Bewithcing bites

Keep them cute little goblins happy this Hallow’s Eve. Get out the cauldron and conjure these sweets that will surely keep them critters a-tapping at your door and howling for treats. No tricks!

Chocolate Swirl Lollipop Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 pcs. eggs

1 tsp. orange extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. orange peel, freshly grated

Few drops red and yellow food color (optional)

1 oz. Hershey’s Unsweetened Baking Chips, melted

24 pcs. wooden popsicle sticks

Procedure

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until blended. Add eggs and extracts. Beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/4 cup flour, blending until smooth. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. 

Place half of batter in medium bowl then stir in orange peel. Stir in food color, if desired. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Stir into remaining half of batter. Cover and refrigerate both mixtures until firm enough to roll.

With rolling pin or fingers, between 2 pieces of wax paper, roll chocolate and orange mixtures each into 10 x 8-inch rectangle pan. Remove wax paper. Place orange mixture on top of chocolate. Roll up the dough tightly, starting on longest side, forming into 12-inch rolls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from roll. Cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place on cookie sheet at least 3 inches apart. Insert popsicle stick into each cookie.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookie is almost set. Cool slightly then remove from cookie sheet and transfer to wire rack. Cool completely. Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and tie with ribbon, if desired. Makes about 24 cookies.

Spooky

Cookie S’Mores

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 pc. egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

3 pcs. (1.55 oz. each) Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, broken into pieces

9 large marshmallows, cut in half

Procedure

Beat butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in large bowl until well-blended. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, and add these to butter mixture, mixing until well-blended. Divide dough into quarters then wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 325°F. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough, one-fourth at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with pumpkin, ghost, or cat-shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet then transfer to wire rack. Cool completely. Place two chocolate pieces and marshmallow half on flat side of 1 cookie and place on paper towel. Microwave at medium or 50% in 10-second intervals until marshmallow puffs. Top with matching cookie. Press down slightly. Repeat with remaining cookies. Decorate with frosting, if desired. Makes about 18 filled cookies.

Midnight Chocolate Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 pc. egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsps. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa or Hershey’s Cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

For chocolate filling:

Whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream

42 Hershey’s Kisses Brand Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolates, unwrapped and divided

Beat 2 packages (3 oz. each) softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar until well-blended. Beat in 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place 12 chocolates in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium or 50% for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolates are melted and smooth when stirred. Cool slightly. 

Procedure

Heat oven to 350°F. Paper or foil line 30 small (1 3/4-inch diameter) muffin cups.

Beat butter and shortening in medium bowl until fluffy. Beat in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually blend into butter mixture, blending well.

Drop rounded teaspoonful of dough into each prepared muffin cup. Push dough up sides of muffin cup using bakc of spoon, forming crater in cup. (If you are having difficulty with this step, refrigerate pans for about 10 minutes and then continue.) Add chocolate filling batter until well-blended. Evenly divide into muffin cups until cups are full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Cool completely in pan or wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, top each cheesecake cup with whipped topping rosette and chocolate piece. Makes 30 dessert cups.

Spooktacular

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

3/4 cup water

2 pcs. eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Assorted candies (optional)

For peanut butter cream filling:

2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and peanut butter in large bowl until blended. Add milk and vanilla. Beat well. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary, until desired consistency. Makes about 2-3/4 cups filling.

Procedure

Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2 1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl. Add shortening, buttermilk, water, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

Fill muffin cups 1/2 full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Place peanut butter cream filling into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Insert tip into center of cupcakes and pipe filling into cake. Remove tip from cake. Garnish cupcake with swirl of filling. Decorate with candies, if desired. Cover and refrigerate leftover cupcakes. Makes about 3 dozen cupcakes.

·        For sour milk: Use 2 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 3/4 cup.

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