Halloween parties always include lots of treats!  There are no tricks to treats other than spending the time to make them.  With love and patience, all of your hard work should pay off with a fantastic table of delicious treats.

Halloween Cookies

Classic Halloween Cookies Roll out the dough, 1/4 inch thick, on a lightly floured surface and use Halloween cookie cutters to cut out spooky shapes.  Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, brushing them with a mixture of beaten egg yoke and water to glaze. Pop them into the oven at 325 degrees for fifteen minutes or when the edges begin to brown.

Cookie Ingredients:
 1 1/4 cups of butter (no substitutes)
 1 cup sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 2 eggs
 4 cups all purpose flour

Glaze Ingredients:
 1 beaten egg yoke
 1 tablespoon water

Beat the butter in a mixing bowl with the mixer set to medium for about half a minute. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Next, beat in the eggs. Then keep beating as you add flour and when it gets thick, remove from the mixer and beat with a wooden spoon, adding the rest of the flour. If necessary, knead the dough until smooth.  Divide in half, cover and chill for about 1 to 2 hours when it is easy to handle. 

Caramel Apples

Caramel Apples have been a Halloween favorite for many years.  They are just so sweet and tasty on the outside and just healthy fruit on the inside.

Ingredients:
 6 apples
 1 package of caramels (about 14 ounces)
 2 tablespoons milk

Remove the apple stems from all of the six apple and press a craft stick into the top.  Butter or cooking spray a baking sheet.   Place the unwrapped caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring at least once. Allow to cool briefly and then roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on the prepared baking sheet to set.

Witch Finger Cookies

Witches Finger Cookies are a special treat that will cast a witchy spell on your Halloween celebration.  So get in touch with your inner witch and mix up a batch for your next Halloween party. Not only are they a delicious treat but they are a great decoration for any Halloween table!  Kids will have a spooky good time making witches finger cookies!

Ingredients:
 1 cup softened butter
 1 cup sugar
 1 egg
 1 teaspoon almond extract
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 2 3/4 cups flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon salt
 3/4 cup almonds, sliced
 Red decorator gel
 Green food coloring

Beat the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla in a bowl.  Slowly mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of ingredients. Add some green food coloring and mix until you're satisfied with the color.  Cover the dough and then refrigerate for about thirty minutes to an hour. The dough for your witches fingers should be easier to work with once it’s cooled.

Use about a spoonful of dough to create the shape of a finger.  Roll the dough into a thin finger shape so when the cookies when they bake and puff-up, they won’t be too thick.  Press gently into the sides and indent the cookie just above and below the knuckle.  Create 2 or 3 grooves on the knuckles using a table knife so your witches fingers will look like they have wrinkles.  Finish off your fingers with almond fingernail.  Place your witch finger cookies on a lightly greased cooking sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.  Cookies should cool for 5 to 10 minutes after baking.

Lift up the almond fingernails and squeeze the red gel into the space underneath.  This creates a bloody witches fingers!

Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies are a tasty autumn treat that are delicious with a glass of milk as well as a cup of coffee or tea.  Sometimes they are great topped off with a nut or maybe a sugary glaze.

Ingredients:
 2 1/2 cup four
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 1/2 cup sugar
 1/2 cup butter (softened)
 1 cup Libbys 100% pure pumpkin
 1 large egg
 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.  In another larger bowl, mix sugar and butter until well mixed.  Add in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture from the first bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare greased baking sheets.  Drop spoonfuls onto the baking sheets.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until edges are firm.  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes and then place them on a wire rack to completely cool.

Once cooled, top with an almond or drizzle with yummy glaze.  To make a glaze, combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth

Popcorn Balls

Popcorn Balls are an old fashioned Halloween treat that bring back great memories of when we were young. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup margarine
2 teaspoons cold water
2 5/8 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup marshmallows
5 quarts plain popped popcorn

Combine the corn syrup, margarine, cold water, marshmallows and confectioners' sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir and heat the mixture until it comes to a boil. Carefully combine the hot mixture with the popcorn, in a very large heat resistant bowl.  Combine with a large wooden spoon, coating each kernel evenly with the hot mixture.

Grease your hands with vegetable shortening and quickly shape the coated popcorn into balls before it completely cools. Wrap the popcorn balls in a heat safe colorful cellophane or wax paper wrap and store at room temperature.

Grave Brownies

Grave Brownies with Headstone Cookies are super cool looking and will spooky-up any Halloween treat table!  Just get a box of your favorite brownie mix from the store and some colorful icing in a tube to make the graves.  Trim with bright orange pumpkin candies for additional fun.

Use the “Classic Halloween Cookie” recipe from above to make the headstones and decorate them with traditional quotes like RIP or other favorite sayings.

Another option is to make longer brownies in the shape of a coffin and just exclude the headstone cookies.  Decorate the coffins with spooky art and serve on a plate.

Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween Cupcakes can be decorated in hundreds of spooky fashions.  Use orange and black sprinkles, place spiders on top, put plastic Halloween decorations on top and so many other ways.  Just get in touch with your inner ghostly ideas.

Get a box of your favorite cupcake mix and follow their baking instructions.  Feel free to get paper cooking cupcake liners that are decorated with Halloween motifs or bright shiny orange ones. 

Be careful not to fill the batter too high and make it easy on yourself and purchase the store bought icings.   Remember to be scary!