Spooky Season is upon us and it’s something we look forward to at our house every year!  We decorate for Halloween pretty early in September, start making themed food and beverages all throughout October, and enjoy watching all the Halloween / Horror movies we can find.  This year I got a head start on some recipes and want to share them with you today.  The recipes can be enjoyed as a standalone meal (if you consider dessert a meal), or you could combine them into one big meal.  The hand pies can be an appetizer while you make and bake the pot pies to enjoy with a side of skull cornbread, finishing off with cookies for dessert.  Try them all!

SPOOKY CHEDDAR & JALAPENO SKULL CORNBREAD

These are both fun and festive and make a great accompaniment to any soup, chili, or stew.  The cornbread is perfectly crumbly, the jalapeno adds a bit of heat, and the cheddar adds a creamy flavor that mellows out some of the heat.  Enjoy hot out of the oven with a little butter (try this recipe for Cayenne Honey Butter) or dip in your soup!

One thing I want to point out is that I use a specific skull shaped pan to create the cornbread.  A link to the pan can be found here.

The recipe can be found here.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and spray the skull shaped pan liberally with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Combine the cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl, then set aside.

Add the butter and honey to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds (this should be plenty of time).  Stir to combine and set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the sour cream, buttercream, and egg together.  Once the honey/butter mixture is cool, add to the bowl and whisk to combine.  Then, pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until completely combined.

 

Add the corn, shredded cheese, chives, and jalapenos, and stir to combine.  I use whole kernel corn so the pieces of corn in the cornbread are larger.  If you want smaller pieces of corn, use crushed corn, or chop the corn first.

Spoon the mixture into the skull cavities, making sure to fill each evenly.  You can always take some batter out of one and add to another if needed.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean or only has a few crumbs.  Let the cornbread cool for a few minutes then remove from the pan and place on a serving platter.  The cornbread should easy slide out of each cavity if the cooking spray did its job 😊

Serve immediately, while still warm, and enjoy!  The recipe makes 6 cornbread skulls (they are quite large).

The recipe can be found here.

INDIVIDUAL MUMMY CHICKEN POT PIES

These pot pies are more cute than spooky, but they sure do the trick!  They are kid-friendly, easy to make, and are a great meal before going trick or treating (or after when you need a break from candy).  I prefer the pot pies as individual servings, but you can make one large pot pie if you prefer.  Simply use a 9-inch pie pan vs 4- 8oz ramekins/cocottes.  The filling holds up well and makes great leftovers.  We made 2 individual servings for dinner one night and had the other 2 individual servings the next night.

The recipe can be found here.

Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place 4-8 oz ramekins or cocottes on the baking sheet.  The parchment paper will help with overflow and easy cleanup!  You don’t need any lids for the ramekins/cocottes so set those aside and lightly spritz the inside of each with cooking spray.

Next, prepare all ingredients.  Shred the rotisserie chicken, chop the onion, carrots, celery, and parsley, and mince the garlic.  Set all aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery.  Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions and celery are translucent.  Add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables.  Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  The flour acts as the thickener in this recipe.

Add the thyme, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.  Then add the chicken, peas, and parsley, and stir to combine.  It’s OK if the peas are still frozen, they will thaw quickly in the sauce.  Remove from the heat and let sit while you prepare the crust.

Let the pie crust sit on the counter to soften while you prepare the filling so it’s easy to unroll and doesn’t crack.  After unrolling, use a drinking glass to cut out round circles.  The glass should be about 4-4 ½ inches in size but make sure to measure your ramekins/cocottes first!  This was the perfect size for my containers.  Place the cut-out dough in the bottom of each ramekins/cocotte.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the remaining dough into thin strips, about 4-5 inches in length.

If you are using a pie pan and making one large pot pie, simply place the unrolled crust in the bottom of the pie pan and smooth around the edges. 

Scoop the mixture into the ramekins/cocottes until filled (or pour the entire mixture into the pie pan).  Use the strips of dough to create a mummy pattern, weaving and overlapping the dough as needed.  You do not need to use all the dough, just as much as you want to create your mummies.  Discard any remaining dough.  Press down on the dough that hangs over the sides.

If you are using a pie pan, slice one of the pie crusts into strips, about 1-inch in diameter and long enough to fit the diameter of the pie pan.  Follow the same process of weaving and overlapping the dough to make the mummy face.  Press down on the dough that hangs over the sides. 

