Strawberry Brownie Ghost Bites

This idea just popped into my head – I love when that happens, because sometimes I ’m creatively challenged.  This would be a perfect Halloween dessert to take to school for the kiddos.  Only, I would probably use a pretzel stick as a skewer in that case (see below!).

See, just as cute – and the pretzel probably won’t be used as a pretend weapon (mom’s out there – you know what I’m talking about!).  Let’s get started!

This is as close to a “tutorial” as I’ll probably ever get.  Time is never on my side!

1. Bake (or buy) brownie bites, and let them cool.  Wash strawberries, cut off tops, and pat dry.  Set aside.  Microwave 1 bag of white chocolate chips (I used Nestle) in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute.  Take out and stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted.

2. Top the cooled brownie bite with some melted white chocolate chips and spread around (this is to create a barrier between the strawberry and the brownie).

3. Top with a strawberry and a skewer (if you prefer this look).  Otherwise, just top with the strawberry and then spoon melted chocolate on top of it using a circular motion.  Then place a skewer, or pretzel rod, through the top and refrigerate until set – about 5 minutes.

4. Decorate the “ghost” face with food writing marker.  Tada!  Serve the same day you make them – if possible.

*One final note, my daughter informed me that the chocolate was sticking to the wrapper.  So for those of you serving these straight out of the refrigerator, try not to get the chocolate on the wrapper!

Linking to Chef In Training Talent Show, Inside BruCrew Life: Trick or Treat Tuesday, Crazy for Crust, Lil’ Luna, Tidy Mom, Design Dazzle

Halloween Cat Cupcakes

Happy Halloween – well, almost anyway!

Today I went up to school to celebrate Halloween with the kids, and these were the cupcakes I brought for my daughter’s class.  I used the Sugar Sparkle Black Cats from a previous post by making them into picks.

To make the edible “picks” I just “glued” a pretzel stick with melted chocolate to the back of the black cat, and I let them dry overnight.

*I set mine on parchment to dry – which made peeling them off a breeze!

The edible cats were a huge hit with the kids!

Linking to Tidy Mom, I Heart Nap Time

Crazy Halloween Spiders

My kids are off on Fall break, so we decided it would be fun to make some Halloween treats.  These were a top pick, and they were super easy to put together – the most time-consuming part was waiting for them to dry.

With that said, please read the post completely before embarking on this adventure, as I found that using pretzel sticks for the legs is easier if you have to transport these guys anywhere (such as a school party or your dining room table).

These would also be really fun to make at a Halloween party - they’re completely edible so it’s (potentially) one less thing to carry home!

Crazy Halloween Spiders Adapted from Gooseberry Patch Halloween

1 box of chocolate covered marshmallow cookies

Black licorice (I’ll buy the chocolate or red licorice next time, since my kids aren’t big fans of the black licorice)

Royal icing eyes (I found some at my local Walmart in the cake decorating section)

Royal icing or cookie decorating icing

Cut each licorice stick into 4 pieces for the legs.

Turn the cookie upside down (gently, so it doesn’t get smooshed) and place a thick dollop of icing in the middle of the cookie.  Then carefully push the licorice legs into the icing.  Let sit overnight, if possible, or until dry.

Then, gently turn the spider over (right-side up) and place a dot of icing on the back of each eye and place them on the cookie.   Let the spiders dry overnight, or until set.  Enjoy!

*Even after an overnight drying – the legs were still quite fragile.  Translation: The legs are too heavy, and it’s hard for the icing to do the work of denture adhesive.

I made the spider below. . .with pretzel sticks gouged into the sides.  It worked pretty well, actually.  My kids say it’s much cuter (“and more delicious”) than the one above, and it’s infinitely less frustrating and tempermental!

