Halloween

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Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 tablespoons hot water
  • green and orange food coloring

For Decorating:

  • 5 licorice all sorts, thinly sliced
  • 20 jelly beans, halved
  • 5 gummy candies, cut into 4 pieces
  • mini chocolate chips
  • mixed candies for decorating

To make the cookies, beat the butter, sugar, and egg with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add the flour. Using your hands, press the mixture together to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a large baking sheet with melted butter or oil. Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper to ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes, using any desired cutters. Put the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.  Leave to cool. Divide and sift the confectioners’ sugar into bowls. Add the water and food coloring and stir well.  Dip the front of each cookie into the frosting. While the frosting is still soft, decorate the cookies with candies.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • Food coloring to decorate, if desired
  • Raspberry jam, to decorate, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Fill the paper liners three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden. Cool on a wire rack. To make the frosting, mix the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and butter with a little hot water until smooth. Divide and color with food coloring if desired. Spread over the cakes. Drizzle with raspberry jam if desired.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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Thumbprints

Thumbprints

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 tablespoons peach or apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until combined. Sift the flour and pudding mix into the butter mixture and mix to form a soft dough. Roll 2 teaspoons of the dough at a time into balls and place on the baking sheets. Press a hollow in each ball with your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon and fill each hole with ¼ teaspoon of jam. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 32.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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Halloween Coconut Cake

Halloween Coconut Cake

  • 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
  • 1 pkg. (4 serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filing
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 2 cups coconut
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Blend cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs and oil in large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer 4 minutes. Stir in coconut and walnuts. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9 inch layer pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool pans 15 minutes; remove and cool on rack. Fill and top with coconut cream cheese frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
  • 2 cups coconut
  • 1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
  • 2 tsp. milk
  • 3 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ tsp. vanilla

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add coconut, sir constantly over low heat until golden brown. Spread coconut on paper towel to cool. Cream 2 tablespoons butter with cream cheese. Add milk; blend in sugar gradually. Blend in vanilla; stir in 1 ¾ cups of the coconut. Spread on tops of cake layers. Stack, spread over sides and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Decorate with Halloween candies if desired.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

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Coconut Ice

Coconut Ice

  • 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened condensed milk
  • 1 ¾ cups shredded dried coconut
  • orange food coloring

Brush 13 ¾ inch loaf pan with melted butter or oil. Line with waxed paper and grease the paper. Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cream of tartar into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the combined egg white and condensed milk. Stir in the coconut. Mix until well combined. Divide the mixture between two bowls. Tint the contents of one bowl with orange coloring. Knead the color through evenly. Press the orange mixture into the bottom of the loaf pan. Cover with the white mixture and press down gently. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until set. When firm, remove from the pan and cut into squares. Makes 30 pieces.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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Bleeding Fingers

Bleeding Fingers

  • 2 egg whites
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup shredded dried coconut
  • ½ cup raspberry or strawberry jam
  • 10 colored jelly beans

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until the mixture becomes thick and glossy. Fold in the coconut. Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain ¾ inch nozzle with the meringue mixture. Pipe 3 ¼ inch lengths onto the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to 235 degrees F and bake for a further 45 to 50 minutes, or until the meringues are light and crisp. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool. Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat until thin and runny. Pour into a bowl. Cut one end from each jelly bean and discard the end. Cut the remaining jelly beans in half lengthwise. Press the jelly bean on the end of each meringue. Drizzle with warm jam to resemble the blood. Makes 20.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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7-Up Cake7-Up Cake

  • 1 box lemon supreme cake mix
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 (10 oz) 7-up

Mix together and bake in large pan at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Icing:

  • 1 small can pineapple, drained
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 heaping tbsp. flour
  • juice for pineapple and water to measure ½

Cook until thick, add pineapple and 2 tablespoons butter. Cool, then put on cake.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

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Peanut Butter Alien Cookies

Peanut Butter Alien Cookies

 Ingredients:

  • 1 package (about 16 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • Green decorating icing
  • 1 cup strawberry jam

 Method:

Let dough stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dough, peanut butter, flour, powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl; beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Reserve half of dough; wrap and refrigerate.

Roll out remaining dough between parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out 14 circles with 3 inch round cookie cutter; pinch 1 side of each circle to make teardrop shape. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Roll out reserved dough between parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out 14 circles with 3 inch round cookie cutter; pinch 1 side to each circle to form teardrop shape. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Cut out 2 oblong holes for eyes. Make small slit for mouth. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Spread icing on cookies with faces; let stand 10 minutes or until set. Spread jam on uncut cookies. Top each jam topped cookie with green face cookie.

 Makes 14 sandwich cookies

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

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Mint Chocolate Brownies

Mint Chocolate Brownies

 Ingredients:

  • 1 package brownie mix
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tsp. peppermint extract
  • 6 drops green liquid food coloring
  • 2 drops yellow liquid food coloring
  • Shaved thin crème de menthe chocolate mints

 Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F according to package directions. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour).

Meanwhile, beat butter and powdered sugar at medium low speed with an electric mixer until combined; add milk, peppermint extract and food colorings, beating until blended. Increase speed to medium high and beat 1 minute or until fluffy.

Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles. Gently remove foil. Spread frosting evenly over brownies, and cut into 16 squares. Sprinkle with thinly shaved mints.

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

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Orange Ombre Cake

Orange Ombre Cake

Ingredients:

  • Parchment paper
  • 2 packages white cake mix
  • Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix boxes
  • ¼ cup thawed, frozen orange juice
  • 1 tbsp. orange zest
  • Orange food coloring paste
  • Sweet Orange Frosting

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 4 (8 inch) round cake pans; line with parchment paper. Prepare double batch of cake mix according to package directions, using water, oil and egg whites and adding ¼ cup orange juice concentrate and 1 tbsp. orange zest. Divide batter evenly between 4 bowls (about 2 ½ cups per bowl).

Set 1 bowl aside. Add dash orange food coloring to second bowl, stirring until blended. Color batters in remaining 2 bowls gradually darker shades of orange. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 to 24 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove cakes from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Sweet Orange Frosting: Beat 2 ¼ cups softened, salted butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 8 cups powdered sugar, beating until blended. Beat in ½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed), ½ tsp. vanilla extract and 1 tbsp. orange zest. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Set aside 1 cup Sweet Orange Frosting in a small bowl. Divide remaining 6 cups frosting evenly among 3 bowls. Add dash of orange food coloring paste to one bowl, stirring until blended. Color remaining 2 bowls of frosting gradually darker shades of orange.

Place darkest orange cake layer on a cake stand. Spread 1 cup darkest orange frosting evenly over cake. Repeat process with cake layers and frosting, layering from darkest to lightest. Spread remaining darkest tinted orange frosting on bottom third of cake sides. Spread remaining medium tinted frosting on middle third of cake sides. Spread remaining lightest tinted frosting on top third of cake sides. Spread plain frosting on top of cake.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com