Whisk the egg with 1 tsp water and brush over the dough.  This step is optional but helps make a golden-brown crust.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and starting to turn that nice golden-brown color.  The pot pie filling should be bubbling.  I would bake the pie pan for the same amount of time as the individual serving sizes and add additional time as needed but 20-25 min is a good starting point considering the filling is already cooked and heated through.

Remove from the oven and carefully place 2 candy eyes on each to create the mummy face.

If you are using a pie pan you might be able to find jumbo size candy eyes to use.  Otherwise, the smaller size candy eyes will work just fine.

Serve immediately and enjoy!  Be careful to not burn yourself on the hot ramekins/cocottes or filling.

The recipe can be found here.

JACK O’ LANTERN HAND PIES

This is a great recipe for those hectic Halloween nights when you are trying to have a quick meal so you can get into costume and either trick or treat or pass out candy.  They are easy to make (if you have a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter), can be customized to anyone’s taste, and are quite festive.  I like to make 2 varieties, one with ham and one with turkey, but you can use salami, roast beef, pastrami, you name it!  Simplify it even further with store-bought dough and a variety of condiments you probably already have in your pantry.  Super fun and very kid friendly!  They also hold up well for leftovers the next day or to make throughout Halloween week for lunches.

The recipe can be found here.

Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make sure to leave the pie crust out for about 10-15 minutes before using so it doesn’t tear or crack while unrolling.  Once softened, unroll the pie crusts, and use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to cut 8 pumpkins out of each pie crust (total of 16 pumpkin).  If you can fit more, great!  I was maxed out at 8 pumpkins per crust with the size of my cookie cutter.

If you don’t have a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter and aren’t interested in investing in one, you can draw or trace a pumpkin shape on paper or cardboard, cut it out and use that to cut out the dough.  It’s a bit more tedious but will still get the job done.  You can also use a different shape cookie cutter – ghost, witch hat, etc.

Place 8 pumpkins on the baking sheet.  These will be the bottom layer.  Use a paring knife to slice eyes, nose, and a mouth (or whatever pattern you prefer) out of the 8 pumpkins still on the counter.  Leave these on the counter for now.

Add 1 Tsp of Dijon mustard or honey mustard to each pumpkin on the baking sheet and spread ALMOST to the edges.  You do need to leave a little room so you can crimp the edges.  This is where some of the customization comes in.  Use yellow mustard or mayo, add a drop of hot sauce, etc. if you don’t like/want to use Dijon or honey mustard.

Break the cheese into squares and place 1-2 pieces on each pumpkin (on top of the mustard).  I used cheddar and Swiss because I happen to like the flavor combinations, but your favorite flavor of cheese works just fine.

Break the sliced deli meat into smaller pieces and arrange on top of the cheese.  Again, use any meat of your choice.  I happened to use turkey and ham.

Place the remaining pumpkins (the faces) on top and use a fork to crimp around the edges to seal the pumpkins.  Whisk the egg in a small bowl with 1 Tsp water and brush on top of each pumpkin.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the pie crust is cooked through and starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Then, transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.  Enjoy!

Any leftovers should be cooled completely and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

The recipe can be found here.

DARK CHOCOLATE GHOULISH HALLOWEEN COOKIES

These are a very tasty treat!  The cookies are soft and chewy, packed full of decadent dark chocolate, and have plenty of festive M&M candies.  Make a batch to bring to work, to enjoy while passing out candy, or to refuel while talking around the neighborhood collecting candy!

The recipe can be found here.

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (don’t worry, the cookies don’t taste anything like espresso or coffee).  With the stand mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and continue to mix until well combined.  You can increase the speed of the stand mixer to help mix the dough if it seems to be struggling on low speed.

Add the chocolate chips and M&M candies and mix to combine.

Use a 2 Tbsp size ice cream scoop to scoop the dough and place on the baking sheets.  You should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet – 3 rows of 4, for a total of 24 cookies.  Do not flatten the dough, leave it in a ball shape.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are soft in the center and starting to crisp around the edges.  The centers will appear puffy, for reference.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.  If I’m being honest, I never wait for them to be fully cooled before sampling!  There’s nothing better than a cookie hot out of the oven!  Serve and enjoy or store in an airtight container on the counter.

The recipe can be found here.

There you have it!  A collection of easy recipes for a weeknight meal, potluck at work, or Halloween party.  Perfect for any ghoul or boy 😊

Happy Cooking and Happy Halloween!