Halloween Recipes

Jack-O-Lantern Brownies

3/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
Orange paste food coloring
Green and black decorating gel
Candy corn and milk chocolate M&M's, optional

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture.

Line a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Run a knife around edge of pan. Invert brownies onto a work surface and remove waxed paper. Cut brownies with a 3-in. pumpkin cookie cutter, leaving at least 1/8 in. between each shape. (Discard scraps or save for another use.)

Tint frosting with orange food coloring; frost brownies. Use green gel to create the pumpkin stems and black gel and candy corn and M&M's to decorate the faces if desired. Makes about 1 dozen.

Tombstone Treats

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
7-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 tube (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
32 wooden toothpicks
1 teaspoon water
4 drops green food coloring
1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
Black decorating gel
Vanilla frosting
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Candy pumpkins

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in marshmallows until completely melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in cereal until well coated. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. pan with a buttered spatula. Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cookie dough and flour until combined. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Trace tombstone pattern onto waxed paper; cut out 16 tombstones from dough. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Along bottom edge of each cookie, insert two toothpicks halfway into the dough. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine water and green food coloring. Add coconut; seal bag and shake to coat. Toast coconut; set aside. Using black gel, tint frosting gray. Frost sugar cookies; decorate with black gel.

Cut cereal bars into 3-in. x 2-in. rectangles; spread with melted chocolate. Using toothpicks, insert cookies into cereal bars. Decorate with coconut and candies as desired. Makes 16 servings.

Worms for Brains

8 to 10 medium sweet orange peppers
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce

Cut tops off peppers and set aside; remove seeds and membranes. Cut a jack-o'-lantern face on one side of each pepper; set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Drain spaghetti and add to beef. Stir in spaghetti sauce; heat through. Spoon into peppers; replace tops. Makes 8-10 servings.

Cauldron Dip

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 slice soft dark rye bread
1 each medium sweet red, yellow and orange pepper, julienned
10 pretzel rods, broken in half

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, parsley, sugar, onion powder, garlic salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Flatten bread with a rolling pin. Press over an inverted greased 10-oz. custard cup. Top with another 10-oz. custard cup. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 7 minutes. Carefully remove top dish. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until bread is lightly toasted. Immediately remove the bread from dish. Cool. Fill bread bowl with dip. Arrange peppers and pretzels under and around bowl. Makes 1 cup.

Eyeball Cookies

5 squares (1 ounce each) white baking chocolate, divided
20 to 25 vanilla wafers
Blue paste food coloring
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Red paste food coloring

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 4 squares white chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip vanilla wafers in melted chocolate. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until set.

Melt remaining white chocolate; tint blue. Spread a small amount onto the center of each cookie; place a chocolate chip in the center. For bloodshot eyes, use a toothpick dipped in red food coloring to draw lines from blue circles to outer edges of wafers. Chill until set. Store in an airtight container. Makes 20-25 servings.

Jack Lantern Pops

1 package (10-1/2 ounces) miniature marshmallows
3 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
Red and yellow gel food coloring
6 cups crisp rice cereal
6 Popsicle sticks
3 miniature Tootsie Rolls, cut in half widthwise
3 miniature green apple Air Head candies, cut lengthwise into thin strips
Black decorating gel

In a large saucepan, combine the marshmallows, butter and salt. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; tint orange with red and yellow food coloring. Stir in cereal.

With buttered hands, shape mixture into six balls. Insert a Popsicle stick into each ball. Press half of a Tootsie Roll into the top of each for stem. Roll Air Head strips between hands to form vines; press into each pumpkin near stem. Make jack-o'-lantern faces with decorating gel. Makes 6 servings.

Flying Broomstick Cats

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup water
3/4 cup orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup lemonade concentrate
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar
5 medium firm bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices and quartered
1 can (12 ounces) diet ginger ale
24 maraschino cherries or fresh strawberries

Trace three images of the cat pattern onto waxed paper; place on a baking sheet. Place another sheet of waxed paper over the top and secure both to baking sheet with tape. Repeat all steps.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 2 oz. of candy coating; stir until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #3 round pastry tip. Fill bag with melted chocolate. Pipe outlines of three cats and fill in centers.

