Nothing truly marks the season of fall quite like Halloween does. With the scariest time of year only a few days away we’ve been in a frenzy looking for the best costume, the coolest party to go to, and of course the most devilishly delicious recipes to try. Without a doubt the best part of Halloween is the delicious treats that we get to devour all night long and regret the next day. As you all know, no one likes to experiment with desserts more than we do, which is why this Halloween we’ve taken it up a notch. We’ve found 5 recipes that will simultaneously satisfy your taste buds and give you goose bumps. After trying these recipes you won’t really care how people look at you when you put “spiders” in your mouth.
Finger Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 15-18 whole almonds
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
Step 1: Soak your almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes allowing you to easily peel off the skin. After they are peeled, take the thinnest knife possible and cut them in half. In a separate small bowl pour the red food coloring and toss the almonds in and allow them to soak in for 10 minutes then take them out and let them dry.
Step 2: Separate 1 egg and set aside the white. Using a mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Add in the egg, reserved egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts and stir until smooth. Then add in the flour mix on low speed until it’s just incorporated. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Preheat oven to 176 C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Pull off less than a tablespoon of dough and roll on a lightly floured surface or between your palms to create finger shapes. Lastly, place on prepared baking sheet and score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Brush the fingers with lightly beaten egg white. Push the almond nails into each cookie and bake for 12 minutes.
Monster Mouths
(Ingredients vary on how many monster mouths you want)
Ingredients:
- Apples
- Al Rifai Peanut Butter
- Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- Peeled Almonds
Step 1: Slice the apples into pieces that look like lips. (A standard slice will work.)
Step 2: Place the sliced apples in a bowl of lemon water for about 10-15 minutes so they don’t turn brown.
Step 3: Heavily spread peanut butter on the tops of each slice of the apple.
Step 4: Stick the peeled almonds on one of the apple slice and stick the other slice on top of it. Hint: put the almonds on crookedly so they look scarier.
Chocolate Mice
Ingredients:
- 4 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate squares
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
- 1/3 confectioners sugar
- 24 silver dragees decorating candy
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 12 pieces long vine licorice
Step 1: Melt the chocolate, and combine with sour cream. Stir in 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
Step 2: Roll by into balls by the level tablespoonful. Mold to a slight point at one end (the nose).
Step 3: Roll dough in confectioner’s sugar (for white mice or in chocolate cookie crumbs for dark mice). On each mouse, place dragees in appropriate spot for eyes, almond slices for ears, and a licorice string for the tail.
Step 4: Put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until firm.
Pecan Caramel Spiders
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in pieces
Step 1: Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans. Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
Step 2: Put the sugar and corn syrup in a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage
Step 3: Add the butter and salt mixture into the sugar mix and gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches softball stage. After 5 minutes immediately take off from heat and let it cool down.
Step 4: Pour a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Let the spiders cool for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth.
Step 6: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until completely firm
Devil Food Twinkies
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flower
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 5ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso, at room temperature
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 2 large eggs whites, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole natural almonds, lightly toasted and chopped reserving, 16 whole almonds
- 3 ounces dark chocolate
- Two 7-ounce bags sweetened coconut
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and stir the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder and set aside.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs and vanilla extract. Combine the buttermilk and espresso. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients. Start and end with the dry. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the mixture into the pans, filling the pans to just over half. Place the pans in the oven and bake, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack to room temperature, when they can be popped out of the molds.
Step 3: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, begin making the fluff by whipping the corn syrup and egg whites on medium speed, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and whip until the eggs are fluffy and firm, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. To the bowl add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and stir on low speed until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
Step 4: Melt the chocolate and keep warm. Place the coconut in a small bowl. Set aside. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the marshmallow fluff on top of the baked Twinkie. With a small offset spatula evenly coat each Twinkie. Generously press the coconut all over the Twinkie except for the bottom. Really pack on as much as will stick. Place the finished Twinkies on a tray. Set aside and keep at room temperature.
Step 5: Dip the reserved whole toasted almonds in the warm melted chocolate, and with a fork, lift the nuts allowing the excess chocolate to drip back in the bowl. Place the chocolate dipped almonds on a lined baking pan. Cool down until firm and can be lifted off the paper, 15 to 20 minutes.
There is no other way to celebrate Halloween if you don’t go all out. We bet with your costume and these treats you will fully enjoy your Halloween! Wishing you the spookiest Halloween.
