Halloween Blondies

Tomorrow is Halloween! I'm so excited, although I still don't have an entire costume yet. If anyone wants to donate one before tomorrow, please feel free! As of right now, I'm a cross between a dark angel and a vampire. Anyways, I am not a huge fan of blondies, but my blondie-loving friends declared this recipe a huge success. I thought they used to have blondie mixes at the store, so I went to check for y'all, but I couldn't find any. Also, if you wanted, you could alter the design of the Reese's Pieces to show a pumpkin, ghost, or anything Halloween-themed.

I mixed everything together in the saucepan to avoid piling up unecessary dirty dishes, and it worked fantastic! I'd suggest using a slightly deeper pan than I did though because I had to very carefully mix to avoid getting flour everywhere.

Candy Corn Gelatin with Grand Marnier

IT'S ALMOST HALLOWEEN! Well, kind of. Halloween is two weeks and two days away! I have already changed my Halloween costume plans four times: Alice in Wonderland, Ke$ha, vampire, dark angel. Who knows. My family throws a HUGE Halloween party, so I'll be sure to post some adorable craft ideas in the next few days as well. And as y'all all know, candy corn is the epitome of  Halloween. I had so many ideas involving candy corn, but I didn't want to get too carried away, so I picked the best one. The orange layer has Grand Marnier, but feel free to take it out. The Grand Marnier gave the dessert a deeper, more complex citrus flavor. This recipe is best made in adorable 8 oz glasses (which neither I or Wal-mart had), so I had to use slightly larger glasses and larger quantities.  

This recipe was so easy. You simply layer the jello one layer at a time, and chill in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes each time. And if you leave it in there longer, it's okay! After the layers had set, I whipped up some whipped cream (I whipped about half a cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract). I like my whipped cream very sweet, so edit it to your tastes. 

For the photographs, I piped my whipped cream onto the gelatin, but it looks equally pretty if you dollop a spoonful on top. Just throw on some candy corn, and you're good to go!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are. so. addicting. I ate one nonchalantly and before I knew it, I had eaten 6. SIX. In less than ten minutes. Thank goodness I had a lot left to take to my family reunion that day. They are buttery, melt-in-your mouth, chocolately delicious. Perfect for parties, potlucks, hoarding, whatever. Oh, and be on the lookout for Halloween specials! I will post at least 5 Halloween-themed desserts! What would you like to see?

I didn't have any espresso powder on hand, so I used instant coffee. If you're looking for a deeper intense coffee flavor, use the instant espresso powder and toss in some Kahlua.

Candy Sushi

This is a great project to get kids involved in the kitchen! My friend is gluten-free, so we used gluten-free Rice Krispies, but feel free to use regular Rice Krispies, it will work the same. Rice Krispies treats and candy is used to imitate Japanese sushi in this adorable dessert. Substitute or add any of your favorite candy; this recipe is extremely versatile.