Scaring up a good time

Ghoulish guests will howl for more of these Halloween treats

Fish Eye Punch gets its creep factor from cooked tapioca pearls and gummy candies.
Fish Eye Punch gets its creep factor from cooked tapioca pearls and gummy candies.

— When it comes to food-filled holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving may get all of the attention but Halloween is by far the most fun.

When else can you get away with (and praised for) creeping out friends and family by serving devilish concoctions that incite the heebie-jeebies?

We’re not suggesting Halloween become a gross-out fest, but a little gore (courtesy of tinted corn syrup, cookie cutters and poppy seeds) can be just the trick for creating ghoulishly good treats on Allhallows Eve.

These chocolate cupcakes are cuter than they are creepy, courtesy of smiling Jack Skellington of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Jack Skellington Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

21/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

Pinch salt

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring

3/4 cup butter, softened

11/2 cups granulated sugar

Frosting:

11/2 cups butter, softened

4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For decorating:

Toothpicks

Tube of black icing

Adjust oven racks to upper middle and lower middle positions.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring together.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and beat in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat. Then beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake cupcakes, rotating pans halfway through, 15 to 20 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

With an electric mixer on high, cream butter until smooth.

Gradually add confectioners’ sugar ( 1/2 cup at a time), mixing on medium speed and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition, increasing speed to high for 10 seconds after every two additions. Add vanilla and beat until smooth.

Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and beat at low speed to aerate before using.

To decorate:

Frost the cooled cupcakes.

For each cupcake, use the tip of a toothpick to lightly etch the outline of two large Jack Skellington eyes in the frosting.

Slowly pipe black decorator’s icing onto the etched lines and then fill in the inner circles. Use another toothpick to spread and smooth the icing.

Pipe on two short lines for a nose. Next, pipe a long line across the bottom of the cupcake for the mouth. For the finishing spooky touch, randomly top the mouth with a bunch of short icing stitches.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Cupcake and icing recipe from Kelly Brant, decorating instructions from Disney Family

Cooked tapioca pearls give this fizzy fruit punch just the right eew! factor without going over the top. For an adults only treat, skip the tapioca and add a bottle of vodka.

Fish Eye Punch

2 cups water 1/2 cup tapioca pearls 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 (64-ounce) bottle cranberry juice blend, chilled 1 (2-liter bottle) lemon-lime soda, chilled 1 (12-ounce) can frozen peach or orange juice concentrate, thawed but cold Light corn syrup tinted with red or green food color Gummy candies, such as worms, to garnish

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls and sugar, then return to a boil.

Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the tapioca mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerateuntil chilled.

Once the tapioca has chilled, in a large, clear punch bowl, combine the cranberry juice blend, soda, peach juice concentrate and tapioca mixture. Stir gently to combine. Dip the rim of each glass in the tinted corn syrup, then fill with punch.

Garnish with a gummy worm.

Makes about 20 servings.

Recipe adapted from The Associated Press

Bacon Cheese Log 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (1-ounce) package buttermilk ranch dressing

mix 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 4 green onions, chopped 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled OR 6 tablespoons real bacon bits or pieces Poppy seeds

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except poppy seeds and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Shape into a log, roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Coat with poppy seeds just before serving. Serve with crackers or flat bread (recipe follows).

These tortillalike flat breads can be seasoned to taste andwhen cut with cookie cutters into creepy shapes (bats, tombstones or witches) make an ideal base for dips and cheese logs, or for munching on their own.

Flat Bread

11/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed 1/4 teaspoon salt 11/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus

more for brushing 1/2 cup water Desired seasonings such as coarse salt and ground black pepper, sesame seeds or chili powder

In a large bowl stir the flour and salt. Drizzle in olive oil and mix using a pastry cutter until blended. Drizzle in water and continue blending until mixture forms a soft dough. Dough should be moist but not sticky.

With lightly floured hands, knead dough until smooth.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Brush top of dough with a little olive oil or water and sprinkle with desired seasoning.

Using a cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes.

Heat a large, dry skillet over medium heat. Cook flat breads 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly golden brown and slightly crisp.

Food, Pages 34 on 10/27/2010

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