BOO! Did we scare you? No need to fear, Halloween is near! Between the costumes and the candy, it’s no doubt Halloween is a favorite holiday for kids and adults, alike. But candy shouldn’t get all the attention –  there are creative and easy-to-make treats out there. That’s where these festive, delicious cookies come in! Whether you make a goblin or a ghoul, candy corn or Frankenstein, these Halloween Cookies are sure to be a hit! They are fun and simple to make – the hardest part about making these cookies is picking which one to make first!

Ghoulish Cookies

2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
Neon green food color
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
Betty Crocker® black or white decorating gel
Miniature marshmallows
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
2. Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir enough food color into frosting until desired green color. Frost cooled cookies. Use black or white decorating gel to make “ghoulish” faces on cookies. Use marshmallows and baking bits to decorate.

Tips & Tricks:

Don’t limit yourself just to the black or white decorating gel – add candy corns, M&M’s, or any small candy to bring your idea to life!

Create Frankenstein, spiders, bats, or jack o’ lanterns – there’s no rules, just have fun and create!

Candy Corn Cookies

9 1/2 dozen (small) 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

Instructions:

1. Line 8×4-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. On work surface, knead chocolate into one half remaining dough until color is uniform. Press over orange dough in pan, pressing gently to edge of pan. Gently press remaining plain dough into pan on top of chocolate dough. 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.

Tips & Tricks:

Keep these cookies fresher for longer by storing them in a tightly covered container.

Video:

For some design ideas and a video how-to, view the video below.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Linsey Corbin

Professional Triathalete and Ironman Champion

Photo credited to Tom Robertson Photography.