We all know that the spooky season calls for scary set-ups in front yards and terrifying fright flicks…but it also means scary good snacks! From cryptic cupcakes to creepy-crawly cookies, your local Goodwill NCW can help you make Halloween delicious without making you faint from horrifying prices.

The Tools:
Your supernatural sweets won’t bake themselves (and if they do, that’s a different problem!). Stop by your local Goodwill North Central Wisconsin store for all the essentials, including:

• Cake pans
• Baking sheets
• Scales
• Utensils 

Everything you need to summon scrumptious creations that will make a werewolf howl with delight! 

Finger Food

Try this recipe for freaky witch’s fingers. Finally, no one can complain when you bite your nails.

Ingredients
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Large Egg
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup fine almond flour
• ¾ cup whole almonds
• seedless strawberry jam or red decorating gel, as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bottom of the bowl and the beaters halfway through. Add egg, salt, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cream for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the all-purpose flour and almond flour and mix until fully combined.

Refrigerate dough for 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of jam or red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the jam to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

Smashing Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Spice isn’t just for coffee, try out these gourd-geous beauties

Ingredients
For the Spiced Sugar:
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ½ cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

For the Spiced Sugar:

In a small bowl mix the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice together. Set aside.

1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar,1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the Pumpkin Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Start by drying your pumpkin.

Spread the canned pumpkin on a plate and lightly press with a paper towel to absorb the excess liquid. Repeat the step at least four more times.

The pumpkin should be dry enough that it goes from being 1/2 cup dried down to just about a 1/4 cup. Hardly any liquid should transfer onto a paper towel once it has been dried enough.

Then set aside.

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

1 3/4 cups (219 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled,1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice,1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl cream, the softened butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened,1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed

Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

2 egg yolks, at room temperature,2 tsp vanilla

Add in the pumpkin and mix on medium-low speed to combine.

Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Add chips

Scoop the dough with a 2 tbsp cookie scoop and roll them into balls. Then roll the dough balls in the spiced sugar.

Place the cookie dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes. (12 minutes for chewy centers, 14 minutes for a slightly crispier cookie). When the cookies are done baking the centers will be puffy. As they cool the centers will fall and the cookie will get “wrinkly”.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Death by Chocolate

What goes better with sweet treats and a cool haunted evening than a cackling good warm beverage?

Ingredients
Black and orange nonpareils, for coating
2 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate, plus more for melting
4 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup black cocoa powder
Pinch salt

Directions

Place the nonpareils on a shallow plate. Microwave chocolate in a shallow plate until just melted. Dip inverted mugs in the melted chocolate to coat the rim, then dip in the nonpareils to coat. Let set.

Heat the milk, sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth and steaming with tiny bubbles around the end of the pan, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the chocolate and whisk until fully dissolved and smooth. Pour the hot cocoa into the prepared mugs.