Halloween Cream Cheese Brownie

INGREDIENTS

Filling

• 4 oz each cream cheese, softened (from 8 oz package)
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 drops red food color
• 4 drops yellow food color
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies

• 1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
• Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
2. Make brownie batter as directed on box. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through batter and filling in wide curves; turn pan and repeat, if desired.
3. Bake 40 to 44 minutes or until toothpick inserted 1 inch from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely at room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled. For brownies, cut with plastic knife into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Candy Corn Bark

INGREDIENTS

• 16 Halloween-colored chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups broken small pretzels
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 pounds white chocolate, broken into squares
• 2 cups candy corn
• orange and brown sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread the cookies, pretzels and raisins evenly onto a lightly greased small baking sheet. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few chunks, and stir until smooth. White chocolate burns easily.
2. Drizzle chocolate with a spoon over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly. Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Candy Corn Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 egg
• Orange paste food color
• 2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled

DIRECTIONS

1. Line 8x4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms.
2. On work surface, place 3/4 cup dough. Knead desired amount of food color into dough until color is uniform. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
3. Divide remaining dough in half. Gently press one half of remaining dough into pan on top of orange dough. On work surface, knead chocolate into remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over plain dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Refrigerate 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until firm.
4. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 wedges. On ungreased cookie sheet, place wedges 1 inch apart.
5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are very light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 box German chocolate cake mix (about 1 2/3 cups)
• 1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom and side of 9- or 8-inch round or square cake pan with baking spray with flour.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, zucchini, cinnamon, cloves, buttermilk, oil and egg with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Sprinkle evenly with nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Bake 9-inch pan 27 to 35 minutes, 8-inch pan 32 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Rocky Road Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the lower third. Grease or spray the top surface of the pan with nonstick spray and line the cups with paper liners.
2. In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt 1 1/4 cups of the chocolate chips with the butter, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. Remove the chocolate from the heat and let it cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together thoroughly.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is very pale and thick. Scrape the warm chocolate over the egg mixture and fold it in with a large rubber spatula. Sprinkle the flour into the bowl with half of the remaining chocolate chips and half of the walnuts. Fold just until the ingredients are blended. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups. Sprinkle the tops with marshmallows followed by the remaining walnuts and the remaining chocolate chips. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown.
4. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run the tip of a table knife around the top of each cupcake to detach any melted marshmallow or chocolate from the pan. Let the cupcakes cool until firm enough to remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate-Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

Bread

• 2 cups Banana Nut Cheerios® cereal
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Topping

• 1/2 cup Banana Nut Cheerios cereal

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place 2 cups cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag or between sheets of waxed paper; crush with rolling pin to make 3/4 cup. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat sugar and oil with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and egg just until blended; beat in bananas. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Stir in 3/4 cup crushed cereal and chocolate chips. Spoon and spread evenly in pan.
3. Place 1/2 cup cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag or between sheets of waxed paper; coarsely crush with rolling pin. Sprinkle over batter in pan; press lightly.
4. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

NOTE: Mini chips are used in this recipe because the larger ones can sink to the bottom.

Alfredo-Bacon Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box (1 lb) spaghetti
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 quart half-and-half
• 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
• 1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen sweet peas, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In 5-quart Dutch oven, cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package; set aside. In same Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Add cooked spaghetti, bacon, peas and 1 cup of the cheese; toss to coat spaghetti. Stir in egg. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. 4 Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until set and edges are bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley. Cut into squares to serve.
4. Vary this recipe by using your favorite frozen veggie or combination of veggies in place of the peas.
5. To quickly thaw peas, place in colander or strainer; rinse with warm water until thawed. Drain well.

Cayenne Fettuccine

Ingredients

• 12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
• 2 red bell peppers, julienned
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray cooking oil in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, garlic and cayenne pepper over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and broth; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
4. Toss hot pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.