Happy Halloween, to our RV’ing friends and family! Whether you are one of those people who loves the fun of Halloween, decorates the house, the yard, and dresses up to boot, or if you’re a parent of some little ones who will be dressing up for trick or treating, OR if you really just couldn’t care less about the festivities altogether, the fact of the matter is, Halloween is a great excuse for eating treats of all kinds. With that in mind, we thought we’d give you a couple quick, easy, and delicious recipes for some sweets that you could whip up quickly and easily today just in case you’re expecting some ghosts and goblins to knock on your door, or in case you want to lock the door, turn out the porch light, and treat yourself just because you can. Either way, we hope you enjoy these fun recipes, and we wish you a very Spooktacular Halloween!
Halloween Popcorn Treats
Here’s what you’ll need:
Vegetable cooking spray
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 cups (12-ounces) mini marshmallows
6 fun-size caramel peanut chocolate bars (such as Snickers), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 (3-inch) chocolate chip cookies, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped salted almonds,
1/2 cup orange and black chocolate candies (such as M and Ms)
Here’s how you do it:
Spray the inside of a large mixing bowl with vegetable cooking spray, and lightly spray a baking sheet. Set aside.
In a 3 quart or larger, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil and popcorn over medium-high heat. Cover the pan and shake gently. Cook until all the kernels have popped, about 3 minutes. Place the popcorn in the prepared bowl.
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over low heat. Add the vanilla extract and marshmallows. Stir constantly until the marshmallows have melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Using a spatula, sprayed with cooking spray, stir until the popcorn is coated. Spread the mixture over the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the chocolate bar pieces, cookies, almonds and chocolate candies. Using a spatula, gently press the toppings into the popcorn. Allow the mixture to dry for 1 hour.
Break into 2-inch pieces and store airtight in a plastic container.
Candy Bar Chocolate Brownies
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted, plus a little more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 mini chocolate-peanut candybars, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups), refrigerator cold (recommended – Snickers fun size)
Here’s how you do it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13-inch cake pan (aluminum is fine) with butter. Beat the 1 1/2 sticks butter and the sugar together in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then stir in water and vanilla. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder over the mixture, then mix in. Do the same with the cocoa. Finally, stir in the flour until just blended.
Put the candy bars in a food processor or blender and pulse on low speed until all the bars have been reduced to a coarse crumble. Fold the crumble into the batter thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the center is set, the edges look a bit crusty, and the top of the brownies start to crack a little. Cool completely before cutting into squares.