"Tips & Tricks" to creating delicious confections for Halloween!

Fox19 Cincinnati, Live TV Segment
"Tips & Tricks" to creating delicious Halloween Treats

Witch Cake Topper!

Easy & Smooth Cake Icing

SEMISWEET  CHOCOLATE GANACHE

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
13.5 oz. Heavy Cream
2 oz. unsalted butter, room temp.
1 oz. liquor of preference 

INSTRUCTIONS

BREAK Chocolate into pieces.
HEAT cream to boiling point.
POUR cream into chocolate, let sit for a few seconds.
STIR chocolate and cream until chocolate is completely dissolved.
ADD Butter and stir until melted
TRANSFER to a bowl and let sit to cool completely.
APPLY on cake with icing smoother
REFRIGERATE iced cake for 10 minutes, or until chocolate icing sets.

---

Witch & Monster "Finger Shaped" Cookies!

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat Oven to 350F

INGREDIENTS

Your Favorite Sugar Cookies Recipe or Store bought Sugar Cookie dough
Homemade or store bought berry preserve (I recommend raspberry)
Blanched & Toasted Whole Almonds 
1 tablespoon of Baking soda (to blanch Almonds)

COOKIE DOUGH:
ROLL cookies dough into long and thin logs
PLACE thin logs onto cookie sheet, within 1” of separation between cookies
PINCH log into 3 equal sections to create knuckles
FLATTEN logs to create a more realistic shape (slightly flatten)
MARK with back of a knife, three indentations to simulate knuckle wrinkles
INDENT end of log using an almond to create a nail cavity
REFRIGERATE finger-shaped cookie dough over cookie sheet for 10 min. (This will help dough to retain its shape)
BAKE according to cookie recipe or dough instructions. ADD 5-10 min. to specified baking time, to compensate for low temperature of cookies.
TEST for doneness by checking the color and borders of cookies
COOL until cookies release from baking tray effortlessly

BLANCHED ALMONDS:
BLANCH Almonds by boiling them on 2 cups of water, plus 1 tablespoon of Baking soda for approximately 5 min, or until skin releases from almonds
PLACE blanched almonds on cookie tray and toast until slightly brown

BERRY PRESERVES:
HEAT berry preserve to medium temperature (On saucepan)
ADD 1 tablespoon of boiled water to thin consistency.
POUR a drop of Berry preserve to indented mail cavity of sugar cookie

COOKIE ASSEMBLY:
TOP cookie with blanched almond. 
LET rest, until berry preserves thickens and hold almond in place.

COLOR cookies with shades of edible FDA approved powder color. Browns and greens were used on the examples.