Tricks & Treats

For the Halloween soiree shoot, I kept the food and drinks fairly simple and sophisticated with a touch of fun since this still is a very whimsical Holiday. Check out these "Spooktacular" recipes below!

Bring out your inner mad scientist and serve your cocktails in beakers and flasks like I did for the Sanguine Sangria. This blood red beverage can be the perfect addition to any party, you can just change the name up a little bit.

SANGUINE SANGRIA

1 bottle of Merlot
4 cups cranberry juice
1/4 cup Cointreau
2-4 cups fresh cherries
2 cups sparkling water
2 cups ice, if desired

Pour the merlot in a pitcher, add the cranberry juice, Cointreau and the cherries, stir well. Put the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove the mixture from the fridge and add the sparkling water. Stir well. Add ice if desired and serve

The "Poison Apples are an eerie version of a regular 'ole candy apple. The "spooky looking sticks" help to create the illusion of the apples being "poisoned" and like they came straight from the evil queen herself.

"Poison" Apples

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
few drops black gel food coloring
5-6 Granny Smith apples (make sure your apples are fresh and haven't been waxed)
5-6 sturdy, but spooky looking sticks

Grease a piece of baking paper and place on a tray/baking sheet. Insert sticks in all the apples and set aside. In a medium pot, combine the sugar, water, corn syrup, and food coloring and stir over the medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and mixture feels smooth. When the sugar had dissolved, turn the heat up and continuously scrape the sides down with a silicone spatula to prevent crystals from forming. Allow the caramel to boil until it reaches the hard crack stage (310°F on a candy thermometer). Carefully dip the apples into the hot candy mixture and place on the baking paper to set and cool for approximately an hour before serving.

I originally chose the Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Cookies recipe since their final color went along with the overall theme and color palette. I am so glad I did because not only were they quite simple to make they were extremely delicious!

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Cookies

3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
mini size simple caramel milky way bars
Maldon's sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix until well incorporated and thick. Make balls of cook dough about 2 tbsp in size. Break balls of dough in half, add candy bar to the middle, then press dough halves back together and seal edges. Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt flakes (regular sea salt is totally fine, too.) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Center might look a little undercooked, but edges should be done. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove from cooling rack to cool completely.

The Nutter Mummy Cookies are another way to bring in a little bit of whimsy without going over the top. These cookies are super easy and you can let your kids help out on the fun! Since they are topped with messy, squiggly lines of white chocolate, it really doesn’t matter how they look, I think the messier, the better.

Nutter Mummy Cookies

Nutter Butter Cookies
white chocolate candy melts
candy eyes

Melt candy melts according to the package directions in a medium glass bowl. Dip Nutter Butters in and shake off excess white chocolate. Place on wax paper and attach eyes. Repeat with remaining Nutter Butters. Allow to set up. Reheat leftover candy melts and pour into small Ziplock bag. Cut a tiny hole at the edge of the bag. Drizzle white chocolate onto Nutter Butters to make a mummy.