Halloween Treats

Get sweet and spooky in the kitchen for Halloween making tasty Halloween Treats like Witch Hat Surprise Cookies, Candy Corn Milkshakes, and Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes with your family! 

Witch Hat Surprise Cookies

By Chef Mary Matthews

22 min | 10 min prep | Makes approximately 18 cookies

Ingredients for Cookie Dough

Directions

1. Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
2. Add half-and-half and vanilla.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to creamed mixture, beating just until blended.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Scoop cookie dough into 2 oz. (1/4 cup) cookies and place 1 and 1/2 inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake).
7. Cool slightly on cookie sheet before moving to a rack.
8. While your cookies are cooling, dip the bottom of your chocolate sugar ice cream cones in chocolate and then dip into Halloween sprinkles/eye balls. Set the cones aside to let the chocolate harden (or pop them in the fridge/freezer for a few minutes to set quicker).
9. Once your cones have hardened with the sprinkles, dip the sprinkled end again slightly in the chocolate. Hold the cone with the opening facing up towards you (like how you hold an ice cream cone) and fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of your favorite small Halloween candies like M&Ms. Grab one of your cooled chocolate cookies and place it on top of the cone, covering the opening. Flip back upside down and set down so that the cookie is on the bottom for the brim of the Witch hat and the cone is on top. Lightly press the cone onto the cookie and let the chocolate harden so that it secures to the cookie. Repeat for all cookies. 
10. Enjoy!

Candy Corn Milkshakes

Ingredients

• 4 large scoops (about 1 and 1/2 cups) vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• Whipped Cream
• Yellow and Orange Food Coloring
• Halloween Sprinkles

Directions

1. In a blender, blend together ice cream and milk. 
2. Divide the blended mixture into 2 bowls/glasses/containers. Add yellow food coloring to one and orange food coloring to the other and mix each of them separately until the milkshake is fully colored. 
3. Pour the yellow milkshake into a glass and tap on the table or level out the top with a spoon until it is flat. Then pour or scoop the orange milkshake on top of the yellow and even out again, creating two layers of the candy corn. 
4. Top with whipped cream and Halloween Sprinkles and enjoy!

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 3 hours

 Yield: 14 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 and 3/4 cups cake flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
• Orange Food Coloring
• Orange Buttercream Frosting
• Green Buttercream Frosting
• Chocolate or Brown Buttercream Frosting
• Fall Sprinkles
• Orange Sugar Sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
2. Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed and then beat in the sour cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
4. Add orange food coloring to your batter until it is your desired orange. *NOTE: make the color more vibrant than you want it as it will fade as it bakes. 
5. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
6. Frost the top of your cupcakes with orange frosting and cover with orange sugar sprinkles. Use the back of a butterknife (not the sharp side) or cake spatula to create the pumpkin lines on the top of the frosting. Pipe a little brown/chocolate frosting at the top of the pumpkin to create the stem and then pipe some green frosting to create the leaves. Add a few Fall themed sprinkles if you would like and then enjoy!