Halloween is coming around the corner and it’s the season for sweet treats and scary things! Here are five fun and easy Halloween themed recipes that you can make with your friends and family! These recipes all come from the food network! Please note that if you have any nut allergies these recipes may need to be adjusted. Have fun!

Witch Finger Cookies!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/witch-finger-cookies-2229436 

By: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray 
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ (one stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 28 sliced almonds (large) 
• ½ cup raspberry jam

Steps:

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with a silicone baking mat (set aside)
3. In a bowl (preferably medium) whisk together the baking powder, salt and flour (set aside)
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until a dough forms
5. Using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms into 5-inch-long fingers about 1/2-inch thick. Firmly press a sliced almond into the end of each finger to make fingernails. Make several horizontal cuts, about 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch long, in the center of each finger to make knuckles.
6. Press the dough on either side of the cuts to shape the knuckles. Arrange the fingers on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer the fingers to a wire rack and cool completely.
7. In a small saucepan, heat the jam over low heat until warm, about 2 minutes. Dip the blunt ends of the fingers in the warm jam and arrange on a platter.

Caramel Apples!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/caramel-apples-1-7146773 

By: Food Network Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream 
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• Kosher salt   
• 6 medium very crisp apples (such as Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Pink Lady or Granny Smith), well washed and dried 
• Nonstick cooking spray, for the parchment

Steps:

1. Add the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir a few times before the sugar begins to boil to combine the ingredients. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and bring the syrup to a boil. Cook until the syrup begins to turn an amber color, then swirl the syrup to even out the color. Continue to cook until the syrup is a deep amber and the thermometer reads between 375 and 380 degrees F, then remove from the heat. Carefully pour in the cream and gently whisk to combine. Stir in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt until smooth. Keep off the heat but keep the thermometer attached to the pan.
2. Pierce the apples through the stem ends about halfway through with candy apple sticks. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. When the temperature of the caramel reads around 190 degrees F, dip an apple, using the stick as a handle and swirling to coat completely. Allow excess caramel to drip off the bottom and use a spatula to help remove any large amount of caramel, as it will pool around the apple when you set it down to cool on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining apples, gently heating the caramel on the stovetop over low heat, stirring, if it gets too thick for dipping. Allow the caramel to set and cool completely before serving or wrapping apples, about 1 hour. 
4. Note: To add toppings, dip apples in mini chocolate candies, shredded coconut, crushed cookies or chopped nuts immediately after coating with caramel.

Cake Eyeballs!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/halloween-recipes 

By: Ree Drummond

Ingredients:

• One (18.25-ounce) box red velvet or yellow cake mix (plus required ingredients)
• One (12-ounce) can frosting (any kind)
• 2 ounces white chocolate melting disks
• Assorted gel icing, for decorating

Steps:

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions for a 9-by-13-inch cake or two 9-inch cakes. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, then remove to a rack, cover with a dish towel and let cool completely.
2. Break off sections of the cake and crumble in a large bowl. When finished, you should have a bunch of very fine cake crumbs. Using a rubber spatula, work the frosting into the cake until it is no longer visible. (Even if you use white frosting with red velvet cake, the white will eventually blend in entirely)
3. Next, roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (a small ice cream scoop helps with this) and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This is important: Pop ’em in the freezer, uncovered, for at least an hour. The cake balls need to be very firm before coating them.
4. When the cake balls are nice and firm, place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Don’t let the bowl touch the water.) Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan. Add the cake balls one at a time to the melted white chocolate and gently roll to coat. Using a fork, lift out the cake balls, then tap the fork against the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate. With a toothpick, push the ball off of the fork and back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. 
5. Decorate with gel icing to look like eyeballs.

Bloody Pancakes!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/bloody-pancakes-3852446 

By: Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

Strawberry Sauce

• 3 cups of chopped strawberries 
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ lemon, juiced 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Pancakes 

• 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder 
• ½ teaspoon of fine salt
• 1 ½ cups of milk
• ½  stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
• 2 large eggs
• Pure vanilla extract 

Steps: 

1. For the strawberry sauce: Cook the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the berries break down, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids; let cool.
2. Meanwhile, for the pancakes: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl, then whisk into the flour mixture until just combined.
3. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat; lightly brush with melted butter. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake and cook until bubbles form on top and the bottom is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. (If the pancakes are browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low.) Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side, about 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with more butter as necessary.
4. Stack the pancakes, then drizzle with the strawberry sauce and insert a knife into the top.

Apple Spider Web Pops!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/apple-spider-web-pops-3813502 

By: Food Network Kitchen 

Ingredients:

• 2 large granny smith apples, stemmed 
• 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil 
• 4 ounces of chopped white chocolate 

Steps:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat.
2. Cut the apples lengthwise (stem to bottom) into 4 thick slices each. Remove any visible seeds and keep the core intact. The end slices will be rounded; cut a thin slice off so they lay flat. Poke a small hole in the bottom of each slice with a wooden ice-pop stick and push halfway into the apple.
3. Combine the bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power for 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add the white chocolate and remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil to another medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power for 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
4. Dip half of the apple slices completely in the bittersweet chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, and place on the prepared baking sheet. 
5. Dip the remaining apple slices in the white chocolate. Let sit at room temperature so the chocolate thickens a bit, 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the leftover dark and white chocolate to 2 separate small resealable plastic bags and snip a small corner off each bag. Pipe 3 to 4 dark chocolate concentric circles on the white chocolate-dipped apples and visa-versa. Drag a toothpick through the circles, starting the center and working your way out to create a spider web design. Refrigerate until hardened, 15 to 20 minutes.

By: Sorina Yeghian ‘26, Food and Wellness editor 

26syeghian@montroseschool.org