Halloween!

Goblins, ghosts, and ghouls, oh my! It's that time of year for dressing up and eating tons of candy and sweet treats. And it just happens to be one of my favorite times of the year! I mean who doesn't love decorating the house all spooky, dressing up, and scaring their children silly?! This weekend was filled with carving pumpkins, getting costumes ready, and making a favorite sweet treat - melted witches. I can't remember where I first saw this years ago, but they are adorable and super yummy! They are so memorable, in fact, that the kiddos remembered this treat despite not having made them for years and were very excited to have them this year! It is our tradition to have chili for Halloween dinner, as it can be warm in the crock pot ready to eat after trick-or-treating, which is much needed as it is always super cold here in Colorado on Halloween. It's kind of an unspoken rule that you make sure your costumes either are a little too big to put layers underneath or are planned to be warm. I wanted to mix things up a bit this year, so I decided to make green chili instead of red chili. This was just fine with the hubby as green chili is his favorite. As I shared my recipe for this a while back, I don't have a new recipe but here it is again, for quick access. Anyway, the kids absolutely loved the melted witches and are already asking for these again next year. Make these for your next Halloween treat and your family will be asking for them for years to come!

What's cooking in my kitchen this week:
Melted witches

What you'll need:
1 bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips
1 bag (11.5 oz) white chocolate chips
1 package (15.25 oz) chocolate filled Oreo cookies
1 bag (7.5 oz) original Bugles
1 bag (15 oz) straight pretzels
1 bag (7 oz) sweet coconut flakes
yellow food coloring
green food coloring
cookie sheets
wax paper

How to make it:
First, you'll need to make sure how many witches you need to make. Line cookie sheets with wax paper and lay out Oreo cookies. In the package I bought there were 30 cookies, so that is how many Bugles and pretzel sticks I will need too. Count these out, place in bowls and set aside.

Next, you'll need to make the witch hats. Melt 3/4 of the bag of milk chocolate chips either on stove top in double boiler, or in microwave in microwave safe bowl. If melting in the microwave, like I did this time, microwave for 1 minute and then stir chips up. Continue microwaving in 15-20 second increments until chocolate is all melted. Dip Bugles, one at a time, in melted chocolate to cover completely. Place in middle of Oreo cookie, to make top of hat. Repeat until all cookies are done.

Let sit until chocolate hardens. While chocolate is melted make brooms. Take another 1 or 2 cookie sheets and line with wax paper. Measure out 1/4 cup of sweet coconut flakes in small bowl. Place 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring in coconut flakes and stir around until all flakes are yellow.

Dip one end of pretzel sticks, one at a time, in melted chocolate and put on cookie sheet. Put dyed coconut flakes on end with chocolate and press down. Repeat until all pretzel sticks are done and let harden.

Once the hats and brooms have hardened, melt white chocolate chips. White chocolate is pickier than milk chocolate, so microwave for 30 seconds, stir, another 30 seconds, stir and maybe 10 seconds more. There will still be some chunks, but just stir and they will all melt.

Put 4 drops green food coloring in melted white chocolate and stir until all incorporated. Have 4-5 cookie sheets with wax paper on them. Spread tiny spoonful of dyed melted white chocolate on wax paper.

Place hat on white chocolate and press down gently. Place broom next to hat. Repeat until white chocolate is gone.

I wound up being heavy-handed with the white chocolate and only had enough to make 26 melted witches. Not that the kids minded eating the extra hats and brooms!

Once white chocolate has hardened, remove from wax paper and put on serving tray. Enjoy!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the kids carving pumpkins and our spooky house.

Did you know?
On this day in 1964, Buffalo Wings were created by Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, for her son and some friends as a midnight snack.