Halloween Recipes

Since Halloween is next week, I figured I'd post several Halloween-themed recipes today. Check out the Pumpkin Spice Ghost Cake, the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, and the rest of today's recipes. Enjoy!

CAULDRON OF CHILI WITH SPIDER BREAD

My son and I were both on several long-forgotten emailing recipe lists. This is one of the recipes my son passed along from one of those lists.

Source: Target Recipes

Serves: 8; Hands-On Time: 40 Minutes; Total Time: 55 Minutes

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onions

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 ounce) can spicy chili beans, undrained

1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained

1 (11 ounce) can refrigerated breadsticks

4 small pimento-stuffed olives, sliced

1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

In 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onions over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes stirring frequently until beef is thoroughly cooked. Drain.

Stir in tomatoes, chili, beans and corn; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make an X shape using two pieces of dough. Pinch and twist the center where they meet to create a ball-shaped spider head.

Place on baking sheet, spreading legs of X shape out from the spider body. Use scissors to cut the dough creating four more legs. Attach dough to body and splay all eight legs. Place 2 olive slices on each for eyes.

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Top individual serving of chili with cheese and serve with warm spider breads.

PUMPKIN PATCH BROWNIES

This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. The recipe begins, “The sweetest pumpkin patch you ever did see.”

Total Time: 1 hour; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 8 - 10.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix, plus required ingredients

1 c. white chocolate chips

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

green food coloring

1 can chocolate frosting

1 c. crushed oreos

Pumpkin candies

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9-x-13” pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray. Prepare brownie batter according to package instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick has moist crumbs, 28 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and green food coloring. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth then transfer to a small ziplock bag and cut the tip of one corner to pipe.

Spread chocolate frosting over the brownies, then sprinkle with crushed Oreos. Using the green chocolate, pipe vines over the surface of the brownies, then scatter pumpkin candies on top of the brownies.

Slice into squares and serve.

PUMPKIN SPICE GHOST CAKE

This is from Very Best Baking by Nestle, and begins, “Surprise your trick-or treaters with this hauntingly-good pumpkin spice cake with a rich cream cheese frosting.”

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cooking Time: 35 minutes; Skill level: Intermediate; Makes 12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cake:

1 pkg. (18 oz.) spice or carrot cake mix

1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

3 large eggs

1/3 cup water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 pkgs. (3 oz. each) cream cheeese, softened

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

*Black string licorice, NESTLÉ RAISINETS Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins and Halloween candy corn (optional)

Instructions

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch-round cake pans.

Combine cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, water, vegetable oil and pumpkin pie spice in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat for 2 minutes or until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, margarine and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Spread between layers and on top and side of cake.

To Garnish:

Form licorice strings into ghost shapes; press into side of frosted cake. Use Raisinets for eyes. Arrange candy corn between ghosts on side and around top edge of frosted cake.

LIBBY'S® PUMPKIN ROLL

This is from Ver Best Baking by Nestle, and begins, "Dazzle family and friends with Libby's® Pumpkin Roll; moist and creamy, with a tantalizing aroma and beautiful presentation." My take on this? Yum!

Prep Time: 45 minutes; Cookingi Time: 13 minutes; Skill Level: Intermediate; Makes 14 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32372/libbys-pumpkin-roll/.

Ingredients

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Cooking Tip:

Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES

This is from Lauren Miyashiro on Delish. Lauren wrote, "Is it a sandwich cookie? Or a handheld little cake? To be honest, we're still unclear. What we do know is that this autumnal spin on the classic American whoopie pie gives us an unreasonable amount of joy once the weather starts to cool down. (Or as soon as September hits.)"

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes; Yields: 16

To view this online, go to https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a55263/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-recipe/.

Ingredients

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened, divided

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups), preferably chilled

2 large eggs

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract, divided

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat brown sugar, vegetable oil, 1/2 cup butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. (The dough will be sticky and soft.)

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2” between each cookie. Bake until springy to touch, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together remaining 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, maple syrup and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Spread filling onto the bottoms of half of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies, bottom side-down, on top. Serve immediately or store in fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

This is from the Food Network, and begins, "Get ready to meet your new favorite fall cookie! Pumpkin and chocolate chips make a powerful pair in these cakey treats with rich pumpkin pie spice flavor and loads of semi-sweet morsels. The cookies don't spread much in the oven, so flattening the dough is key."

Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Yield: About 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy

View this online at https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-8899244.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until combined.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto each prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each mound into a 2 1/2-inch round with slightly wet hands. The cookies will not spread much during baking.

Bake until the cookies are set and lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the baking sheets have cooled completely, repeat with the remaining dough to bake more cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)