Tasty Halloween Treats

For Blazers who yearn for candy, Halloween is the perfect excuse to indulge in sugary treats. So, why not add to the sugar haze by creating your own culinary concoctions? To help you, we chose four easy recipes sure to satiate Halloween cravings.

1. Sugar Cookies

First off, if you don't have the time to cook the cookies, the dough itself is delicious (unless you have a fear of salmonella). Otherwise, these cookies are great if you're looking to personalize your holiday treats with frosting designs and candy bits. On a scale of one to five, one being "unsuitable for human consumption" and five being "rocks your socks and your taste buds," we're going to have to give these cookies a two and a half. The icing and batter, on the other hand, earned a spectacular four.

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

1 c. butter

1 egg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. lemon flavor

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. soda

Directions: Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Mix all ingredients in the order they are written. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Lightly cover hands in flour before rolling dough into one-inch balls, coating each with a thin layer of sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. After cooking, break out the frosting and enjoy.

Recipe reprinted from "The Joy of Cooking."

2. Caramel Apples

This perfect October treat is quick and easy to make. Though the apples taste great, keep in mind that they are a bit messy to eat. On the aforementioned one to five scale, these crunchy munchies get a five for their ambrosial qualities and perfect texture.

Run to your nearest grocery store for:

6 small apples (or however many you want)

1 package of caramel dip (available at any grocery store)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

6 popsicle sticks (one per apple)

Directions: Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Empty the nuts onto the paper and divide into six equal heaps (if using nuts). Leave as much space as possible between each heap. Wash and dry the apples. Twist off the stems and push the popsicle sticks half-way on to the tops of the apples where the stems used to be. Dip the apples in the caramel. Use a knife to help cover the whole apple. Place each apple, stick side up, onto a heap of nuts and roll over to cover so the nuts cover all sides of the apple. Refrigeration is optional.

Recipe is an original from the authors.

3. Butterbeer

Every Harry Potter fan longs for Hogsmeade Butterbeer. Unfortunately, the Muggle world has yet to discover the secret to J.K. Rowling's magical beverage. Although the final product looks mouth watering, the drink does not taste anything like the heavenly brew Rowling describes. On our one to five scale, the Butterbeer gets a two for the unappealing skin of butter which congealed on top shortly after completion. When we were brave enough to try the Butterbeer after removing said sheen, the beverage was basically heated milk.

If you want to give Butterbeer a shot, you'll need:

2 1/2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 level teaspoon of butter

Directions: Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat on a stove. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend with a small hand-mixer if you have one to make the drink frothy. Bring the mixture almost to boiling, but don't let it boil. Pour into mugs and serve.

Recipe reproduced from You-Know-Whos' Informer online.

4. Pudding cake accented with candy

Warning: Anyone without an extreme sweet tooth should not attempt this recipe. With that in mind, this cake is positively scrumptious. Packed with candy bits and pudding inside a chocolate cake, iced and coated in more candy, makes this cake time-consuming but worth the work. This confection is the perfect opportunity to use Halloween candy. On the coveted one to five scale, this cake busts a six, based on sugar content alone. When rating the cake, however, one of your clever and rather clumsy authors (Alexis Egan) accidentally dropped the cake before the decoration process was finished. The cake was still looked superb, and was probably delicious, but we encourage you to eat the cake as opposed to dropping it.

The ingredients you'll need are:

1 package chocolate icing

1 package chocolate pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

2 packages chocolate cake mix and eggs, oil and water as directed on the package

Assorted candies, chocolate chips and/or cookies

Directions: Combine the cake mixes with water, oil and eggs. Empty the batter into the Bake N Fill cake pans and cook as directed on the package. While the cake cools, mix the chocolate instant jello with the milk. After the jello forms, crush candy and add to pudding. When the cake is cool, pour filling into the cake cavity and seal with base cake. Cautiously flip the cake over, ice as desired and decorate with the remainder of the crushed candy, chocolate chips and/or cookie crumbs. Do not drop.

This recipe is another great original by the authors.