings. Not to be caught ‘trespassing’ we hid by a granary, then high-tailed it out of there as soon as the coast was clear. Although our haunted house adventure didn’t happen on Halloween it left lasting memories.
It seems every year we have less and less kids ‘halloweening’ in our neighborhood. Either the weather is too cold or it’s just a safer idea to go to the many malls in the city. We have been very lucky to have great neighbors on either side of us. One couple has two little boys and the other, two little girls. I thought I’d like to do something special for the four of them this Halloween. I seem to always have many recipe ideas stored in my head. They are constantly under mental construction and revision every time my feet touch the kitchen floor. Putting a new spin on an old idea never stops with me. In 1969 / 1975, the Better Homes and Gardens company published a couple of cookbooks that had an oatmeal brownie in them called Tri-Level Brownies. So here we are, a vintage brownie with some spookiness for Halloween! Hope they will like them.
Print Recipe
Halloween Brownies
Three layers of decadence, including crunchy oatmeal, nutty chocolate and smooth fudge frosting.
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Bottom Layer
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine all bottom layer ingredients until crumbly. Pat into prepared pan; bake for 10 minutes.
Middle Layer
In a double boiler, melt chocolate, remove from heat & add margarine. Stir until combined & slightly cool; add beaten egg & sugar. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder & salt. Add to chocolate mixture alternately with combined milk & vanilla. Fold in walnuts. Carefully spread batter over baked bottom layer. Bake for 20- 25 minutes; cool & slice into 16 squares.
Fudge Frosting
In a double boiler, melt chocolate & margarine; stirring constantly. Remove from heat, cool slightly; stir in powdered sugar & vanilla. Blend in hot water & beat until smooth consistency. Spoon icing into a piping bag that has been fitted with a star tip. Top each square with a rosette of icing & decorate with white chocolate Halloween designs.
White Chocolate Designs
In a small double boiler, melt chocolate wafers. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a fine tip. Place a large piece of waxed paper on a flat surface with a printout of Halloween shapes underneath. Free Halloween templates can be found at blog.candiquik.com Trace shapes & fill in after. Allow to set completely, then peel shapes from waxed paper & press lightly on top of icing rosette.
