October Vibes
Published October 11, 2023
Give 'em pumpkin to talk about with these tricks and treats perfect for Halloween.
The Ghost
A hauntingly good cocktail topped with pumpkin spice for the party host who wants to keep their Halloween classy and whimsical.
Ingredients:
1½ ounces white rum
3 ounces Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Creamer
1 teaspoon honey syrup – 2 parts honey mixed with 1 part water
Pumpkin pie spice
Pour the rum and Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Creamer into a shaker with ice and add the honey syrup. Shake vigorously and pour into a frosted coup glass. Dip a toothpick into the pumpkin pie spice and tap over the glass.
Seedy Pumpkin Rolls
Festive and delicious rolls that add a touch of edible décor to a dinner table. These cuties can also be served warm and toasted to house a burger patty or used for an egg and cheese sandwich.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of warm milk
1 packet of active dry yeast
3 teaspoons of sugar
4 ¼ cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg
½ cup fresh finely grated parmesan cheese
32 – 10-inch pieces of thin baking twine – 4 pieces per bun
Egg wash – 1 egg mixed with 1+ teaspoon of water
Sesame Seeds or Everything Seasoning, if desired
For the dough - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the yeast, sugar and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy. Turn the mixer on low. Add the flour, salt, butter, egg and cheese – in that order. Continue to mix and knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until elastic. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let sit in a warm place for 1 ½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
For the pumpkins - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the dough has proofed, cut into 8 even sections. Keeping unused dough covered with wet towel or plastic wrap while working with each section, roll 1 section of dough into ball using slightly floured hands. Lay 4 pieces of twine in a star crisscross shape on a slightly floured surface. Place dough ball in the center and bring one piece of twine up and around to tie in a knot at the top. Repeat with 3 other pieces of twine trying to keep segments evenly spaced to resemble a pumpkin. Place trussed dough on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Repeat process with 7 remaining dough balls, making sure to leave plenty of space between each one. Brush each pumpkin with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds, if desired. Bake about 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Place pumpkin rolls on cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, carefully cut away the twine.
Black Chip Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Dip
Covered in Target’s frightfully fun Halloween Edition Black Tortilla Chips, this easy to make indulgent cheese ball will have your guests haunting for more.
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoon mild salsa
3 tablespoon minced yellow onion
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bag of Target’s Halloween Black (and Orange) Tortilla Chips, black chips separated and crushed
1 pumpkin stem, cut from small sized pumpkin
Tortilla chips, bagel chips, veggies or crackers for serving
Beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salsa, onion and cumin in a large bowl. Place on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball/pumpkin shape. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving and coat with crushed tortillas chips. Garnish with stem and serve with veggies and chips.
The Spiced Pumpkin
A spectacular centerpiece for a Halloween party or Thanksgiving dinner, this cake has cozy fall spices, a sweet and tangy cream cheese buttercream, and edible black chocolate leaves.
Leaf and Stem Ingredients:
2 pretzel rods
Baking twine
Fresh leaves, washed in soap and water, and dried
1/2 bag of black candy melts
Vegetable oil
Edible shimmer
Kitchen grade painting brush
Cake Ingredients:
2 6-cup Bundt pans
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground gloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp coarse salt
2 ½ tsp vanilla
For the leaves and stem - Make in advance so chocolate can set in harden. Melt the candy melts in the microwave in a heatproof bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until fully melted. Add a dash of vegetable oil at a time, if needed, to thin slightly. Stir well. For the leaves, lay the desired number of leaves face down on a parchment-lined baking sheet sized to lay flat on a freezer shelf. Leaving a space for the pretzel rod stem on the sheet, coat the veiny back side of each leaf with the melted candy melts thick enough so that it is not see-through. Set aside. Wrap a piece of twine around the base of 2 pretzel rods and coat the top half of the length of rods with melted candy melts. Set on parchment lined sheet with leaves and place in the freeze for 10 minutes or until set. Repeat coating the pretzel rods until desired look of the “stem” is achieved. Remove the twine. Carefully remove the leaves from the chocolate and brush leaves with edible shimmer, if desired. Keep chocolate in freezer until cake is ready to be assembled.
For the cake - Preheat oven 325°F. Grease Bundt pans and slightly coat with flour. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk them together and set aside. Mix the buttermilk, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in separate medium bowl and mix until combined and smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and smooth. Pour the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
For the buttercream - In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn the speed to low, and slowly add the 5 cups of powdered sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for several minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl down often, until frosting is light and fluffy. If too soft, add an additional cup of powdered sugar.
Assembly - Remove cooled cakes from pans. Slightly level the bottom of each cake, removing about ¼” to create a flat level surface. Place one of the cakes up-side down on a cake board. Spread the flat side with a layer of buttercream. Place the other cake on top, right side up creating a round pumpkin shape. Crumb-coat the entire surface of the cake with a thin layer of frosting and refrigerate for about 15 minutes to set. Using an icing spatula, frost cake by spreading frosting from the base to the top, filling in the middle of the cake to complete the pumpkin shape. Continue around the cake until it appears to have groves like a pumpkin. Cut about an inch off the bottom of the pretzel rods and place in the center of the cake to create the stem. Garnish with desired about of leaves.
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley