{ Happy Halloween! }

Happy Halloween everyone!

This is just a little cake I whipped up for my fam. Nothing fancy, just webs piped from white chocolate with spiders (by Wilton) and bones (by Wilton) and sprinkled with black sanding sugar and white jimmies.

I hope your day is blessed with fun, happiness, and most importantly... chocolate!

Happy Hauntings!

{ Caramel Iced Pumpkin Drop Cookies }

It's family tradition here, as I'm sure it is in many, many homes across the country, to watch "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".

Last year, even though Bean was 18 at the time, I started a new tradition for "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". I gathered up all the foods the kids ate for Thanksgiving and served it as we watched.
(You can read more about this & other Holiday Tradition ideas here.)

I wanted to do something fun for Great Pumpkin as well, so I decided to make some pumpkin cookies to munch on while we watched last night.

These cookies are an easy recipe. They are a no fuss drop cookie. They bake up light, fluffy, and cakey, and sport a caramel icing. What could be better?

Lightly pumpkiny, lightly spicy, all yummy.

Great for any fall festivity or any day of the year.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Drop Cookies
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers
Makes approx 24 cookies

Pumpkin Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg`
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups flour

Caramel Icing:
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
splash of vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar (sifted is best to break up any clumps)

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment or leave ungreased.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Sit aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together with mixer until they are light and fluffy. Blend in egg. Then add pumpkin and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture. When well blended, drop cookies by tablespoons full 2" apart onto baking sheet.

Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are golden. They will be puffy and light.

Allow to cool on wire racks before icing.

For icing:
Melt butter, then add in brown sugar. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil one minute, remove from heat, and add in milk. Whisk in powdered sugar until glossy with no lumps.

Working quickly, dip cookies into warm icing, or spread on using a pastry brush. This icing will harden quite fast. Either leave on lowest setting while working, or return to stove if it hardens and allow it to warm to a spreadable consistency again.


Recipe adapted from Food.com 

{ Easy Halloween Planter Craft }

Oh. My. Goodness! It is October! My favorite, favorite, favorite month of the year! I LOVE Autumn. Fall is everything that is good and wonderful rolled up into one season. I mean, if we want to be technical about it, even nearly all of the Christmas season is in Fall!

In the wise words of Anne of Green Gables:

Now, honestly, I am not much of a Halloween decorator. I AM a Fall decorator though. I love things that will work from late September through Thanksgiving (I'll get to that at the end of this post). I have had the idea to make this planter for quite a few months now, and so, here it is.

This is everything you'll need:

2 Jack o Lantern Trick or Treat buckets
1 can of plastic adhering spray paint- your choice of color
dry sand or gravel
Mum or other fall flower

Remove the handle from the buckets and throw away. This is optional, You can leave the handles if you like them.

Paint buckets and allow to fully dry (a few hours) before proceeding.

Fill the bottom bucket with gravel or sand. This will keep your buckets sturdy, otherwise, once you add your flower, it will become top heavy.

Hot glue around the bottom rim of your top bucket (no photos, sorry, hot glue is hot). Stack buckets together. Glue around the outer rim once you have them together. Spray paint over exposed glue, or you can put a ribbon over this part if the exposed glue line bothers you.

Plant your flower!

*You CAN drill holes in the bottom of each bucket to allow for draining, but I didn't I just plan not to over water ;)

That's it, folks!

This is about a $15 project max  ($1/each for pumpkins, gravel/rocks or $2-$3 for play sand, $6 for spray paint, & about $5 for a mum).

Now, for the late Sept-Thanksgiving decoration that I mentioned, just turn this around and place the faces toward a wall and you'll have something you can use for months!

Happy Crafting!

Tina








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{ Mummy Munch Party Mix }

Hey, hey, hey, here's my Mummy Bones & Mini Mummy Cookies in action. Cute, no?

But, before we get to that, let me tell you a little story.

Last week, I awoke to a delicious smelling breakfast. It was all mapley and wonderful smelling. I thought, aw, my sweet Bean has gotten up and fixed breakfast! What an awesome guy! What a total champ! I drag myself out of bed and to the kitchen to find... I'm the only one awake. Whut?

Hubs was at work that weekend, but I knew it was definitely not anything lingering because the man eats Cheerios every day. Huh. Maybe I was dreaming in Smellovision.

The next day, I awoke to the same smell. This time, totally convinced nothing was going down in my kitchen, I was starting to worry for my Old Factory sense along with, hello, my brain.

The third day it happened, I was really becoming concerned. Should I consult WedMD for 'awaking to delicious smells'?  Probably not. That never ends well.

On the fourth day, I noticed something. A basket I'd recently placed not far from my side of the bed. A basket I'd removed from my closet for fear it would smell up Bean's tuxedo which was hanging just above where said basket used to sit.

A basket... full of Scentsy wax melts.

Bad news? No specially made, delicious breakfast for me.

Good news? My nose and brain are in tact.

Better news?

I have an awesome Halloween Snack Mix for you.

I really like making party mixes. I have a few here on the blog.

They are so easy to make, always a big hit, and can be dressed up for any occasion. This party mix requires a bit more time than most, having the Mummy Bones, and Mini Mummy Cookies. They are definitely a fun addition, but if you are in a time crunch, the mix is still totally delish without them.

