Halloween is right around the corner! Here are some fun and tasty recipes for Halloween themed treats:
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche (igourmet.com)
Directions
- Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using an aspic cutter set, cut a triangle, point side up, in the center of half the cookies, and then use the half-moon cutter to make one "wing" on each side of the triangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top each uncut cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche and a cutout cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for pan
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/4 cup each orange, yellow, and brown candy-coated chocolates (from a 12.6-ounce bag)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking pan with butter; line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; stir just until moistened. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Arrange candies in 12 rows (2 rows per color, repeating once) on top of dough.
- Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. Using parchment overhang, lift cake from pan and transfer to a cutting board; cut into 16 squares.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- Orange nonpareils or sanding sugar, for decoration
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and applesauce, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until smooth (do not overmix).
- Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners sugar, beating until smooth.
- Spread bottom of half the cookies with 1 tablespoon filling each; sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently so filling oozes out slightly. Sprinkle exposed filling with nonpareils. Let rest 15 minutes to set.