Vampire Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

2 cups cake flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins (you will need 18 cups total) with paper liners and set aside.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and blend, using the paddle attachment (You can use a hand mixer, too).
Cut butter into 4 or 5 chunks and drop into the bowl with the flour mixture.Blend on low speed until mixture looks sandy and no large chunks of butter remain, 1-2 minutes.
In a large measuring cup, combine eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat lightly with a fork until combined. With the mixer on low, pour 1 cup of the buttermilk mixture into the bowl. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed back to low and pour in the rest of the buttermilk mixture. Continue to beat at low speed for an additional 30 seconds, until liquid is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for a few more seconds, if necessary.
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins, filling 18 cups as equally as possible.
Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes are light golden and a toothpick inserted into their centers comes out clean. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed.
Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 18 cupcakes.

Filling
1 can cherry pie filling

Puree cherry pie filling – a syrupy mix of sugar and cherries, usually – in a food processor until fairly smooth. Very small pieces of cherries are ok.
Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.
Take the cherry filling and spoon about tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity, filling it almost to the top with filling. Top off with the flat circle of cake you just removed to seal the hole and hold the “blood” filling in place.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:
In large metal bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Set bowl over pan of barely simmering water
and mix with handheld electric mixer at low speed. Gradually increase speed to high, beating until mixture holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Transfer bowl from pan to folded kitchen towel on counter and continue beating until mixture is cool and billowy, about 2 minutes more. Beat
in vanilla. (Frosting can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered.)

Five Quick Recipe Ideas for Halloween Candy Corn

A handful or two of iconic candy corn turns “anytime” treats into festive, Halloween-themed delicacies – or even decorations!  Stir up these candy corn recipe ideas for your Halloween shindig.

• Mix a cup of candy corn into a batch of rice cereal marshmallow treats just before you spread the mixture in your prepared pan.
• Use them as jack-o’-lantern eyes and vampire fangs on freshly-frosted cupcakes. (Use thin licorice pieces to shape mouths).
• Prepare your favorite white chocolate bark recipe.  Press candy corn into the top of the bark before it hardens.
• Garnish the tops of pudding parfaits with a few pieces.
• Get out the glue gun and incorporate candy corn into non-edible decorations, too!  Add the candies to Halloween wreaths and napkin rings.

Apple Slice Dip

Ingredients:

• Apple Dip
• Package of Cream cheese
• bag of skor bits
• container of caramel dip
• several red and/or green apples. Great colours for x-mas too.

Preparation:

Beat package of cream cheese
spread as thin bottom layer on a plate
melt caramel dip to spread over cream cheese.
Put it in the fridge for a little while to haren the caramel a little bit, but not too much that skor bits don’t stick
Spread the skor bits over the caraml and voila

I usually put it in a glass pie plate and slice the apples and put them on top like a flower
 
 
At Halloween you should be able to get bags of apple/caramel suckers, which are very tasty!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

• 1  8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2  cup butter, softened
• 1/4  tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4  cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preparation:

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hrs.  Place cheeseball on plastic wrap, shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr. Just before serving roll ball in chopped pecans. Serve with graham crackers sticks or vanilla wafers.

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

• 1  7 oz jar of marshmallow cream
• 1  8 oz pkg cream cheese

Preparation:

Mix with mixer until smooth. Serve with sliced apples, grapes and fresh pineapple.

Witches Brew

Ingredients

• 1 (6-ounce) package lime gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 cups chilled pineapple juice
• 1 (2 liter) bottle chilled lemon-lime soft drink or ginger ale
• 2 cups chilled vodka, optional

Directions
Pour the gelatin mix into a large bowl. Slowly stir in the boiling water. Stir at least 2 minutes, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in the pineapple juice. Let cool to room temperature.

Pour the drink mixture into the punch bowl. Slowly add the chilled vodka and lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Stir gently to mix

Orange Jack O’ Lantern Fruit Cup

This Halloween recipe not only tastes great but is healthy too. Kids and teens alike will slurp up these fruit cups at your Halloween party.

Prep Time: Approx. 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
•12-16 oranges
•4 15 oz. cans of fruit cocktail
•2 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks
•1 black permanent marker

Preparation:
Cut off the tops of the oranges, just like you would a pumpkin you are about to carve. Using a spoon, scoop out the center of the orange. Take your time and be careful not to rip the orange peel, you will be using them later. After you scoop out the orange, cut it to use with the fruit mixture. Using the black permanent marker, draw faces on the oranges resembling a jack o’ lantern. Set the orange peels aside to dry.

In a large bowl combine the orange pieces, pineapple chunks and the fruit cocktail. Scoop the fruit mixture into the orange peels and refrigerate for one hour, then serve.