Halloween Recipes:
As we move through the month of October, Halloween parties and get-togethers are popping up everywhere! In order to contribute to the party, it is usually a custom to bring a dish or special treat! Instead of getting something easy from your local grocery store, perhaps you would like to impress all your friends with some unique and spooky treats and dishes! Surprisingly, some spooky treats require minimal effort, but look very elaborate! To help you find some spooky treats that you can share or eat yourself, I have compiled 5 recipes that may inspire you! Happy Halloween!
Mac-O-Lantern and Cheese Bowls:
Information- Total of 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients-Kosher salt
6 medium orange bell peppers
8 ounces elbow macaroni
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces mild Cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
2. Cut the tops off the peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and membranes. Put the peppers and the tops in the boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Plunge the peppers into the ice bath. Once cool, remove them and use a sharp knife to carve a jack-o-lantern face into one side of each pepper.
3. Return the water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain (don't rinse the pasta).
4. Heat the half-and-half in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
5. Off the heat, add the macaroni to the saucepan and stir to combine. Stir in some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Season with salt if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes, then divide the mac and cheese among the peppers and cap each with a pepper top.
Berry Eyeball Punch:
Information- Total of 2 hours and 15 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:3 cups blackberries
18 canned lychees (from one 20-ounce can), plus 3/4 cup syrup from the can
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups sweetened acai juice
1 cup blueberry juice cocktail
18 large blueberries
3 cups lemon-lime soda
1 cup spiced rum or gin (optional)
Directions:
1.Puree the blackberries, lychee syrup and lemon juice in a blender. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula. Add the acai juice and blueberry juice. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
2. Gently push a blueberry into the cavity of each lychee. Transfer the punch to a punch bowl or pitcher and add the stuffed lychees, then gently stir in the lemon-lime soda and rum, if using. Serve over ice.
Candy Corn Fudge:
Information- Total of 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 24 pieces
Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
Three 4-ounce bars good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
Orange and yellow food coloring
Directions:
1. Line a 6-by-3-by-2 1/2 inch mini loaf pan with foil, being sure to leave a 2-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Using a whisk, stir them together until smooth. Pour half of the mixture into another bowl. Stir 3 to 4 drops of orange food coloring into one of the bowls and set aside. Pour half of the remaining mixture into another bowl and add 2 to 3 drops of yellow food coloring to one of them, stirring until evenly distributed.
3. Pour the yellow mixture into the prepared pan. Tap the pan against a flat surface to ensure that it is smooth and even, then chill for 5 minutes. Pour on the orange mixture and spread it into a smooth and even layer. Tap on a flat surface again, and chill 5 minutes more. Top off the fudge with the white mixture, cover with plastic wrap and then chill in the refrigerator until completely set and firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
4. Using the foil overhang as handles, remove the fudge from the pan to a cutting board. Cut the fudge lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and then into triangles so that they resemble candy corn.
Halloween Cheesecake:
Information- Total of 12 hours(including chilling time)
Yield:10 to 12 servings
Ingredients:
Brownie-Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
One 10-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips
Cheesecake-One 1/4-ounce packet unflavored powdered gelatin
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch fine salt
1/2 cup store-bought vanilla frosting
Green gel food coloring
1 ounce square semisweet chocolate
Directions:
For the brownie: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10-by-15-inch baking dish (4 1/2 quart) with foil leaving a 2-inch over hang on at least two of the sides. Coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the butter and semisweet chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and then the eggs. Add the flour mixture in two batches and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle the bittersweet chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownie. Let sit for 5 minutes to melt slightly. Use and offset spatula to spread the chocolate over the brownie. Let the cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until the chocolate is completely set, about 30 minutes. Use the foil overhang to help lift the brownie out of the pan.
Lightly coat a 16-inch-long piece of parchment with nonstick cooking spray and place the brownie chocolate coating-side down (this helps to prevent the chocolate from cracking while cutting it). On one half of the brownie, trace the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a paring knife and cut out the circle. Fit the brownie circle, chocolate coating-side up, into the bottom of the springform pan and lock the side.
For the Jack-o'-Lantern eyes: From the remaining brownie half, use the paring knife to cut out two 2 1/2-inch equilateral triangles.
For the Jack-o'-Lantern nose: Cut one 2-inch equilateral triangle.
For the Jack-o'-Lantern mouth: Cut a 5-inch-wide half-moon. Cut out a bottom and top tooth that are slightly offset. (If the chocolate cracks at all use a hot, dry offset spatula to re-melt and smooth the chocolate.)
Make the cheesecake: Combine the gelatin with 1/4 cup water in a small microwave safe bowl and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes. Combine the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, confectioners' sugar, sour cream, vanilla and salt in a food processor and process until smooth.
Microwave the gelatin until melted, stirring as needed, about 30 seconds. Add the gelatin to the cream cheese mixture and process to combine, about 30 seconds. Pour the batter into the springform pan, on top of the brownie bottom.
Press the brownie eyes, nose and mouth into the batter until they are even with the top of the batter, taking care not to get any batter on top. Chill in the refrigerator until completely set, 4 hours and up to overnight.
For the pumpkin vine and stem: Mix the frosting with green food coloring in a small bowl until it is the color of a pumpkin vine (1 to 2 drops). Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip and pipe a curly vine along the top edge of the Jack-o'-Lantern. Push the chocolate square into the top side of the cheesecake about 1/4-inch from the top to make the stem.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball:
Information- Total of 20 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups orange cheese puffs
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups shredded Cheddar
1/4 cup chopped chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bell pepper with a long stem
Crackers, for serving
Directions:
Put the cheese puffs in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
Combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Mold the mixture into a ball, pressing the top of the ball with your hand to flatten it. With the tip of a butter knife, carve lines down the sides to resemble a pumpkin.
Roll the cheese ball in the ground cheese puffs. Remove the entire bell pepper stem with a paring knife and put it on top of the cheeseball as the pumpkin stem. Seed and slice the bell pepper. Serve the cheeseball on a plate with crackers and slices of bell pepper.
Halloween Blueberry Mummy Muffins:
Information- Total time of 1 hour and 45 minutes(including cooling time)
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients:
Muffins-
2 cups fresh blueberries
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1 cup whole-wheat flour (see Cook's Note)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 3 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
Frosting-
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Eyes-
24 blueberries (about 1 cup)
24 small candy eyes
Directions:
For the muffins: Position a rack in center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Crush the blueberries in a medium bowl with a potato masher or fork until completely smashed. Lightly coat the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt in a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, egg and yolks to the mashed blueberries and stir until combined and creamy; gently fold into the flour mixture until just combined (it's ok if there are some lumps). Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and let cool completely on the rack.
For the frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl using an electric mixer on high speed until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the confectioners' sugar. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high and continue to beat until stiff and creamy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch flat tip.
Starting from the top of a cooled muffin, leaving a small space for the eyes, pipe frosting from left to right forming crisscrossing ribbons that mimic the wrapping of a mummy. Pipe a small amount of frosting on the back of 2 blueberries and two candy eyes. Place the blueberries, frosting-side down, onto the unfrosted part of the muffin. Top each blueberry with eyes. Repeat with remaining frosting, muffins, blueberries and eyes.
Source: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/halloween-recipes