Bunny Cakes

Easy Halloween Brownie Cookie Treats

I always try to sign up to bring soccer snacks right around Halloween time.  This weekend we brought these goodies to the team...Brownies + Frosting + Candy Corn Oreos + More Frosting + Ghostie Topper = Total Yumminess.

Here's the progression...Start with brownies baked in a mini-bundt cake pan...

Add some Halloween frosting (I used Pilsbury Halloween Funfetti)...For this layer you don't have to make the icing look pretty.  It will act as the glue to keep the Oreo on top of the brownie.

Next, add your Oreo cookie...we used the extra delicious and seasonal Candy Corn version.

Time to add more frosting...no complaints here.

Finally, add your Halloween topper.  These ghosties are from Wilton (we purchased them from Michael's), but if you didn't have these you can always use some candy corn.

Done!  Ready for the team!

-K

Martha's Halloween Hunt

Have you been playing along with Martha's Halloween Hunt on Instagram and Twitter?  Everyday she posts a new riddle, participants need to answer the riddle in their post.  Here are some our Halloween Instagrams pics (#MarthaHalloweenHunt).  Follow us on Instagram, our username is KayBeeBoo.

-----*Update*-----

Our picture was selected as the Week 2 Winner!  Thanks, Martha!

-K

Chevron Halloween Boo Poem

I have been biding my time till it is appropriate to start the neighborhood Boo chain.  Our family is definitely ready.  We just need to bake some brownies and wait for the cover of dark, oh yeah, and wait for it to be October.  OK, now that October is finally here we are giving a one week grace period for everyone else to get in the Halloween spirit and then we will strike.  Last year I created a new Boo Poem with some a cute ghostie Boo sign.  I had planned to use that for many years, but this year as I was biding my time I ended up creating a new version of the Boo Poem.  This version is a little more sophisticated, but still very festive.  You can download your free version of our updated *Chevron Boo Poem* here.  Here's a peek at what it looks like...

Here's the actual Boo poem (it is unchanged from last year):

*The Halloween Boo Poem* 

The phantom ghost has come to town 
To leave some goodies...I see you've found.
If you wish to make this a happier Fall...
Continue this greeting, this phantom call.

First, post this Ghost where it can be seen,
And leave it there until Halloween.
This will scare other Phantoms who may visit.
Be sure to participate, you don't want to miss it!

Next, leave treats at two doors where the Phantom hasn’t hit.
You have only two days to act, so be quick!
Deliver at dark when there isn't much light...
Ring the doorbell and run--stay out of sight!!

And last, but not least, come join in the season.
Don't worry, be happy, you need no good reason.
This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say...
Happy Halloween & Have a Great Ghosty Day!

Happy Booing!

-K

Nerd Alert

This year I promised to make the boys their Halloween costumes since I was home on maternity leave.  We started brainstorming in early September and were originally going to do something with an election theme until we came across the idea to be nerds--not just the Model UN/Math club types but also the candy.

To make the costumes I purchased appropriate sized cardboard boxes from staples that would fit around the boys.  I then cut foam core boards to match the width of the cardboard boxes.  Then I used markers and acrylic paint to create the nerd candy box design.  Since the proportion of my foam core boards didn't exactly match the nerd candy box I found it best to start with the largest design element (in this case the 'nerds' lettering) and then add everything else with an appropriate scale.  Specifically I used makers to outline all the lettering and the nerds figures and then painted the rest.  The sides and back of the cardboard boxes were painted either pink or purple to match the front.  We used gorilla glue to attach the foam core to the cardboard boxes.  And then finally we used ribbon in a suspender configuration to keep the boxes on the boys.  To make the bow ties I followed A Lemon Squeezy Home's tutorial.  I also made a purple candy nerd costume for Baby B, but don't have any good pictures of it.

 

Go Batty!

Bats are a fun and easy way to add some Halloween cheer to your home.  You can buy pre-cut bats from a bunch of different sources (Martha and Paper Source to name a few) or DIY.  Here are some pictures to inspire you.  The first one is from our home, the bats we used are from Martha.

-K

Halloween Oreo Cream Pie - The Easy Dessert

My previous post was all about the baking projects I have in mind to try for Halloween.  However, sometimes you don't have a lot of time to bake, but still want something sweet, festive and not store-bought.  The solution, Jell-o's Oreo No Bake Dessert.  I would usually turn my nose up at the bright blue box while cruising through the baking aisle at the grocery store, but something recently made me dump it into my cart.  The bright blue box sat in my pantry till one day the boys were 'bored' and wanted a project.  The *Oreo Cream Pie* turned out to be the perfect treat to make with the kids.  There are four steps to build it.  The first step is to melt butter--so easy it the kids can do it with a blindfold on.  Second step is to mix the oreo crumbs with the melted butter and tamp it down to form the bottom layer of the dessert--again, perfect for the kids.  The next step is to mix the pudding mix with milk using a beater--this step gets a little messy and is best for the adult to handle, but it is over in 3.5 minutes.  Finally, spread pudding over the crust and top with crushed ores and refrigerate.  To make it festive we added some additional crushed up Halloween Oreos, Halloween sprinkles and a candy corn pumpkin.  The taste is quite delicious and has quickly become a favorite in our house.

