Goblins

INGREDIENTS

6 cups Kix® cereal
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
12 drops green food color
24 orange circus peanut candies (from two 4-oz bags)
24 candy-coated chocolate candies
Red string licorice, cut into 24 (1-inch) pieces


DIRECTIONS

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. In large bowl, place cereal.
2. In 4-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows; stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food color. Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring until well coated.
3. For feet, place 2 peanut candies on cookie sheet. Spray inside of 1/2-cup measuring cup with cooking spray. For body, fill sprayed 1/2-cup measuring cup with warm cereal mixture; place over feet, releasing cereal mixture and covering back half of feet. Repeat with remaining peanut candies and cereal mixture to make 12 globlins. Immediately attach chocolate candies for eyes. Insert licorice for antenna.

Monsters

INGREDIENTS

8 thick pretzel rods
8 large marshmallows
Candy corn, miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits, string licorice, Bugles® corn snacks, gummy peach rings, fruit snacks, candy sprinkles, as desired
1 container (1 lb) vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting
Assorted food colors


DIRECTIONS

1. Gently push 1 pretzel into 1 flat side of each marshmallow; set aside. Plan and assemble decorations for each marshmallow.
2. In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave 1/2 cup frosting uncovered on High 10 to 20 seconds or until smooth and melted when stirred. Add 1 to 2 drops food color as desired--green for witches or Frankenstein, red for devils, yellow for pumpkins or cats.
3. Dip and decorate 1 marshmallow at a time. Hold pretzel, and dip marshmallow into frosting to coat all sides. Immediately add decorations to create features--candy corn for noses, baking bits for eyes, string licorice for whiskers. To make witch’s hat, push corn snack through center of peach ring. For devil’s or witch’s cape, use fruit snack cut in half crosswise at an angle; attach at base of marshmallow while frosting is soft. Set pretzels in drinking glass to dry before storing. Store in airtight container.

Pumpple Cake

The massive pumpple cake has apple and pumpkin pies baked into vanilla and
chocolate cake, respectively. One slice is 1,800 calories and can feed four people.

TODAYshow.com
updated 10/25/2010 11:39:51 AM ET 2010-10-25T15:39:51

Is it a cake or a pie? It’s both, and it’s 1,800 calories a slice. ‘Pumpple cake’ is a hybrid of pumpkin pie, apple pie and cake.

You’ve heard of turducken, now get ready for the dessert equivalent — the pumpple cake.

While the turducken, a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey, once seemed over-the-top, the pumpple cake is even more decadent. One Philadelphia bakery dreamed up this ultimate fall dessert: pumpkin and apple pies baked in chocolate and vanilla cake, fused together and surrounded by buttercream icing.

This oversize creation weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds and measures more than a foot tall. And at 1,800 calories a slice, it's not for the faint of heart.

The Flying Monkey, located in Philadelphia’s famous Reading Terminal Market, bakes this dessert-lover’s fantasy from scratch over the course of two days. It starts with the pies, which it par-bakes. The half-cooked pumpkin pie is dipped into chocolate cake batter and baked. The apple pie and vanilla cake get the same treatment and are baked on top of the chocolate cake. Its massive size means that it spends hours in the oven. Homemade buttercream is then — literally — the icing on the entire cake.

“We only opened about a month ago and started making the pumpple cake a week later,” said Elizabeth Halen, the owner of the Flying Monkey. “Now we are making the cake daily and selling out. I told friends about it through my Facebook page and Twitter feed and word has spread like wildfire from there.”

With their mouths full, they gushed over the massive sweet treat.

“That is obscene — that is delicious,” Gifford said.

One slice of this hybrid is enough to feed four and sells for $8, but if you are planning a large gathering or feeling extra-hungry, a whole cake can be ordered with 72 hours notice and sells for $75. If a whole cake is just too much for your family’s stomach, the Flying Monkey also makes a smaller version — the pumpplet.

Candy Corn Cake Bars

INGREDIENTS

Bars
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted, cooled slightly
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 drops yellow food color
3 drops red food color

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Decoration
1/3 cup candy corn (32 candies)


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil 2 inches on 2 opposite sides of pan; spray foil with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, beat melted 3/4 cup butter, the granulated sugar and orange peel with wooden spoon until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and baking powder just until mixed. Stir in yellow food color until well mixed. Spread 1 1/2 cups yellow batter in pan. Place pan in freezer about 15 minutes or until batter is slightly firm to the touch.
3. Meanwhile, add red food color to remaining cake batter in bowl until well mixed. Spread over chilled yellow batter.
4. Bake 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
5. In medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar until well blended. Beat in milk, vanilla and salt until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over bars. To serve, remove bars from pan, using foil to lift. Remove foil. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows; cut each square diagonally in half. Top each triangle with 1 candy corn.

Spider Oreos

INGREDIENTS

Black string licorice
20 orange creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 teaspoon chocolate ready-to-spread frosting (from 16-oz. container)
40 miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces


DIRECTIONS

1. For each cookie, cut eight 1 1/2-inch pieces of licorice for legs. Insert 4 pieces into each side of each cookie.
2. With frosting, attach 2 miniature chocolate pieces to top of each cookie for eyes. If desired, pipe a design with frosting on back of each spider cookie.

Ghost Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

3 cups baking mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons miniature chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups.
2. In large bowl, beat Bisquick mix, granulated sugar, brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, the pumpkin pie spice, milk, eggs and pumpkin with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter on low speed about 30 seconds or until well blended. Beat in vanilla and 2 cups of the powdered sugar on low speed about 30 seconds or just until mixed, then on high speed about 1 minute or until fluffy. Beat in remaining 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, on medium speed. If too soft to mound, add additional powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.
5. Spoon frosting into large resealable plastic food-storage bag; press out air and seal bag. Cut 1/2-inch tip from lower corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe about 2 tablespoons frosting into ghost-shaped mound on each cupcake. Press 2 chocolate chips, flat sides out, into frosting for eyes.
   

Halloween Chex Mix

INGREDIENTS

8 oz white chocolate baking bars, coarsely chopped
4 cups Corn Chex® or Rice Chex® cereal
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup candy corn
1/4 cup orange and black candy decors


DIRECTIONS

1. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chopped baking bars uncovered on High 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
2. Gently stir in cereal, pretzels and raisins until evenly coated. Stir in candy corn and decors.
3. Spread on waxed paper or foil until cool and chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Break into chunks. Store loosely covered.

General Conference Whoopie Pies

What did I do today while listening to General Conference?

Glad you asked...

Mmmmm


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Creme

Chocolate Whoopie with Peanut Butter

Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese

Halloween Pizza-Cookie

INGREDIENTS

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup candy corn
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup vanilla ready-to-spread frosting (from 1-lb can)


DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12-inch pizza pan with foil; grease foil with shortening. Cut cookie dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices; arrange in pan. With floured fingers, press slices to form crust.
2. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Use foil to lift crust from pan. Carefully remove foil from crust; place crust on serving platter or tray. Spread peanut butter over crust. Sprinkle candy corn and raisins evenly over top.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting on High 10 to 15 seconds or until thin and drizzling consistency. Drizzle frosting over cookie pizza. Cut into wedges or squares.