Halloween Treats!

A lot of people know that Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. I love everything about it from pumpkins to costumes to candy and more, this holiday is so much fun. I went to a few costume parties this weekend, but I'm planning on spending my Halloween watching scary movies and giving trick or treaters candy with some of my friends.

My unicorn pumpkin and my boyfriends driving skeleton pumpkin.

To spice the movie night up, I made a few really spooky treats, because what better way is there to celebrate Halloween than with Halloween themed snacks?

Starting out with these simple take on cheese and crackers with these string cheese witches broom sticks.

I simply took sticks of string cheese and cut each one into 3 equal pieces. Then I cut each piece vertically to look like strands on a broom. Lastly I cut into those pieces twice horizontally to make the piece of cheese look frayed and more like an actual broom. I added a pretzel stick on top for the handle and voila, a broomstick!


The next snack on my party list are these super cute jalapeño popper mummies!

Find this recipe at the bottom of this post.

They're made with roasted jalapeños, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and olives for the eyes.


Finally I made these adorable and extremely delicious spider cookies! They're basically snickerdoodle kiss cookies, but with a mini Reese's cup instead of a Hershey's kiss. 

Recipe at the bottom of this post.

However you are celebrating today and even if you're not, these snacks can be altered for any occasion. Cook away!





Mummy Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients:

• Crescent rolls or puff pastry
• 10 jalapeño peppers halved lengthwise and seeded
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces grated pepper jack cheese
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• Black olive slices for eyes

Directions:

1. Halve and seed the jalapeño peppers.
2. Combine the two cheeses and green onions and mix well.
3. Fill the mixture into the jalapeño pepper halves.
4. Use a pizza cutter to slice strands of the dough. Wrap the strands of dough around the jalapeños to resemble a mummy. Leave space for the olive eyes.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and immediately press olive slice eyes in the spaces for the eyes.

Spider Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar (for rolling)
• Mini Reese's cups, frozen
• Candy eyes
• Melting chocolate or frosting in a tube

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat together shortening, peanut butter, egg, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture and beat until blended.
5. Form into 1 inch balls.
6. Roll in sugar and place a couple of inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.
8. Immediately, gently press an upside frozen Reese's cup on top of each cookie and move to wire rack to cool.
9. After placing and moving all the cookies on the wire rack, put in place the candy eyes while chocolate is still slightly soft.
10. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow cookies to firm.
11. Melt chocolate in a bag and cut the corner to pipe the spider's legs on to the cookie. I used frosting in a tube.
12. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow legs to set.

Savory Palmiers.

So some of my followers have been asking me to post some recipes since I haven't posted them in a while so I thought I'd start the New Year with a couple of delicious things that everyone would love! For the New Year's party I went to this year, I made these adorable palmiers filled with pesto, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese. They were a huge hit at the party! In fact...ladies, one person upon eating them asked me if my boyfriend had proposed to me yet. I guess it is true that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach! But in the case of these palmiers, these are little tastes of heaven that everyone enjoys.

The ingredients you will need.

Sprinkle pesto, goat cheese, and sundried tomatoes on a puff pastry sheet.

Roll up the puff pastry and cut into slices.

Deliciousness in a fun shape.

Ingredients:

• 1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted
• 1/4 cup of pesto either store bought or homemade pesto.
• 1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
• Salt

Directions:

1. Lightly flour a board and unfold 1 sheet of the puff pastry.
2. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until its 9.5 by 11.5 inches.
3. Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto.
4. Then sprinkle with half the goat cheese and half the sundried tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
6. Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again towards the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly.
7. Repeat the entire instructions with the second piece of puff pastry and the remaining ingredients.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
10. Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them face up 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
11. Bake for 14 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm. 

recipe courtesy of Ina Garten