Place a pretzel stick at bottom of each cat for broomstick. With sprinkles, add eye and collar on each cat. Melt 2 oz. of additional candy coating; repeat for remaining cats.

Melt remaining candy coating. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert #3 round pastry tip. Fill bag with melted chocolate. Pipe a small amount of chocolate on one end of each pretzel stick; attach potato sticks to form broom bristles.

Melt vanilla chips; stir until smooth. Place in a pastry bag with a #3 round tip. Pipe lines where broomsticks and bristles meet. Makes 6 servings.

Goblin Eyeballs

12 eggs
Red food coloring
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
12 large pimiento-stuffed olives, halved widthwise

Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 in. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Place in ice water until completely cooled. Gently crack eggs (do not peel).

Fill a large bowl with hot water; add food coloring to tint water a dark red. Add eggs, making sure they are completely covered by water; let stand for 30 minutes. Remove eggs from water; peel (eggs should have a veined appearance).

Cut eggs in half widthwise; place yolks in a large bowl. Set whites aside. Mash yolks with a fork; stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.

To make eggs stand better on serving plate, slice a small piece from the bottom of egg white halves. Stuff with yolk mixture. Place an olive half in the center of each to resemble an eyeball. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 2 dozen.

Witch's Caviar

2 cans (4-1/4 ounces each) chopped ripe olives, undrained
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies, undrained
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 dash seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with tortilla chips. YMakes 4 cups.

Magic Potion Punch

2 packages (3 ounces each) lime gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
3 cups cold water
1 quart non-carbonated lemon-lime drink, chilled
1-1/2 quarts lemon-lime soda, chilled

Dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water; add cold water. Transfer to a punch bowl. Stir in lemon-lime drink and soda. Makes about 4 quarts.

Black Widow Bites

Black shoestring licorice
12 grape Jujubes
1 cup vanilla or white chips
24 red nonpareils
12 chocolate wafers

Cut licorice into 96 pieces, about 1/2 in. long. Using a toothpick, poke one licorice piece about 1/8 in. into a candy. Repeat seven times to make eight spider legs. Repeat with remaining licorice pieces and candy.

Melt chips in a microwave or heavy saucepan; stir until smooth. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe two small dots on one candy and immediately place one nonpareil on each dot to create eyes. Repeat with remaining candies.

Pipe a web on each chocolate wafer. Pipe a dot of melted vanilla chips onto the bottom of the spider and attach to wafer. Makes 1 dozen.

Chocolate Spiders

8 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Black or red shoestring licorice
24 small round candy-coated milk chocolate balls (such as Hersheys or Sixlets)

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate for 1-1/2 minutes at 50% power, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until melted; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in marshmallows. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet.

Cut licorice into 2-in. pieces; press eight pieces into each mound for legs. Press two chocolate balls into each for eyes. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Candy Corn Chocolate Cakes

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting

Beat first 6 ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in buttermilk. Stir together 1 cup hot water and baking soda; stir into batter. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Freeze layers 30 minutes. Cut each layer into 8 wedges.

Pipe frosting on top and sides of cake wedges to resemble candy corn. Using a medium star tip, pipe white frosting on the small end of each cake, yellow frosting on center, and orange on wide end. Makes 16 servings

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (2-pound) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Orange paste food coloring
Yellow paste food coloring

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add milk, beating until spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla. Stir orange food coloring into 1 1/2 cups frosting. Stir yellow food coloring into 1 1/4 cups frosting. Makes 3 1/2 cups

Pumpkin Dip

3/4 cup (6 ounces) cream cheese
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
24 apple slices

Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add syrup and cinnamon, and beat until smooth. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Serve with apple. Makes 12 servings

Harvest Moon Lollipops

Materials:
12 (10- to 12-inch-long) lollipop sticks
1 (24-ounce) package Chocolate Flavor MoonPies
1 (14-ounce) package orange candy melts
1 zip-top plastic bag
Scissors
Wax paper
Halloween candies
Halloween sugar cake decorations
Decorator icing
Ribbon (optional)

Step 1: Insert 1 lollipop stick 2 to 3 inches into marshmallow center of MoonPie.

