By Amanda Sachs

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time for some good fall food! From pumpkin themed treats to monstrous cupcakes, everything you need to make your autumn sweet can be found in the recipes down below!

Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • ⅔ cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup canned pure pumpkin
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 8oz package cream cheese (room temp.)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (room temp.)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

 

  • Orange, Black food coloring
  • Mini muffin pans 13/4×1-inch paper liners

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 mini muffin cups with 1 3/4x 1-inch paper liners. Mix flour, golden brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. Whisk egg, canned pure pumpkin, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Add mixture to dry ingredients; stir to fully combine. Spoon batter into paper liners (batter will almost fill liners). Scatter crystallized ginger over, if desired. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on rack. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar.

Divide frosting among 3 bowls. Tint frosting in the first bowl with orange coloring (or combine red and yellow coloring to make orange) and frosting in the second bowl with black coloring, keeping frosting in third bowl white. Chill frosting 2 hours or until firm enough to easily spread. Frost cupcakes; decorate using candy and sugar crystals as desired.

 

Yummy Pumpkin Cookies

Soft-Pumpkin-Cookies-1

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick baking spray
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Beat sugar and butter with mixer on medium high speed, then blend in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until incorporated.
  4. Gradually mix in flour and dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for 3-4 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  6. Scoop dough into one inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar, place dough balls on the baking sheet (12 per sheet) and bake for 11-13 minutes.
  7. Remove from baking sheet to a cooling rack. When completely cool, store cookies in an airtight container.

 

Spooky Cheesecake

spooky-spider-chocolate-cheesecake1

Ingredients:

  • Crust
    1. 1 ½ cups ground chocolate wafers (Famous Chocolate Wafers)
    2. 4 tablespoons sugar
    3. 5 tablespoons butter
  • Filling
    1. 2  package cream cheese
    2. 1/2 c. sugar
    3. 2  large eggs
    4. 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
    5. 1/2 c. sour cream
    6. Yellow food coloring

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
  2. Combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl; stir well. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom and sides of the prepared tart pan. Bake until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
  3. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and making sure to scrape sides of the bowl. Add orange zest and sour cream and beat until just blended.
  4. Add 4 drops of yellow food coloring and stir well to blend. Remove 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and place into a small bowl. Add 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the 1/2 cup batter and stir well. Spoon into a resealable bag.

Pour light yellow batter into baked tart crust and smooth top. Snip a very small corner from the bag with darker yellow batter. Pipe random spots of batter on top of the tart in a variety of sizes to make the cheese holes. Bake tart until lightly puffed and center is just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.