Halloween T r e at s

A Recipe Sampler

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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9/8/10 4:36 PM

from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens

BLEEDING MARY
Freezing Bloody Mary mix into ice cubes is a cool idea I picked up when I worked at Modern Spirits Vodka. As the ice cubes melt, their red color bleeds into the vodka, creating a dazzling drink that changes with every passing moment. Just know that the rst few sips are going to be heavy on the booze since the cold, carmine cubes are just starting to thaw, so be sure to use top-shelf vodka. Makes 4 servings

12 uid ounces (11/2 cups) premium Bloody Mary mix 2 teaspoons Sriracha 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce Celery salt 12 uid ounces (11/2 cups) premium vodka 4 celery sticks Freshly ground black pepper In a medium measuring cup, combine the Bloody Mary mix, Sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray with large ice cube compartments, making eight equal cubes. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours to freeze solid. When you are ready to serve, rim each glass with celery salt. Place two prepared

ice cubes in each glass and ll with 3 uid ounces room-temperature vodka. Garnish with a celery stick and freshly ground black pepper. Swirl your drink with the celery to help get the blood owing.

OVER THE TOP TIP The sky is the

limit on this one. If you want more heat, try a spicy Bloody Mary mix. If youre brave enough, use Absolut Peppar vodka. And if its a different garnish youre after, the Pickled Green Beans (page 33) make a great alternative to the ubiquitous celery stick.

Drinks and Desserts

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from The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens

Dylans CanDy Bar Caramel apples

Makes 6 caramel apples 6 small tart apples, such as Granny smith 6 (4- to 5-inch) popsicle sticks Vegetable oil spray cup each assorted candy toppings (mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, candy corn, mini marshmallows) 1 (14 ounce) bag soft caramels, unwrapped 2 tablespoons rum, coffee liqueur, coffee, or water Wash the apples and pat them dry. remove any stems and insert a popsicle stick where the stem was, about 1 inch into the center. line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray it with vegetable oil. Have the toppings ready in separate bowls. Combine the caramels and rum in a small, heavy saucepan. melt over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined well. immediately, working with one apple at a time, and tilting the saucepan and apple, dip each apple, turning it to coat three-fourths of it and leaving the stem end exposed. let excess caramel drip back into the pantake time to do this or your toppings will not adhere and you wont have enough caramel mixture for remaining apples. immediately dip the apple in the desired topping on bottom and halfway up sides. Transfer apples as dipped to prepared sheet pan. let apples stand at cool room temperature or chill until caramel is set and firm. serve on a platter.

Dylans CanDy Bar Vampire Cosmo

1 serving 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes) red sugar (pucker powder) or a cherry pixy stix 1 ounces (3 tablespoons) vodka ounce (1 tablespoons) triple sec ounce (1 tablespoons) cranberry juice ice cubes Glassware: cosmopolitan glass Garnish: wax fangs Dip the rim of a cosmo glass into the lime juice and then dip again into the cherry-flavored colored sugar. pour the vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. shake well. strain into the glass and attach the wax fang to the rim.

L IF NOT COO

! N I NG T 21 WA RY O N E R OU

from Dylans Candy Bar by Dylan Lauren

from Martha Stewarts Cookies by Martha Stewart

Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies

1 2

These creature-of-the-night creations sandwich a rich dulche de leche lling between chocolate cookies. You will need an aspic cutter to form the bat shapes. M AKES 1 D OZ EN

4 cup all-purpose our, plus more for dusting 4 cup unsweetened Dutchprocess cocoa 4 teaspoon baking powder 4 cup granulated sugar 4 cup packed light-brown sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1. Whisk together our, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and

4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 1 1

sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and uffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add our mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. On a lightly oured surface, roll out dough to D inch thick. Cut out

36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchmentlined baking sheets. Using an aspic cutter set, cut a triangle, point side up, in the center of half the cookies, and then use the half-moon cutter to make one wing on each side of the triangle. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top each uncut cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche and a cutout cookie. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container between layers of parchment at room temperature up to 3 days.
3.

