October is around the corner, kids. Right around the corner. Practically peeking out at us. And because fall is my favorite season and because I’m a nut for all things Halloween, I thought I’d share a few things on my ‘to do’ list this year.
A new twist on candied apples from Parents Magazine 2010
How cute are these? Taken from the pages of Parents Magazine in 2010, My Baby shared this with me. I’ve been dying to make them all year. All I need is a basket of apples, a bag of candies and a weekend with the grandkids. That little green apple guy with the marshmallow top hat just knocks my socks off.
Dracula Mice? Oh yeah. I'm in!
We found these little guys at a Christmas Market in Ludwigsburg, Germany last year. The pear mice are adorable, but those vampire mice? They would be perfect for Halloween. They’re made with fresh apples or pears, chocolate coating, royal frosting and M&Ms. I’d skip the sticks and add licorice tails.
These are the most delicious spiders you'll ever eat.
I love these brownie spiders. They are a snap to make and they are oh so delicious. Using your favorite brownie recipe or mix, bake the brownies as directed. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Using a round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 6-8 spider bodies. Using a spoon, remove a scoop of brownie from the pan and roll it in the palm of your hand to form a small ball for the head. Grab some M&Ms for the eyes and a tube of black Wilton sparkle gel from the cake decorating section of your grocery store. To serve, I like to paint a spider web on each plate with black sparkle gel. Place the round body section just off center in the middle of the plate. Place the head right next to the body. Using sparkle gel, put a small dab on the back of each M&M and stick them to the spider’s face. Finish with a dot of sparkle gel in the center of each eyeball. Top with a scoop of ice cream and your favorite sauce.
What would Halloween be without a few creepy treats?
This is another easy one. Just melt white chocolate candy coating and pour it into a plastic zip bag. Snip one corner of the bag off and pipe onto pretzels. Place an M&M in the center of each and allow them to cool until hardened. Using a small tube of red decorating gel (Wilton has a line found in most grocery stores), pipe onto eyeballs so that some are blood-shot. A small dot of black decorating gel finishes the look. Allow the gel to dry to the touch without your finger sticking to it, then you can bag them and tie them with a ribbon for gifts.
I want my Mummy!
I love these little guys. If you’re a multi-tasker, you can whip out a batch of these while you’re making your blood-shot eyeballs. All you need is a package of the large rod pretzels, a bag or two of white chocolate candy coating, and black decorating gel. Simply melt the candy coating and pour it into a deep container like a quart mason jar or a heavy drinking glass. Dip each pretzel rod into the melted candy coating, allowing the excess to drip off. Place them onto a sheet of waxed paper. Allow them to cool until they are firm to the touch. Melt more of the white chocolate candy coating and pour it into a plastic zip bag. Cut off the tip, and moving from side to side horizontally pipe the “stripes” onto the mummies to give them that ‘bandaged’ look. You don’t need to be perfect here. Having some a little off kilter adds to the fun. Once they’ve started to firm up again, lift each pretzel by the uncoated end and use a butter knife to scrape off any candy coating ‘strings’ from the sides. Eyes and mouths are created with black decorating gel. These little mummies look great when you stand them up in a container. Tip: put a cup of raw rice in the bottom of your container and they’ll stand upright. These make a great centerpiece for a Halloween party.
Who could resist these adorable Halloween treats?
Who says adults can’t play with their food? Not me. Not ever. And October is the perfect time to do it with enthusiasm. Care to join me?
Inside NanaBread's Head 