My knowledge of fun things for Halloween is small compared to the ideas that Dolores has for you. Since I have a much smaller operation than she has I don’t do cookies, small occasion cakes and etc.  But my grandchildren occasionally want something fun.  Here is an idea for you if someone wants something nice for Halloween with a HALLOWEEN THEME:

"LOVE WEB" CAKE: Bake a layer cake and cover it with chocolate ganache  (place 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in a pan over low heat.  Add 1 lb. Chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are totally melted  and the mixture is very shiny.  Let this mixture cool and ice your  cake with a thin coat of buttercream making sure to leave your cake as smooth as possible.)  Melt a small amount of white chocolate and put that into a bag and keep it warm (on a heating pad or in a crock pot with warm water.  Oops I better explain that a little more.  You put some warm water in the crock pot and place a glass or jar into the water and then the bag of melted white chocolate into the glass.  This will keep it warm until you are ready to use it.
   Place the cake on a rack over a tray and then pour the ganache icing over the cake on a board the same size as the cake.  You want the extra icing to run off and down into the tray below.  While that icing is still warm and soft take your white melted chocolate and make rings or circles around the cake and then with a toothpick drag the toothpick through the rings or circles to resemble a spider web.
   Now  with a hot hair dryer on low blowing on the top of cake until your toothpick marks have dissapeared leaving the top of the cake smooth.  Be careful though or you will blow holes in that icing.  I have this cake in a heart shape in my grooms cake books and it is called love web.
   So if you need something nice instead of really yucky for Halloween this is a choice.  Adults having a low keyed party would appreciate this cake for Halloween.

   You could do the same thing with royal icing or color flow on top of sugar cookies.  Ice the cookies with white soft icing and draw the circles with black and drag the toothpick to make the spider web.  Using black jelly beans and black royal icing attach the jelly bean somewhere on the top of the cookie and pipe the legs.
   Dolores has so many wonderful ideas for you so hear comes Dolores...............

Cantbfound: ? can you bake any cookie and freeze ahead for the holidays?
CCChefDol: yes, but wrap and seal them well...then thaw before unwrapping

BLACK CAT CUPCAKES
1 1/4 cup Oreo(r) cookie crumbs
18 1/4 ozs chocolate cake mix
24 Halloween Oreo(r) cookies
16 ozs  reduced fat milk chocolate frosting
black string licorice
jelly beans
semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 24-2 1/2" muffin cups with cooking spray and flour; set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package directions; stir in cookie crumbs. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.
   Make cat faces on each of the remaining cookies: using some frosting, attach four-1 1/2" licorice strings for whiskers, 2 jelly bean halves for eyes and 2 chocolate chips for ears. Let set at least 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting. Stand cat faces on edge on each cupcake. Place 3" piece licorice string on back half of each cupcake for tail.

BLACK WIDOW SNACK CAKES
1 Devil's food cake mix
Vegetable cooking spray
GLAZE
4 cups Powdered sugar; sifted
5-7 tbls Milk
DECORATING ICING:
1 cup Powdered sugar; sifted
1/4  cup Unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons Milk
Plastic spiders (available at Sugarcraft)

Prepare cake as directed on package. Pour into 2, 8" square aluminum foil pans coated with cooking spray; bake at 350~ for 30-35 minutes or until tested done. Cool in pans on wire racks. Combine 4 cups powdered sugar and 5-7 tbls milk in a large bowl; spread a thin layer evenly over each cake. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa and 2 tbls milk; spoon into a small zip-lock bag. Close bag securely and snip a tiny hole in bottom corner of bag. Carefully pipe circles onto each cake. Pipe straight lines at intervals from the inner circle through the outside circle, forming a web design. Garnish with plastic spiders.

HALLOWEEN SPIDER CAKE
18 1/4 oz box white cake mix
4 serv  pkg green gelatin*
Black Frosting
blue food coloring
chocolate frosting
Decorations
4 black licorice
2 big green gumballs
6 little gumballs

Prepare cake and gelatin according to package directions.  Except use 9" round cake pans for the cake.  Cut a smaller  circle out of one cake and using it as the head.  Fill the hole left over with gelatin.  Place the other layer on top and trim to shape.  To prepare frosting, in a mixing bowl, add blue food coloring to chocolate frosting until black in color.
Frost cake black.  Then, use the black licorice as legs and gumballs as eyes.
NOTE: We usually use one petite doll cake and half of the egg pan. Whichever, its SO cute.

CCChefDol: ...another idea on that BLACK icing...ice the cake white then airbrush it black OR---spread a thin layer of black icing on with a knife....won't have to get black mouths
CCChefPwd: Then a lot of people would have black mouths. When you start with chocolate icing it doesn't take so much black color
Thinkchoc: and tastes better too!
CCChefDol: I don't like to make the icing REAL black.. Leaving it dark chocolate is tastier looking
CCChefPwd: Only color icing to a charcoal gray and it will finish turning black as it sits
Tbdecor1: Like the tip on the blue coloring to choc. icing to make black.
CCChefDol: ...just thinking.. on that blue food coloring. Since red-yellow-blue = black...brown already contains red & yellow...and still needs blue - see? I like to mix black...from those 3 primary colors, do it often.

