Candied apples, popcorn balls, and Jack O’Lantern cookies—who growing up in the 1950s and 60s doesn’t fondly recall those delicious Halloween treats from childhood? Back then, the goodies cheerfully given to us by friends and neighbors were usually homemade. While sadly that can no longer be the case, Halloween is still a perfect time to concoct spooky treats with your own family of little ghosts and goblins. Here are a few recipes to try.
CANDIED APPLES
Ingredients:
8 smaller or medium size red apples
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup cinnamon red hot candies
Cooking spray
Candy thermometer
Directions:
Place aluminum foil on a large baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Remove stems from apples and insert a 6-inch dowel into the stem end of each apple.
In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and cinnamon candies. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon. Then cook without stirring until your candy thermometer registers 300 degrees. This takes about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Make one apple at a time. Hold apple by its dowel and dip it into the syrup, coating apple quickly and evenly. Allow excess syrup to drip back into pan. With dowel side up, place apple on prepared baking sheet to harden. This only takes about 5 minutes. Store candied apples in an airtight container for up to three days.
MARSHMALLOWY POPCORN BALLS
Ingredients:
1 cup unpopped popcorn
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter
½ pound marshmallows
Directions:
Pop the corn and sprinkle with salt. Melt butter in skillet. Cut marshmallows in quarters. Alternate layers of popcorn and marshmallows in skillet. Cover, and heat slowly until marshmallows are partially melted. Remove from heat, and mix well. Form into 2-inch balls. Makes 9 balls.
JACK O’LANTERN COOKIES
Ingredients:
Half can prepared vanilla frosting
1 ounce vanilla flavored candy coating
Orange paste food coloring
14 cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies
Chocolate decorator icing
7 green gumdrops, sliced in half
Cooking spray
Directions:
In small heavy saucepan over low heat, combine frosting and candy coating. Melt together until smooth, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in your desired amount of orange food coloring.
Place waxed paper on baking sheets and spray with cooking spray. Using tongs, dip each cookie in the melted frosting mixture. Coat each one completely. Lay each cookie on the wax paper lined baking sheets. Let sit until set. This takes about ten minutes.
With the decorator icing, give each cookie a Jack O’Lantern face. This is the part little goblins especially love to help with. To give each Jack O’Lantern a stem, top with half a green gumdrop.
GHOSTLY COOKIES
Ingredients:
12 ounces vanilla flavored candy coating, cut into pieces
1 pound package peanut butter filled sandwich cookies, the ones shaped like peanuts
4 teaspoons of miniature chocolate chips
Cooking spray
Directions:
In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt candy coating until smooth, stirring constantly.
Place waxed paper on baking sheets and spray with cooking spray. Hold cookie with tongs and dip into melted coating. Coat entire top and side of each cookie. Let excess drip back into pan. Lay flat on the waxed paper baking sheet with the coated side up. To make eyes, place two chocolate chips on the coated cookies. Let stand until set, which takes about ten minutes.
OLD FASHIONED PUMPKIN COOKIES
Ingredients:
½ cup shortening or butter
1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups cooked and masked or canned pumpkin
2 ½ cups sifted plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and brown sugar. Add eggs, and beat thoroughly. Mix in vanilla extract and pumpkin.
In separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in raisins and chopped nuts.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoonful about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375 degree for about 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on racks. This recipe makes about 5 dozen spicy pumpkin cookies that you and your little ones will love making and eating.
I hope these vintage type recipes help you get into an old fashioned cookie making mood—not to mention brimming with Halloween spirit. Take your time and enjoy being with your little ghosts and goblins as much as I do.
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance
There are attempts to adopt this holiday in Romania, too. Unfortunately, nothing of the good things you tempt us with, here. Not even the Trick or treat custom. Only young people dressed in Halloween themed costumes, partying till morning in night clubs. I wouldn’t call this Halloween holiday.
It’s interesting how the Halloween celebrations over here started for adults early last century but moved quickly to celebrations centering on children. Adults still have their own, though– that comes and goes somewhat. Maybe Halloween in Romania will slowly morph into a celebration you can feel good about and enjoy, Carmen, instead of just costumes and clubbing. I hope so.
I remember my parents making popcorn balls and handing them out on trick-or-treat night when I was a kid. They were always something special.And our next door neighbor, Mrs. Herman always had some lovely homemade treat to pass out too. They were fun times indeed!
Mae, we also had a family whose mom made and handed out her specialty of popcorn balls, and they were the highlight treat of the night. We could not wait to sink our teeth into those! I know your neighbors and the trick or treaters loved what your parents made and still remember them to this day.