1 1

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche (page 291, or store-bought)

rich

a nd

dense

. 297

from Martha Stewarts Cookies by Martha Stewart

U
M
CRUST
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1

This is every little kids favorite dessertand one of mine too! Its fun to make with younger siblings or even just after school. You can decorate the top any way you want. We did a cemetery, but you can do it as a garden, or even just a worm hole.

HALLOWEEN DIRT PIE

SERVES 6 To prepare the crust: Place the chocolate cookie crumbs in an ungreased 8- or 9-inch pie pan. Add the butter and stir until combined. Press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of the pan with the back of a spoon. To prepare the filling: Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice cubes and add enough water to almost cover the ice. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in the milk. Add the chocolate and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Beat the eggs slightly in a small bowl. Very slowly whisk some of the hot liquid into the eggs to temper them. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the mixture barely begins to bubble. (Do not allow the filling

/4 cup butter, melted

FILLING
2

/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch of salt 2 cups milk 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPINGS
5 gummy worms
1

/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

6 oval sandwich cookies

Kitchen Shortcuts
Use a prepared chocolate cookie crust and omit the crust ingredients and preparation. Use instant chocolate pudding and omit the filling ingredients and instructions.

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from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

to boil or the eggs will curdle.) Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Strain the filling into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve and place the bowl in the ice water bath. Stir occasionally for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is cool. To assemble the pie: Remove the bowl from the ice water bath and gently pour the filling into the crust. Cut the gummy worms in half and insert them around the pie with about 1 inch sticking up. Place the sandwich cookies upright in the filling and sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the top of the pie. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve.

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from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

2 32

. SPECIAL DAYS: BIRTHDAYS

from Martha Stewarts Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

Green-faced, straggly-haired witches may look mean, but they are actually sweet chocolate cupcakes dressed up for Halloween. Inverted chocolate ice-cream cones make perfectly pointed hats. Bake a covens worth and set them out on display to greetand treatHalloween party guests. makes 24

Wicked Witch Cupcakes

24

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (page 152) or Devils Food Cupcakes (page 34)

1. Tint

buttercream green with gel-paste food color. Spoon a generous mound of buttercream onto each cupcake; using an offset spatula, smooth into a dome shape. (Or use an ice-cream scoop to place a mound of buttercream atop each cupcake.) Place an inverted sugar cone on top of each cupcake, tilting cones slightly backward. Press two candy-coated chocolates and one piece of candy corn into buttercream to make the eyes and nose.
2. 3. With a paring knife or kitchen shears, snip licorice laces into pieces

+
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (page 304)

+
Green gel-paste food color
24 24 48

longer ones (about 2A inches) for hair, and shorter (about A inch) for eyebrows and bangs. Insert longer licorice pieces into frosting, just below the sugar cones, to make hair, and press two short licorice pieces over eyes, slanting them slightly to make eyebrows. Decorated cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature.

chocolate sugar cones candy corn pieces brown mini candycoated chocolates, such as mini M&Ms small bag (about 5 ounces) black licorice laces

SPECIAL DAYS: HOLIDAYS

. 2 33

from Martha Stewarts Cupcakes by Martha Stewart

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Gumdrops

Piped buttercream starbursts and chewy gumdrops make playful toppings for these ever-popular chocolate cupcakes. As the name of the recipe implies, all the ingredients come together in one bowl. Using vegetable oil instead of butter makes an exceptionally moist cake; good-quality cocoa powder, such as Valrhona, produces a deep, dark color and the best flavor. White icing and clear gumdrops combine in this elegant monochromatic motif; use multi-colored gumdrops for a more whimsical effect. You can customize the cake flavor by using a different extract in place of the vanilla; for example, anise would complement the clear gumdrops used here (increase amount of extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons). makes 18

