Black Cat Cookies

Black Cat Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
24 wooden craft or Popsicle sticks
48 pieces candy corn
24 red-hot candies
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In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs adn vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the cream mixture. Roll dough into 1-1/2 in. balls. Place 3 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Insert a wooden stick into each cookie. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Pinch top of cooke to form ears. For whisers, press a fork twice into each cookie.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until cookeis are set. Remove from the oven; immediately press on candy corn for eyes and red-hot candies for noses. Remove to wire racks to cook.

Halloween Night Cookie Puzzle

Halloween Night Cookie Puzzle
1 tube (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Unblanched almonds
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 to 4 Tbsp. water
Assorted food coloring, decorating gels, sprinkles and candies
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In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie dough and flour. On a parchment paper-lined surface, roll dough into a 14-in x 11-in. rectangle. With Halloween cookie cutters, cut out puzzle shapes bud do not remove them. Slide a baking sheet under the parchment paper and dough. Chill for 5-10 minutes.

Remove shapes; place on an ungreased baking sheet. For handles, press the side of an almond into the center of each puzzle shape. Bake shapes at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are golden brown. While still warm, recut shapes with the same cookie cutters to form neat edges. (if cookies cool too quicly, return to oven until softened.) Remove to wire racks; cool.

Bake large rectangulr puzzle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 12-13 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately recut the shpaes inside the puzzle to form neat edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup and water until smooth. Tint frosting with food coloring as desired. Frost puzzle and shapes; decorate with decorating gel, sprinkles and candies as desired. Place puzzle shapes inside puzzle.

Dracula Cookies

Dracula Cookies
6 hazelnut truffles
5 oz. white candy coating, chopped
1 green or red Fruit Roll-Up
6 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 can (6.4 oz.) black decorating icing
6 slivered almonds, cut in half
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Place truffles on a waxed paper-lined pan. Freeze for 10 minutes or until chilled. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip truffles in coating to cover completely; return to pan. Refrigerate until hardened.

Cut Fruit Roll-Up into 2-1/2-in. x 1-1/2 in. strips. Reheat candy coating if necessary. Dip truffles in candy coating again; immediately place one on each cookie. Wrap a fruit strip around base of truffle for cape. Let stand until set.

Using decorating icing and a round tip, pipe hair, eyes and mouth on each. Insert almonds for fangs. Store in an airtight container.

Bone Crunching Meatballs

Bone Crunching Meatballs
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions (green part only)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1-1/2 tsp. grated lime peel
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Plum sauce
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Cut enough water chestnut slices in half to make 60 pieces; set aside. Save remaining water chestnuts slices for another use.

In a bowl, combine the next 10 ingredients. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Divide into 60 portions and shape each portion around a water chestnut piece.

In a large nonstick skillet, sauce meatballs in oil in batches for 5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain. Serve with plum sauce.

Chocolate Macaroon Critters

Chocolate Macaroon Critters
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 pkg. (14 oz.) flaked coconut
1-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup egg whites (about 6 eggs)
M&M's miniature baking bits
Red decorating frosting
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In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool. In a large bowl, beat the coconut, sugar and egg whites until combined. Beat in melted chocolate. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Drop by tablespoons 2 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until tops feel dry. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Using baking bits and frosting, create faces on cookies.

Blood 'n' Guts Dip and Pretzel Bones

Blood 'n' Guts Dip
2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 cup Dijon mustard
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In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, brown sugar, honey and water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. Stir in mustard. Refrigerate until serving.

Pretzel Bones
1/4 cup honey
2-1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 pkg. (15 oz.) pretzel sticks
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In a Dutch oven, melt honey and butter; stir in chili powder and onion powder. Add pretzels; toss to coat. Spread in a single layer in 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 5 minutes, stirring once. Cool in pans on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Frankenstein Cake

Frankenstein Cake
1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Moss green paste food coloring
1 can (16 oz.) chocolate frosting
1 Swiss cake roll or Ho Ho
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Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour into a greased and waxed paper-lined 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 1 in apart onto batter.

Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is firm when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make Frankenstein, cut a piece of cake from the head (about 10in. x 7-3/4 in) and neck (about 2-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in.). Cut two pieces for ears (about 2-3/4 in. x 1/2 in.). Save remaining cake for another use. Position head, neck and ears on a covered board.

Place 1/4 cup whipped topping in a small bowl; tint dark green with moss green food coloring. Cut a small hole in the corner of a small plastic bag; insert round pastry tip #3 and fill with tinted topping. Set aside.

Tint remaining whipped topping moss green. Frost face, neck and ears, building up areas for the forehead, nose and cheeks. With reserved dark green topping, pipe mouth, stitches on neck and forehead and eyes with pupils.

Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert pastry tip #233. Fill with chocolate frosting; pipe hair 1-1/4 in. from top of head to forehead and about 4 in. down sides of head. Cut cake roll in half widthwise; place on each side of neck for bolts. Store in the refrigerator.

Blood Shot Eyeballs

Bloodshot Eyeballs
2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 lb. white candy coating
24 brown Reese's pieces or milk chocolate M&M's
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red food coloring
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In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar, peanut butter and butter. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on a waxed paper-lined pan. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating and place on waxed paper. Immediately press a candy onto the top of each eyeball for pupil. Let stand for 30 minutes or until set.

In a small bowl, combine the water, food coloring and remaining confectioners' sugar. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe wavy lines downward from pupil, creating the look of bloodshot eyes. Store in an airtight container.

Magic Wands

Magic Wands
1-1/2 cups vanilla or white chips
1 pkg. (10 oz. pretzel rods)
Colored candy stars or sprinkles
Colored sugar or edible glitter
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In a microwave, melt chips; stir until smooth. Dip each pretzel rod halfway into melted chips; shake off excess.

Sprinkle with candy stars and colored sugar. Place on a wire rack for 15 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.

Creepy-Crawly Bugs

Creepy-Crawly Bugs
1 tube (11 oz. ) refrigerated breadsticks
8 smoked sausage links or hot dogs
1/2 to 3/4 cup potato sticks
Ketchup and/or prepared mustard
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Separate dough into strips. Unroll and cut eight strips in half width wise; set remaining strip aside. Cut sausages or hot dogs in half width wise. Wrap one piece of dough around each sausage, leaving the rounded end showing. Place seam side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Place reserved breadsticks on baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove bugs to a serving plate and cool 2 minutes.

Insert potato sticks into baked dough to resemble legs and entennae. Decorate with ketchup and/or mustard. Serve warm. Save breadsticks for another use.