Step 2: Microwave candy melts in a glass bowl at medium (50% power) 1 minute or until melted, stirring once; spoon into plastic bag, and seal.

Step 3: Snip a small hole in 1 corner of the bag; pipe melted candy around where stick meets MoonPie to secure. Lay flat on wax paper, and let stand until firm.

Step 4: Pipe fun border of melted candy around edges. Attach candies and/or cake decorations with decorator icing. Tie ribbons around tops of sticks, if desired. Makes 1 dozen

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Place shortening in a large mixing bowl; beat with a heavy-duty mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat until well blended.

Turn dough out onto wax paper; shape into a 6-inch log. Wrap log in wax paper. Freeze 2 hours or until very firm.

Cut log into 24 (1/4-inch) slices, and place slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Combine powdered sugar and milk in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Spoon into a small zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Working with 1 cookie at a time, pipe 3 concentric circles onto each cookie. Starting at center circle, pull a wooden pick through other circles at regular intervals to create a "web." Makes 2 dozen cookies

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling

3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in half the flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in milk just until blended. Add remaining flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Spoon batter equally into 16 muffin cups (1/3-cup capacity; cups should be almost full) lined with paper baking cups.

Bake in a 350º regular or convection oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed in the center or a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans on racks for 5 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans and set on racks to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

With a small, sharp knife, cut a cylinder about 3/4 inch wide and 1 inch deep from the center of the top of each cupcake. Trim off and discard about 1/2 inch from bottom of each cylinder. With a knife, hollow out a small cavity inside each cupcake.

Spoon marshmallow cream into pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Twist end of bag tightly to secure. Place tip in cavity of one cupcake; without moving tip, squeeze filling into cavity, to 1/4 inch from top. Repeat to fill remaining cupcakes. Insert cake cylinders into holes.

Spoon chocolate cream cheese frosting into another pastry bag, fitted with a 3/4-inch star tip, and pipe onto tops of cupcakes, or spread on cupcakes with knife. Makes 16 cupcakes

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

In a bowl, with a mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. In another bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Beat into cream cheese mixture until frosting is smooth.

Owl Cookies

1 1/3 cups butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing (recipe follows)
Candy corn
Miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° (325° if using convection heat). In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until blended, then beat on high speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; beat on low speed until combined, then on medium speed until well blended. Divide dough into three portions.

Place each portion between two sheets of floured plastic wrap. Roll dough evenly into flat rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Stack rounds on a baking sheet and chill until firm, at least 45 minutes, or up to 2 days.

Working with one portion of dough at a time (keep remaining chilled), peel off top sheet of plastic wrap. Set floured pattern (see notes) on dough and cut around edges. Or with floured round cookie cutters (3-in. diameter), cut out cookies, placing cutters as close together as possible. Transfer to cooking parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets, placing cookies about 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough rounds. Gather up scraps and press together into a ball. If dough is still cold, roll and cut out remaining cookies. If it's soft and sticky, repeat step 3.

Bake cookies until firm to touch and slightly darker brown around edges, 8 or 9 minutes; if baking more than one sheet at a time in one oven, switch positions halfway through baking. Slide parchment with cookies off sheets onto racks or counter to cool, then remove from parchment. Or cool on pans about 1 minute and then transfer to racks to cool completely. If not using cooking parchment, wipe off baking sheets after each batch. Cool sheets before filling with more cookies.

Spread icing over cookies and decorate with candies, using candy corn for a beak and chocolate chips for eyes. Let stand until icing is firm, about 5 minutes.

