Tag Archives: Halloween

The Weekender: Fall Treats, Coffee Mugs, & a Recap

In case you didn’t know, Saturday marked the official beginning of Fall. However, we’ve been in full-on Fall mode all week here at Smart Cookie. From pumpkin to butternut squash, all the autumn classics made an appearance. In case you need a recap…

Let’s review, shall we?

  1. Nacho Mac & Cheese
  2. Little Owl Cookies + How-To Video
  3. Healthy Cookie: Butternut Squash & Corn Bisque
  4. End of Summer Recipe Round-Up
  5. Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies

I can promise you there will be plenty more Fall eats and treats to come. What else can you expect this coming week? I’ll be re-posting my favorite Soft Pumpkin Cookies with better photos and a delicious Brown Sugar Frosting. These are quite possibly my favorite cookies ever, and I can’t wait to share them with you (again)!

Keeping up with the fall theme today, I’ve got to give the dish on two new seasonal candies on the market. First off, I tried the Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. These were actually around last year, but a lot of people have been buzzing about them this season. After eating them twice now, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, they’re smooth and sweet and perfectly capture the flavor of pumpkin pie spices. On the other hand, I can’t get past the fact that they remind me of a spice-scented candle, which is rather unappetizing. Plus, I can’t tell if it is supposed to taste like pumpkin pie or just pumpkin pie spice. The jury’s still out on this one.

Have you tried the Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses? What did you think?

The second treat we’re checking out is the new Caramel Apple Milky Way minis. I wasn’t sure what to expect because Milky Ways are my favorite candy, but apple-flavored? I wasn’t sure. Well, as it turns out these things are amazing! It actually works really well. Just imagine a caramel apple dipped in chocolate and miniaturized; that’s what you get here. It’s not too apple-y, but just right. The only problem is their mini size, which makes it all too easy to down a dozen in one sitting.

How about these Caramel Apple Milky Ways? Have any of you tried them?

Before I head out, don’t forget to stay in touch! Like Smart Cookie on Facebook, follow me on Pinterest & Twitter, and subscribe to my Youtube channel to make sure you don’t miss a second of Smart Cookie deliciousness.

And lastly, just thought I’d show off this lovely Smart Cookie mug my sister made for me! Is it weird that I’m drinking out of a mug with my face on it?

See you on Monday!

Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies

Does anyone legitimately like candy corn? We all eat it come Halloween time, but it’s one of those things we only eat because it’s there, kind of like conversation hearts at Valentine’s Day. There’s an unspoken obligation to consume candy corn every year around this time. And similarly, whenever some food company comes out with a candy corn-flavored product, I feel like I have to have it. It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it. If candy corn isn’t very good, why would I enjoy a candy corn-flavored anything?

Turns out, I fell under that same old spell when I heard Oreo had conjured up Candy Corn Golden Oreos for the season. Immediately, I rushed out to Target and grabbed a pack to try ‘em out. I found that they smell overwhelmingly of candy corn, but don’t much resemble candy corn in actual flavor. They do, however, have a unique sweet flavor to them, almost like frosting, and the two-toned filling is pretty fun. So, I give this candy corn treat a thumbs up. I’d eat one (or ten) of these cookies instead of plain candy corn any day.

Of course, I had to figure out something to bake with these delectable cookies. I’ve seen plenty of Oreo-stuffed things, and I’ve made a few myself. Cookies seemed like a good enough idea, but what flavor on Earth would be compatible with Candy Corn Oreos? Pumpkin, of course!

Get a load of these soft and delicious Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies.

I took my favorite Soft Pumpkin Cookie recipe (which I will be re-posting with better photos next week) and packed each cookie with a whole Candy Corn Golden Oreo. I was pleasantly surprised at the mind-blowing hybrid which resulted. The pumpkin cookie was, as always, super moist, soft, and fluffy. The Oreo, in contrast, was crisp. Plus, who would’ve thought the two flavors would pair so perfectly together? The sweetness of the Oreo acted like frosting would, complimenting the mild, tender pumpkin flavor of the cookie. It was perfection.

I don’t think there’s a treat out there more Halloween-appropriate than these Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies. It’s fall’s two hottest stars, together in one treat. And guess what? It’s one of the simplest treats you’ll make all season. So what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and whip up the ultimate Halloween hybrid treat!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. You must chill the dough. It’ll be much easier to wrap around the Oreos, and it won’t spread out like a puddle when it bakes.
  2. Top with a vanilla glaze if you like.
  3. Don’t over-bake; that’s the secret to a soft, moist cookie.
  4. I highly recommend using parchment paper. It makes for easy clean-up, and you never have to worry about a ruined cookie.

Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies
Adapted from food.com

Yield: about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. allspice
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 dozen Candy Corn Golden Oreo Cookies

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together butter and the sugars on high until light and fluffy. Mix in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla on low speed until well-combined. Add in the dry mixture in thirds, mixing well in between each addition. Once well-combined, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before continuing.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a scant tablespoon of chilled dough and flatten out slightly. Place an Oreo on top and cover with another scant tablespoon of dough. Press together so there are no seams and the cookie is completely covered. Place on the baking tray.
  4. Bake 6 cookies per tray for 8-11 minutes, or until puffed and set. They should not be browned, but they should not look “wet” in the middle either.
  5. Let cool on tray for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Obsessions: Last Call for Pumpkin Pie Blizzard

Any loyal little cookie will know that I have an obsession with Dairy Queen. A love affair, if you will. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and nothing in this world gives me quite as much pleasure as a cool, creamy Blizzard. However, you also may know that I currently live nowhere near a DQ. Everyday is a struggle, especially when faced with commercials on TV broadcasting the latest Blizzard treat if for no other reason than to further drive the knife into my heart. My sister, who resides only a few minutes away from a Dairy Queen, likes to send me pictures on her phone whenever she stops in for a treat. She is heartless.

When October first began, a bittersweet excitement fell over me. You see, October means one thing in the world of Blizzard Fans: the return of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. I love all Blizzards. I’ve never had one that wasn’t delicious, and there are many that vie for the top spot in my heart. French Silk Pie, classic Oreo, Cotton Candy…they’re all heavenly. But alas, there is one that stands above the rest, if only by a thin margin. And that, my little cookies, is the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.

It literally tastes like they shoved a whole pumpkin pie into their creamy custard and blended it up.

Or, perhaps they created a Blizzard Morphing Machine that takes any food then converts all of its flavors and characteristics into creamy Blizzard form.

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Happy Halloween from The Smart Cookie Cook!

Here’s to hoping that your Halloweekend is filled will thrills & chills, tricks & treats, and ghoulish goodies. May your quest for  the best candy be fortuitous and may spooks and spirits find you on that night. In order to properly pep you up for the big event, I have compiled a list of all my best Halloween treats so that you may feed festively all weekend long!

Make-Your-Own Halloween Candy Mini PIes

Treats:

Gnocchi w/ Butternut Squash & Kale

Festive Feasts:

Make-Your-Own Halloween Candy Mini Pies

Trick-or-Treating is a really good idea in theory. You get to dress up however you please, portraying an entirely different person/creature/thing for one night, and frolic about the town collecting candies and confections aplenty. It’s a night full of jocular enjoyment, for sure. However, every year, you face that Day-After-Halloween Dilemma when you say, “What the heck am I gonna do with all this candy???” Sure, you can plow through a good portion of it during mindless snacking, but it’s almost inevitable that an unfortunate chunk will get discarded into the depths of the garbage can. That usually happens sometime around Christmas (or for some people, Easter) when you realize how long that candies has been chilling in your pantry and that you’re probably never going to eat it. The Day-After-Halloween Dilemma usually includes a premonition of that very moment.

And it’s not just trick-or-treaters who are susceptible to the Day-After-Halloween Dilemma. Adults everywhere fall victim when they fail to hand out all of the candy they bought for the trick-or-treaters. They have no clue what to do with the leftovers, and a quandary results.

So, how do you avoid this? Well, lucky for you little cookies, I’ve whipped up an easy and DELICIOUS solution! Cue the Make-Your-Own Halloween Candy Mini Pies. These little guys are not only ideal for using up leftover Halloween candies, they are also PERFECT for Halloween parties! You can make the crusts ahead of time then give everyone an assortment of candy to choose from. Your guests can pick out their favorites then fill their own personal mini pie with the candy and marshmallows! It’s fun, customizable, and so yummy!

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Halloween Popcorn Hands

Remember how awesome Halloween was in elementary school? Everyone got to dress up and wear their costumes to school, which was basically the coolest thing ever. We couldn’t wait to show off our awesome costumes to all our friends. There was a little parade where we proudly strutted around the school, flaunting our festive costumes like models in a fashion show (your costume was always way better than anyone else’s). My favorite part was the little classroom party, which always meant food. Those PTA moms would bring in cupcakes, cookies, and all kinds of fun Halloween treats. We kids feasted like pigs. I especially enjoyed these days because my mom was one of those moms who brought treats in. Her Halloween specialty was Popcorn Hands.

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Spooky Rice Krispie Treat Halloween Mask!

College poses many obstacles. It tells me, “Hey, write five in-depth, multiple-step essays in 90 minutes for your honors pysch midterm,” and, “Sit through a 3-hour night class where you learn how to use Microsoft Word, even though you learned that in middle school,” then, “Make a two-faced mask out of ‘found materials’ for Art class.”

Wondering what all of this has to do with Halloween or Rice Krispie Treats? Well, I may not be a psychology expert or physically capable of staying awake through three-hour night classes, but I am okay at art. Initially, when my art teacher asked us to make a mask, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. Quickly, however, that feeling diminished as a light bulb illuminated approximately 2 inches above my head. I realized I had an opportunity here to do what I do best: work with food. Dread quickly turned into excitement.