HALLOWEEN TRUFFLES
1 lb Merckens coating chocolate
Halloween mini baking pan
Candy cups
Wilton mini pumpkins icing Lay-ons
1/2 cup Whipping cream

Chop candy melts coarsely;  set aside. Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once cream reaches a boil, remove from heat; add chopped coating and cover pan. Let stand approximately 5 minutes, or until coating has melted. Stir until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until firm. Roll into  rounds. Truffles may be rolled in a variety of coatings, such as cocoa, coconut or chopped nuts.
   Place in Halloween Baking cups or pipe directly into candy cups. To pipe, refrigerate truffle mixture just until it holds the shape when spooned. Place in a decorating bag fitted with tip 21. Add mini pumpkin icing decorations.

HALLOWEEN CANDY SPIDERS
1 lb Merckens coating chocolate
1 Can chow mein noodles (may not need all of them)
1 Pkg. M&Ms. Plain Chocolate Candy

Melt chocolate in microwave.  Stir in noodles.  Drop by spoon onto waxed paper.  Add 2 M & M's for spider eyes.

GINGERBREAD GHOST COOKIES
Make gingerbread cookies: Roll and cut out the cookie with a ghost-shaped cookie cutter and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove form the oven and let cool thoroughly on a wire rack before decorating with frosting.
FROSTING:
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
8-ounce package miniature chocolate chips
   Using half of the sugar and add the vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of the milk. Mix well. Add the remaining sugar and mix again. Add as much of the remaining milk as you need to reach the desired consistency for spreading. Spread the frosting on each cookie until it is totally white and looks like a ghost. For eyes, use two chocolate chips on each of the cookies. Makes 2 dozen

CCChefPwd: How can it be white if you are using chocolate chips?
CCChefDol: choc chips for decorations

NASTY SPIDER CAKE
1 Cake mix
1 pk Green Jell-O prepared
Black frosting
8 Licorice sticks
8 Gumdrops
 
Take your average cake mix. Bake it up in 2 metal bowls--1 bigger than the other. Once unmolded, cut the bigger one (the "body") in  half, horizontally. CAREFULLY scoop out an adequate cavity in each half. FILL with well-whipped set green Jell-O, and reattach the  halves. Frost black, arrange on serving platter. Use licorice sticks as legs. Use 2 BIG green gumdrops and 6 little ones as eyes. When the cake is cut into, it spurts green goop, just like a real spider when stepped on.

NOTES : Another good cake.  I would modify this one by using two round pans, cutting a smaller circle out of one and using it as the head and filling the hole left over.  Place the other layer on top, and trim to shape

HALLOWEEN CRISP CANDY CORN TREATS
1/2 cup Butter
10 cups Crispy rice cereal
9 cups Miniature marshmallows
2 cups Mixture of candy corn-and Indian candy corn
3/4 cup Miniature chocolate chips
Candy pumpkins
Orange food coloring

Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth. In a  large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy corn and miniature chips together. Add orange food coloring to  marshmallow mixture, or squirt over cereal in bowl. Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine. Spread on a large buttered jelly roll pan; press with buttered hands. While warm, press on candy pumpkins spaced 1 to 1/2-2 inches apart.  Refrigerate and cut into squares.
Note: these are great for school treats for the class's Halloween party.

HINTS FOR HALLOWEEN FUN:
1. BATS: Take black paste food coloring and stir it into any basic sugar cookie recipe. The dough will turn a rich black that's perfect for making bat cookies. Use your bat-shaped cookie cutter.

2. Scrambled eggs feel and look much more like brains than cold spaghetti - add a few drops of green, red and blue food coloring as you're beating the eggs and the final product will frighten even the most hardened child.

3.  A drop of two of red coloring turn grapefruit sections pale pink making them into very convincing thumbs.

4.  Instant bloody eyeballs. Drop a pint of cherry tomatoes into a pot of boiling water, blanch them for a minute and then drain and slip off their skins.

5. You can also shake salt over a lighted jack o lantern candle and make blue sparks.

6. BUGGY PUNCH: Freeze plastic bugs in chunks of ice for your blood red punch (make sure no one accidentally use these as cubes).

7. FACE PAINT: Cold cream or shortening and ordinary food coloring can be used for face paint.

8. FAKE BLOOD: Corn syrup and food coloring creates a nice "blood" mixture (be careful - it may stain).
CCChefPwd: Will that food coloring wash off?
CCChefDol: nope
CCChefPwd: Blue face the day after LOL

BLOODY DEVIL DOGS (I couldn't resist this one even if it isn't cake or candy!)
Hot Dogs
Hot Dog Rolls
Ketchup
   Cook hot dogs as you would normally, on the stove or grill. Take the buns and, with CLEAN
scissors or a knife, cut out little triangle on the top part facing out. When done, the bun will look
like a mouth with the upper teeth showing. Place hot dogs inside the bun, then put on ketchup.