-K

Halloween Baking

Halloween baking is almost as fun as Christmas and Easter baking, but certainly equally delicious.  Last year I had my eye on several Halloween baking projects, but sadly I never got around to any of them.  I blame my uncharacteristically busy travel schedule for my lack of productivity.  This year I have no October travel plans, so we'll see how many projects I can get to.  I have added a bunch of treats to my *Halloween Baking To Do List* from last year, so my list grows longer...

*Brownie Pumpkins* - Orange icing and marzipan stems transform bundt cake brownies into little pumpkins from Country Living.

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*Candy Corn Cookies* - Granulated sugar added after these cookies are bake make these candy corn treats sparkle.  The full recipe can be found here.

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*Halloween Cookie Dough Pops* - Use your favorite cookie dough recipe and substitute 2 Tablespoons of milk for each egg.  Then follow these steps to make the pops.

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*Ghostie Cake Pops* - These are the cutest treats on the list.  They would be perfect for any Halloween dessert buffet.  The full recipe can be found here.

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*Halloween Parfaits* - Vanilla yogurt, crushed up Oreos and orange sprinkles make for an easy treat.  Full details can be found here.

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More Halloween ideas can be found on my Halloween Pinterest board.

-K

Halloween Boo

One of our favorite Halloween activities is 'Booing' our neighbors.  The boys like it because they get to sneak around at night and leave mysterious surprises for our neighbors and I like it because I get to put together fun Halloween packages.  This year I decided to create my own version of the Boo message to be left with the Halloween treats.  Please feel free to download your copy of the Boo poem and spread the Halloween cheer.  Update: Check out our latest Chevron version of the Boo Poem.

If you are unfamiliar with 'booing', then the poem below summarizes it all.

*The Halloween Boo Poem* (slightly modified)...

The phantom ghost has come to town
To leave some goodies...I see you've found.
If you wish to make this a happier Fall...
Continue this greeting, this phantom call.

First, post this Ghost where it can be seen,
And leave it there until Halloween.
This will scare other Phantoms who may visit.
Be sure to participate, you don't want to miss it!

Next, leave treats at two doors where the Phantom hasn’t hit.
You have only two days to act, so be quick!
Deliver at dark when there isn't much light...
Ring the doorbell and run--stay out of sight!!

And last, but not least, come join in the season.
Don't worry, be happy, you need no good reason.
This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say...
Happy Halloween & Have a Great Ghosty Day!

 

 Happy Booing!

-K

Halloween Redux

Today I started to gather up all my Halloween decorations to pack away till next year.  It makes me a little sad, but I am comforted by the fact I can bust out my Christmas decorations soon.  Before I say good bye to Halloween officially I thought I would share some final Halloween pictures.  

This year for Halloween costumes one of the boys stated he wanted to be something 'simple--nothing fancy'. He decided on Indiana Jones, while my other son oscillated between a million choices.  The tricky part with kids is to get them to commit to a costume and stay committed.  I thought the Indy costume was perfect and wanted to lock it in before he changed his mind to something else.  Then we came up with the idea that the boys, who are identical twins, would be Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones and Han Solo.  The boys received much positive feedback on their selection from relatives and other adults (who doesn't love Indy & Solo?), so I knew it was a go.  Putting together the two costumes was fairly easy and required only minor fabrication on my part.  

For our Halloween table I almost didn't do anything at all.  Things were too chaotic with the kitchen cabinets getting painted and all their contents spilled throughout the house.  In the end I followed the boys' lead and went with something 'simple--nothing fancy'.  Just a few elements made it festive enough: a black cat centerpiece surrounded by a few pumpkins, Halloween straws and black & white plates.

-K

Halloween Brownie Kabobs

Traditionally we always send in a treat to the boys teachers for Halloween.  Despite our kitchen being 'down for the count' we still managed to bake some brownies.  Instead of doing our typical candy roll packaging for the brownies, we decided to try something new: brownie kabobs!  We layered candy corn and orange & white M&M's on the bottom of a festive glass.  Then we piled on the mini-bundt cake brownies and stuck them through with a wooden skewer (mainly to make sure they don't fall over).  Finally we topped it all with a Ghostly peep.  We found that peeps leave a gooey mess on the skewer if you have to push it through far, so we just added the peep to the top brownie with a toothpick.  Wrap the whole thing in cello and tie with Halloween tag (ours are from Martha Stewart's Craft line) and ribbon for the perfect treat!

-K