I’ve never sculpted with Rice Krispie Treats nor worked with fondant before this, but I figured I could work it out easily enough using knowledge acquired from religiously watching Food Network (and Cake Boss on TLC). It really wasn’t all that bad. I whipped up some Rice Krispie treats, molded them while the marshmallows were still molten, let it set, frosted it, covered it in fondant, then decorated it. And there you have it: a 100% edible, two-faced Halloween mask!

The Jack-O-Lantern Side.

The Skull Side.

Although I wouldn’t recommend using this for your Halloween costume (unless sticking your face into Rice Krispies is your thing), it would make a welcomed addition to any Halloween party, as well as an awesome centerpiece to a Halloween-themed table-scape. Once you’re done admiring it, you can eat it!

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Obsessions: Candy Corn White Chocolate M&M’s

Quick! What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think “Halloween“?

Some of you probably said pumpkins or candy or costumes, but the majority of you probably just said “candy corn.” No other candy is quite as synonymous with a holiday as candy corn is with Halloween. Chocolate bunnies with Easter may be close, but you just can’t compare it to classic candy corn. It is festive and iconic, standing the test of time as Halloween’s most symbolic sweet.

The funny thing about candy corn is that, whether or not everyone loves it, everyone eats it. It’s just something you do at Halloween time. However, when you eat it year after year, you might start looking for new ways to consume said candy corn. Last year, they came out with candy corn Hershey Kisses, which were pretty tasty. This year, they have come out with something even better: Candy Corn White Chocolate M&M’s.

I first saw these candy corn cuties on Cookin’ Cowgirl’s blog. I knew I had to try ‘em! Let me tell you, these festive M&M’s are not for the faint-at-sweet-tooth. Like regular candy corn, they are super sweet, but not in a bad way. I personally love all things sweet! They don’t taste exactly like real candy corn, but they are reminiscent of it. The M&M’s are festively adorned with the classic candy corn color trio: yellow, white, and orange. Their crunchy, colorful shell gives way to a smooth and sweet filling. The flavor is a combination of white chocolate, candy corn, and something sort of caramel-esque. In fact, it tastes an awful lot like those candy corn Hershey Kisses I mentioned!

If you’re longing for a new twist on a classic Halloween treat, then fill your candy dish with these Candy Corn M&M’s. They’re tasty and addicting little buggers, and I’m obsessed!

Have YOU tried Candy Corn White Chocolate M&M’s? Did you like ‘em? What are some of your Halloween candy obsessions?

Pssst…Looking for more Halloween Treats?


Down for the Count: What Have They Done to Count Chocula?

 

As a kid, there were no cereal mascots I loved more than Count Chocula and his creepy accomplices, Boo Berry & Frankenberry. Not only were their cereals DELICIOUS, but they were probably the coolest breakfast characters out there. Nothing appealed to me more than that gangly trio of monsters and their sweet, marshmallow-studded cereals. Boo Berry, with its unique blueberry-flavored cereal pieces and sugary marshmallows, was beyond awesome. But, for whatever reason, the original Count Chocula has always held the number one spot in my heart. I never did try old Frankenberry, but I don’t imagine he could knock the Count out of his top spot either. You can’t beat the original.

There was a dark time in my life when many years passed without the presence of Count Chocula’s cereal, or any of his other beastly buddy’s. I don’t know if this applies to all regions of the country, but Count completely disappeared from my radar for a long time. They stopped nationwide distribution and I died a little inside.

Then, a year or two ago, Count showed up again in Target at Halloween time. Good ol’ Target. Leave it to them to sell all things fabulous in the world. Needless to say, I rejoiced. I threw my hands in the air and thanked the almighty Cereal Gods. At last, the Count and I were reunited. I also bought some delicious Boo Berry.

Every year since then, I have patiently waited for Halloween to roll around again so that I could have my Count Chocula. This year was no exception. Last weekend, I trekked over to my local  Target to sweep up arm-fulls of Count Chocula cereal boxes and whisk them away to the safety of my home.

…Okay, so I bought one box. Nevertheless, I was thrilled. I might’ve embarrassed my mother a bit by my overjoyed reaction upon spotting The Count in Target, but I cannot bring myself to regret it. I love anything Halloween-related and I love sugary cereal. Count offers me both of those pleasures.

But there was something wrong, my little cookies, very wrong indeed…

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How-To: Paint Candy Corn Nails!

Halloween is right around the corner! You can feel the spookiness settling over the dark evenings. You can see the full moon glowing just a bit brighter. You can taste the Halloween candy soon to come your way. And you can just smell the pumpkin as its scent fills kitchens everywhere.

Yes, my little cookies, it is that time of year again, and my favorite time of year, if I may clarify! I love the eerie atmosphere that casts itself upon October. I love the powerful black & orange colors inundating the world around me. I love the spooky, creepy decorations and the grinning jack-o-lanterns and the scary movies. It’s just so much fun!

If you’re going to take part in the creepy carnival that is Halloween, then you’re going to need to be decked out in festive acknowledgements of that frightening day! One great way to show your Halloween spirit is with these sweet Candy Corn Nails. You only need a few things & it only requires a couple steps. They’re fun and festive, and they look good enough to eat!

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