DPastry: Peeled grapes feel just like eye balls in the dark.
CCChefDol: DP...thats a good one!

Ploeger642: Meringue ghosts are always quick & easy.  Bake them and add faces
DPastry: You just gave me an idea to finish the pumpkin cake.  Hang some ghosts over the side.

JWGPKG: I also made peanut butter filling rounds, coat w/white chocolate, use either
JWGPKG: blue, green or brown M&M's for the iris, with a dot of black icing.
JWGPKG: How much more real can you get?  Oh, and pipe on red lines for bloodshot eyes.

GOOO8: caught me betwixt & between ... doing Hall. cake
CCChefDol: GOOO, what are you decorating it like?
GOOO8: using cookie cutter designs to imprint a large pumpkin and a scary cat
GOOO8: vines, leaves, etc.
CCChefDol: the cookie cutter for a marker is a great idea too
JuiceMama: OH, don't forget the choc cupcakes with crumb cookie for dirt and gummy worm in middle
GOOO8: and am trying the pumpkin cake recipe found on the Board with maple icing. I learned 1 t. maple is quite strong
DPastry: I usually give the kids cupcakes with candy in the middle and gummy worms on top
JuiceMama: you can poke hole in middle and kinda tuck worm in there...ewww

Thinkchoc: anyone done fondant bows-need advice how the go together
CCChefPwd: I do fondant/gumpaste bows
Thinkchoc: Pwd did them from fondant how do I assemble never did them before??
CCChefPwd: What type of bows.  Loop package bows or dress bow
Thinkchoc: Loops
CCChefPwd: I use royal icing to put them together.  Put down a piece of wax paper and pipe a circle of thick royal icing in the middle. Place your bow loops into the royal and then pipe more royal icing on top of those loops in the middle. Then put more loops into that - continue until your bow is complete.
   Some of your loops must be shorter to make the bow look right.  The top center of the bow requires shorter loops. Let it dry overnight and then peal the wax paper off very carefully
Thinkchoc: thanks-doing a cake-stack of three packages, topped with cake like Tiffany box for an engagement
Thinkchoc: Pwd could they be assembled on the cake with buttercream icing??
CCChefPwd: They won't be a stable - the more loops - the more difficult it is to keep everything in place with buttercream icing
Thinkchoc: ok thanks, I have wide loops about 9 total, different heights
CCChefPwd: Not near enough loops Think.  I usually make at least 30 loops
CCChefPwd: Oh woops mine are not wide loops   LOL
Thinkchoc: oh oh!! looks like I'll be making some more!!
CCChefPwd: Depends on the look you want.  Better to have to many than not enough

Icing Wiz: I just received a poster from rice Krispie treats and how you can do a large one and decorate
it like a cake. They had tons of ways it is really inspiring
CCChefDol: Icing...you can fill a cake pan w/ r. Krispies like that for a cake dummy...really good to know if you want to make a dummy of a character pan
Icing Wiz: so next time someone asks for me to bring dessert they will get a large decorated rice Krispie treat LOL

DPastry: Hi everyone sorry I'm late, had some cakes to do and my oven just went!!!! And I am so mad, could spit gum drops!!!!
CCChefDol: DP...was it the element?
DPastry: It was some kind of a computer chip.  Had numerous outages on it.
DPastry: No just my mom lives next door and she is asleep by now
CCChefPwd: It went out and it wasn't even the year 2000 yet.
DPastry: It was a Sears brand.  No more for me from Sears.
DPastry: I left the policy lapse last year cause we were strapped financially.
CCChefDol: do Sears come fix it on time?
Tbdecor1: Need to get gas (propane) they're great!
DPastry: I would love to have a whirlpool, the one that cooks on both shelves.
CCChefDol: I had a Westinghouse that lasted me 20 years of VERY hard baking. I prefer electric stoves
CCChefPwd: I have one gas and one electric and the gas actually bakes a little better
Tbdecor1: I just love my gas....LOL

Marksfamly: i have a question, i hope you guys can help. i just baked and decorated the stand up jack o lantern cake, and i am wondering if it is going to be a problem transporting. Has anyone ever delivered one of these? also, i am not sure what to charge
CCChefPwd: Do you have it well supported?
CCChefDol: Mark...good if it can set overnight
Marksfamly: it is only on a circle, it will be sitting overnight
CCChefDol: I have never made that cake since we can't guarantee customers can get them home
CCChefPwd: Put something else under that cake to transport it.  Cardboard circle is not enough support
DPastry: If you live on a tarred road no problem if you take the corners easy. I usually have my husband go along and hold the cakes.
CCChefDol: ...I would on this cake...have hubby hold it.
DPastry: Where on earth did you find out about all of this CC
Marksfamly: thanks, i am hoping it will be easier after it has sat overnight, but i am worried about them transporting it home
CCChefPwd: If you have a wooden board - put some of that non skid mat on it and then your pumpkin cake on top of that
Marksfamly: i don't know how else to support it
Marksfamly: good idea