This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brandeis chapter.
Just because you’re a little old to trick or treat this Halloween, doesn’t mean your taste buds will have to sit out on the All Hallows’ Eve festivities. With a few easy Halloween recipes, anyone can turn simple ingredients (many of which can be found at the c-store, for those lucky ones with points to burn) into elaborate fall treats fit for any palate or party.
Classic Fall Caramel Apples
Ingredients:
- 6 large Granny Smith apples
- 6 wooden craft sticks
- 1 (14-ounce) bag caramels, unwrapped
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
- Pecan halves (optional)
Preparation:
- Wash and dry apples; remove stems. Insert craft sticks into stem end of each apple; set aside.
- Combine caramels, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a microwave-safe glass bowl.
- Microwave on HIGH 90 seconds or until melted, stirring twice.
- Dip each apple into the caramel mixture quickly, allowing excess caramel to drip off. Roll in chopped pecans; place on lightly greased wax paper. Chill at least 15 minutes.
- Microwave chocolate morsels at HIGH 90 seconds or until melted, stirring twice; cool 5 minutes. Pour chocolate where craft sticks and apple meet, allowing chocolate to drip down sides of apples. Press pecan halves onto chocolate, if desired.
- Chill 15 minutes or until set.
Crème-Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
Filling:
- 1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- orange food coloring
Preparation
- Prepare Cookies: Beat first 5 ingredients at low speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until combined. Add butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and beat at medium speed just until blended after each addition.
- Press dough together with fingers, and divide dough in half. Place each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper, and roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Chill 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare Filling. Beat shortening and 1/2 cup butter at high speed 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until fully incorporated. Beat in salt and, if desired, vanilla. Add coloring to taste. (Do not chill.)
- Preheat oven to 350°. Remove and discard parchment paper from dough. Working quickly, cut dough with a 2-inch round cutter, and immediately place rounds on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and chill 30 minutes before cutting.
- Bake cookies on baking sheets at 350° for 6 minutes. Rotate baking sheets front to back, and bake 6 more minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack, and cool completely (about 10 additional minutes). Repeat process with remaining chilled dough.
- Spoon filling into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe desired amount of filling onto 1 cookie, and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.
Candy Corn Chocolate Cakes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- buttercream frosting (yellow, orange, white)
Preparation:
- Beat first 6 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in buttermilk.
- Stir together 1-cup hot water and baking soda; stir into batter. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.
- Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
- Freeze layers 30 minutes. Cut each layer into 8 wedges.
- Pipe frosting on top and sides of cake wedges to resemble candy corn. Using a medium star tip, pipe white frosting on the small end of each cake, yellow frosting on center, and orange on wide end.