Graphic by Dani Ramirez
By Dani Ramirez
With Halloween just around the corner, what better way to celebrate than with some sweet treats? Out of all the holidays I bake for, Halloween is definitely my favorite! During the month of October, I like to watch “Halloween Baking Championship” and “Halloween Wars” on The Food Network because I always love seeing the super detailed, finished baked goods and the flavors they use sound delicious. I admire how the bakers are able to take something as sweet as cake and turn it into something scary. To continue spreading my love of baking to you all, here are two of my favorite spooky treats to make during the Halloween season. But, fear not! These recipes can be used all year round, no matter the season!
Graphic by Dani Ramirez
Halloween Sugar Cookies
This is one of the first recipes I ever baked and it has been reused the most for different occasions, holidays or on commission. What I like the most about sugar cookies is that you can easily change their flavor with different extracts, as well as easily manipulate the shapes with different cookie cutters or freehand with a knife.
Dani’s Tips!
• As always, do not hesitate to add more vanilla extract!
• When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, I recommend gradually adding the dry ingredients to ensure that they are completely mixed in.
• I find that chilling for more than two hours or overnight gives the dough enough time to firm up so that it holds its shape when using the cookie cutters.
• When rolling out the dough, I recommend applying flour to the rolling pin, so that the dough does not stick when rolling.
• I lean more towards ¼ inch thickness for the cookies because if it is too thin, the cookie may come out crispy. But if it is too thick, they will need more time in the oven. Make sure to constantly check in to make sure they do not overbake.
• Frosting a batch of cookies can sometimes take me up to four or five hours. I like to separate the process into different days. One day to make the dough, a second to bake the cookies and lastly, I take the time to decorate!
Graphic by Dani Ramirez
S’mores ghost cookies
I had made s’mores cookies before but never for Halloween. I would usually make them just for fun. This year, when looking for recipes and inspiration for this article, I had seen people use jumbo marshmallows as ghosts on top of their s’mores cookies. I thought this idea was really cute and wanted to recreate it for myself!
Dani’s Tips!
• You may use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar if you want your cookies to have a darker look. For example, if you were going to put bats on top instead of ghosts, the darker cookies would match the color of the bats more.
• I always gradually add dry mixtures to wet mixtures to ensure the flour does not go everywhere when you mix with an electric mixer.
• For this recipe, I turned the graham crackers into more of a crumble than chopped pieces, so they would be easier to chew.
• When mixing in the chocolate chips, I add a small amount to the dough and the rest to the top of the cookies before sticking them in the oven.
• When balling up the dough, make sure that none of the marshmallows come in contact with the pan. If they are in contact with the pan, they will melt and turn into a hard, chewy texture instead of soft and fluffy.
• If you want to eat a cookie the day after you bake it, I recommend putting it in the microwave for about 5 seconds to soften up the jumbo marshmallow.
Whether you’re baking for a Halloween party or simply looking for a sweet treat to enjoy at home, these spooky desserts are a fun way to get creative in the kitchen. There are endless amounts of designs you can make with sugar cookies and you can utilize the candy you get trick-or-treating to add more flavors to the s’mores cookies! Either way, let those creative juices flow and I hope you have a sweet and fun-filled Halloween!