1 1/2 cups all-purpose our

3

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line stan-

/4 cup unsweetened Dutchprocess cocoa powder

1 /2 cups sugar
1

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 3

/4 teaspoon baking powder /4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

dard mufn tins with paper liners. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together our, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract, and the water; beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

/4 cup warm water

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (page 304)

2. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers. 3. To nish, ll a pastry bag tted

/4 pound gumdrops, for

garnish

piping starbursts and topping with gumdrops

with a medium French-star tip (Ateco #863 or Wilton #363) with buttercream. Pipe 5 starbursts around perimeter of cupcake, then pipe another starburst in the center. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature, or refrigerated up to 3 days, in airtight containers. Bring to room temperature and place a gumdrop in the center of each starburst before serving.

152

. ANY DAY: PIPED AND TOPPED

from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

S WI SS M E R I N G U E B U T TER C R E AM
If there is one frosting recipe a home baker should always have on hand, this is it. This all-purpose buttercream has an ultra-silky, stable texture that spreads beautifully over cakes and cupcakes, and can be piped into perfect peaks and patterns. Swiss meringue buttercream is also less sweet than other types of frosting, with a wonderful buttery taste. It can be varied with different extracts, juices, zests, and other flavoring agents, and tinted any shade. Dont worry if the mixture appears to separate, or curdle, after youve added the butter; simply continue beating on medium-high speed, and it will become smooth again. makes about 5 cups
5 large egg whites 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch of salt 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature 1 /2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a stand-

ing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your ngertips).
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer tted with the whisk attachment. Starting

on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is uffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at

a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a exible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
4. (Optional) To tint buttercream (or royal icing), reserve some for ton-

ing down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use the paddle attachment) or a exible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too soon, as the hue will intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream.

304

. THE BASICS

from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

U
M

When we first found a recipe for bleeding cupcakes, we were very intrigued. Unfortunately, when we tried them we were not impressed. They oozed a little if they were hot, but you cant frost a hot cupcake, so what good is that? So, of course, we had to come up with our own version. Theyre a little more work, but they definitely bleed.

VAMPIRE CUPCAKES
MAKES ABOUT 16 CUPCAKES To prepare the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 16 cupcake cups with paper or foil liners. Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix for 30 seconds, or until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until completely incorporated. Add the baking powder and salt and mix well. Alternately add the flour and milk, half at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fill each of the cupcake cups about two-thirds full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the centers spring back when gently pressed. To prepare the filling: Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until creamy. Add the corn syrup and mix until smooth. Add the food coloring a few drops at a time, mixing after each addition, until the filling is the desired color.

CUPCAKES
1

/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder

1

/4 teaspoon salt

11/3 cups cake flour

1

/2 cup milk

FILLING
2 ounces cream cheese
1

/4 cup corn syrup

Red food coloring

Kitchen Shortcuts
Use yellow or white cake mix and omit the cupcake ingredients and preparation.

from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

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FROSTING
1

/2 cup butter

Cut a 1-inch-wide by 1-inch-deep hole in the center of each cupcake, reserving the cutouts. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the filling into each cupcake. Remove the bottom half of the cutouts and insert the tops back into the cupcakes. To prepare the frosting: Place the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute, or until creamy. Add the confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add a few drops the food coloring. Increase to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Spread the frosting over each of the cupcakes and use the candy corn, licorice, and chocolate chips to form vampire faces.

2 cups confectioners sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Green food coloring Candy corn Licorice Chocolate chips

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from Teens Cook Dessert by Megan and Jill Carle

H a l l o w e e n T r e at s
FROM

Bleeding Mary
from THE SRIRACHA COOKBOOK by Randy Clemens

Vampire Cosmo AND Caramel Apples

from DYLANS CANDY BAR by Dylan Lauren

Halloween Dirt Pie

AND

Vampire Cupcakes

from TEENS COOK DESSERT by Megan and Jill Carle

Wicked Witch Cupcakes

from MARTHA STEWARTS CUPCAKES

Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies

from MARTHA STEWARTS COOKIES