Linking to I Heart Nap Time, Crazy for Crust, Lady Behind The Curtain, Tidy Mom, Itsy Bitsy Paper

Shrunken Apple Head

My daughter needed to make a “creature” out of an apple for a school assignment.  So we all tossed around ideas at the table, until I jumped up and announced that we were making something that had a shrunken head (because I’d always wanted to try it, but just couldn’t bring myself to waste a perfectly good apple).

Shrunken Apple Head  from Marthastewart.com

1 cup of lemon juice (I used the bottle kind)

1 Tablespoon of salt

Combine in a small (deep) bowl and set aside – I used a small plastic container.

Peel the apple and then have your husband cut deep facial features with a paring knife (so they’ll sink when the apple shrivels up).

Then put the apple into the solution to “cure” for 30 seconds – rolling it around.  Pat dry with a paper towel and set on a paper plate (out of the way) to dry for 8 days.

Then you can simply put a bamboo skewer through it and litter your yard (or someone else’s) with shrunken heads, or make an old witch (like we did).

This apple head is mounted on a bamboo skewer with yarn “hair” glued to the top of the skewer.  The top of the hat was made with construction paper in the shape of a cone and a circle with a hole cut out for the brim.  The dress was another construction paper cone taped.

Ice Cream Orange Pumpkin

The hardest part about this project, was getting the picture taken before the ice cream started to melt!  They’re really quite simple, and the kids love them.

Chocolate Ice Cream “Pumpkin” Adapted from The Children’s Party Handbook

6 navel oranges

3 pints of chocolate ice cream

2 Creme-filled Pirouette Cookies (I used Chocolate Hazelnut)

Cut the top off of the orange, then cut a small circle out of the center, and place about 1-inch (length) of a pirouette cookie in the top for the stem.  Set aside.

Using a paring knife, cut the inside out of the orange.  I did this by cutting between the fruit and the pith, and then scooping out the orange segments with a grapefruit spoon (the serrated sides really helped).

Then I scraped out the orange until most of the juice was gone, and then cut out the face with the paring knife.

Scoop ice cream into the orange “pumpkin” and place the top on and serve!

Linking to Tidy Mom, I Heart Nap Time

S’more Ghost Marshmallows

Now that Halloween is right around the corner, these guys are the perfect treat to make with your kids and send to their school parties.  They’re completely edible, so you won’t have to pick up skewers (or worry about the kids poking each other with them!).

All you need are some edible markers – they’re sold everywhere these days.  I’ve even seen them at Walmart in the cake decorating aisle.

I used the bold Wilton markers for this project (in black).  I have a set of the Americolor markers that I generally save for my “fancier” projects (since they’re not sold in my local store, and I have to purchase them online).

To get the recipe for the marshmallows click here.

This would also be a fun party activity (if you have a chocolate warmer or a microwave nearby).  You could set up a marshmallow bar, complete with toppings to dip them in and edible markers to make individual faces.  Messy, but fun!

Linking to I Heart Nap Time, One Artsy Mama, Tidy Mom, Crazy for Crust, Design Dazzle

Inspired by Yum! Magazine for kids

BOO! Chocolate Covered Cookies

I know, I know. . .it’s not Halloween yet!  But I wanted to put this out there so you had plenty of time to order your molds from Spinningleaf.  And just so you know, I’m not being compensated – they don’t even know I exist.

Moving on, I chose the Ghost mold because it’s super-cute, and I only needed dark chocolate and white chocolate – no additional coloring or colors to buy. . .woohoo!

If you make these for a school party you might want to buy 2 molds to speed up the process, and I would plan on 1, possibly 2, cookies per kid – they’re pretty big.  Let’s get to it!

Chocolate Ghosts Adapted from Spinningleaf.com

Makes 6

1 Ghost mold

Approximately 1 (1 pound bag) of white candy melts

Approximately 1/4 of a pound of chocolate candy melts

1 package of chocoalte sandwich cookies, or another cookie of the same size

Now, head on over to get the directions here.  And don’t worry if the cookie shows through a little - Ghosts are transparent!!!

Linking to I Heart Nap Time