Icing: In a small bowl, stir together 2 cups powdered sugar and just enough milk (about 3 tablespoons) to make a spreadable icing. If desired, tint with food coloring. If icing thickens as it stands, stir in a few more drops of milk. Makes about 33 cookies

Dark Chocolate Graveyard Pots de Crème

14 ounces (about 3 cups) semisweet or bitter-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
Tombstone Cookies

In a food processor or blender, whirl chocolate until finely chopped. Pour into a bowl. Put eggs and yolks in the processor or blender. In a 4-cup glass measure, heat whipping cream in a microwave oven (see Notes) at full power (100%) until cream boils, 3 to 5 minutes.

With processor or blender on high speed, add boiling cream to egg. Check temperature of mixture with an instant-read thermometer; if below 160°, pour mixture back into glass measure and reheat in microwave oven at full power until it reaches 160°, stirring and checking at 15-second intervals.

Combine hot cream mixture, chopped chocolate, and liqueur in blender or processor (or whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl); whirl until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour chocolate mixture into 8 ramekins or glasses (1/2-cup size). Chill until softly set, 30 to 45 minutes. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day. For creamiest texture, let desserts stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before eating. Spoon 1 tbsp. wafer crumbs onto each pot de crème. Insert a Tombstone Cookie into each serving. Makes 8 servings

Tombstone Cookies

2 tablespoons cocoa (or cacao) nibs
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling cookies
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 400°. In a blender, whirl cocoa nibs until each is about the size of a grain of rice. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy; beat in egg and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa nibs; gradually add to butter mixture, blending thoroughly, to form a soft dough. Divide dough into thirds, cover each portion tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour), or up to 3 days.

On a floured board, roll out dough, a portion at a time, to a thickness of 1/8 in. (keep dough refrigerated when not in use). With a sharp knife, cut out free-form tombstone shapes (about 1 1/2 by 3 in.; cut bottom edges at an angle to make them easier to poke into the pots de crème), and place slightly apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake cookies until edges are lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool completely before handling.

Using a pastry bag with a very fine tip, pipe the letters "RIP" in chocolate on at least 8 of the cookies. Stick these cookies into the Dark Chocolate Graveyard Pots de Crème and serve the rest of the cookies alongside. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Apple Bobbing Punch

1 (32-ounce) bottle apple cider
1 (32-ounce) bottle cranberry juice drink
1 (16-ounce) jar whole crabapples, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale or lemon-lime soft drink, chilled

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Chill. Stir in ginger ale just before serving. Serve over ice. Makes 4 quarts

Monster Eyes

3 cups all-purpose baking mix
1 pound ground hot or mild pork sausage
1 (10-ounce) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
72 small pimiento-stuffed olives

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Shape sausage mixture into 1-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Press 1 olive deeply in the center of each ball. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 6 dozen

Bat Sandwiches

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) container chive-and-onion flavored cream cheese, softened
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
24 whole wheat or pumpernickel bread slices

Stir together first 4 ingredients. Using a 3- to 4-inch bat-shaped cutter, cut 2 bats from each bread slice. Spread about 2 tablespoons filling over 24 bats. Top with remaining 24 bats. Makes 24 sandwiches

Pumpkin Fudge

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares. Makes about 3 pounds

Rocky Road Fudge Pops

1 (1.4-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup chopped milk chocolate bar (2 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, divided

Combine pudding mix and sweetener in a large bowl. Gradually add milk and evaporated milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, and 1/4 cup peanuts.Sprinkle 3 tablespoons peanuts evenly among 12 plastic holders. Pour pudding mixture into holders, and add sticks. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Makes 12 servings

Cheese Pumpkins

8 tablespoons smoked Cheddar cold pack cheese food (from 8-oz container), well chilled
2 teaspoons finely chopped peanuts
4 butter-flavored pretzel spindles or sticks, broken in half
16 tiny pieces fresh parsley leaves

Line small serving plate with waxed paper. Roll each level tablespoon cold pack cheese food into a ball; place on waxed paper-lined serving plate. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes for easier handling.

With end of toothpick, draw ridges around balls to resemble pumpkins. Dip bottoms of cheese balls in chopped peanuts. Just before serving, insert pretzel halves into cheese balls for pumpkin stems. Decorate with parsley for leaves. Store in refrigerator. Makes 8 pumpkins