3 Recipes for Halloween at home
BY READERS DIGEST
28th Oct 2020 Recipes
These fun spooky snacks will make Halloween a fun fright night for all the family, even when you're stuck celebrating inside.
Kiss from a vampire cookies
Raspberry jam eerily oozes from our home economists’ soft butter cookies. One bite and you’ll have a hard time stopping.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Method:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-inch round cookie cutter.
- Place half of the circles on greased baking sheets. Place 1 teaspoon of jam in the centre of each circle; top with remaining circles and press edges lightly to seal. Use a toothpick to poke two small holes (resembling a vampire bite) in the top of each cookie.
- Bake at 170° for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set. (Jam will escape from tops of cookies as they bake.) Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Black-hearted candy apples
The glossy coating of these old-fashioned candy apples is hard, not soft like the more common caramel variety. It’s best to lick them like a lollipop. You can also cut into wedges with a sharp knife, but the candy coating may crack.
Ingredients:
4 medium red apples
4 Popsicle or decorative lollipop sticks 2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
Red food colouring
Black food colouring
4 Popsicle or decorative lollipop sticks 2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
Red food colouring
Black food colouring
Method:
- Wash and dry apples; remove stems. Insert Popsicle sticks into apples. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet; set aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 290° (soft-crack stage).
- Remove from the heat and pour into two small bowls; stir 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and red food colouring into one bowl. Stir black food colouring and the remaining cinnamon into other bowl.
- Working quickly, dip the apples into the hot sugar mixtures to completely coat. Place on prepared baking sheet; let stand until set. YIELD: 4 servings.
Pickled eggs
A classic. The fun colour becomes more intense the longer they marinate.
Ingredients:
- 1 can (15 ounces) whole beets, undrained
- 4 cups cider vinegar
- 12 hard-cooked eggs
- 8 pickled hot cherry peppers
- 6 pearl onions
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
- Drain beets, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Place in a large glass bowl; add the remaining ingredients.
- Cover; chill overnight. YIELD: 12 servings.
Read more: 9 Fabulous films about female friendship
Keep up with the top stories from Reader's Digest by subscribing to our weekly newsletter