You'll just need a few basic ingredients and you are off.

Serve it at your Halloween party, bag it up and give as treats or party favors, or enjoy on your own while gathering around the TV and watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

For more Halloween goodness you HAVE to go check out Darla's Mocha Cookies and Cream Cupcakes with Skull Cameos. They are AH-MAZE-ZING. Gorgeousness. You won't be sorry, so click on over to Bakingdom!

Happy Halloween!

Tina



Mummy Munch Party Mix
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

3 Cups Frosted Cheerios
3 Cups Rice Chex
3 Cups Popped Popcorn
1 Cup Mini Marshmallows
1 Cup Fall colored M&Ms
Fall sprinkles
6 blocks White Chocolate Almond Bark (or other white chocolate), melted
A few Mummy Bones (I only used about 12 for this mix)
A few Mini Mummy Head Cookies (I only used about 12 for this mix)

Line counter with parchment paper. Spread out cereal and popcorn. Pour white chocolate over. Allow to slightly cool, then toss with hands. Scatter sprinkles and M&Ms before chocolate is fully dried. Add marshmallows just before serving. Lay Mummy Bones & Mummy Head Cookies on top of the mix after you've put it into a bowl for serving. If packaging it up for party favors, add 1 mummy bone and 1 mini mummy head to each bag.

Store in airtight container.

{ Mini Mummy Cookies }

Mummy Madness 3.0! Here we go...

These lil guys are KEY-YOU-TAH, right? They are also A. SUPER easy, and 2. Delicious!

You can make these little guys from any mini cookie, but for mine I chose Mini Nutter Butters because yum.

After the cookies, all you need is white chocolate, an piping bag, and sugar eyes.

These guys are totally adorable just piled up in a bowl, bagged up as party favors, or for trick or treaters. Imagine them bagged together with the Mummy Bones and Mummy Donuts. Too much cute! Or... how about in this snack mix?

For now,

Mummy out.

Tina


Mini Mummy Cookies

Mini sandwich cookies (I used mini Nutter Butters)
Melted white chocolate (I prefer Almond Bark)
Sugar Eyes
Piping bag

Dunk cookies in white chocolate to cover. Tap to remove excess chocolate. Place on parchment paper to dry. Snip a tiny end off of a piping bag and fill with melted (but slightly cooled) white chocolate. Drizzle on cookies to give a mummy look. Add sugar eyes and let dry completely. When dry, break off excess chocolate drizzles from sides of cookies. Store in airtight container.

{ Mummy Bones }

These little gems are quick, quick, quick and easy for a super fun spooky treat.

This is a three ingredient 'recipe'. You'll need pretzel sticks, mini marshmallows, and white chocolate (I use Almond Bark). Maybe a wee bit of oil to thin the chocolate. That's it.

This is a fun project to get the kids on. They can assemble the 'bones' while the adults handle the hot chocolate. These are great on their own, or in this snack mix. These would be great bagged up for Trick or Treaters, or as a party favor. Fun all around.

They taste yummy too, of course!

More mummy madness to come...

Tina


Mummy Bones

Pretzel Sticks
Mini Marshmallows
White chocolate (melted)

Assemble the bones by inserting a marshmallow onto each end of a pretzel stick. Coat with white chocolate. Allow to dry.

Store in airtight container.

{ Mummy Donuts }

Hey there! Remember me?

I'm sorry, but I've been BIZZZZY. Like super busy. My friend's daughter just got married this week and they asked me to help them out with planning and decorating. I also shot the wedding photos, something I only do for super, duper special people in my life!

And now, suddenly, it's Halloween. How did that happen?

I've got a few super simple mummy posts in the works for you. This is the first.

This requires only a few items. Heavy weight paper stripey straws (or lollipop sticks), white chocolate, sugar eyes, an icing bag, and small powdered donuts.

You can also leave these guys off the sticks and just have a pile of mummy donuts. Either way, these are easy and cute for your little monsters or for a Halloween Party.

I'll be back with more mumminess soon!

Tina



Mummy Donuts

Items needed:

Small powdered sugar donuts
Heavy weight paper stripey straws (or lollipop sticks)
White Chocolate
sugar eyes
icing bag


To Assemble:

First, dip your stick in the melted white chocolate. Then insert into the donut. Allow to dry. After fully dried, snip a tiny end off your icing bag and fill with melted white chocolate. Drizzle the chocolate over the donut to look like mummy wrappings. Add sugar eyes, and... done!

Store in airtight container.

{Butterbeer Cupcakes}

Yes, it's another Harry Potter inspired post.

This surprises anyone?

Well, not only is it nearly Halloween, but, it's also the birthday of yet another favorite character. Really, she's the glue that holds so many of them together.

She's awesome.

She is Molly Weasley.

photo property of Warner Bros. Studios

She's an amazing mother and a talented, powerful witch. I love her.  Her kids are definitely her first priority and she sure makes them tow the line. No slackers in the Weasley family. She's so strong. She lived through the death of her 2 brothers in the first wizarding war,  she raised 7 children (6 of them boys), became a member of the Order of the Phoenix, watched one son abandon the family,  nursed  her husband and 2 of her sons through grave injuries, and watched another son die.  Oh, and, she totally took down Bellatrix Lastrange single-handedly mere hours after her son died.

Bellatrix Lestrange: "What will happen to your children when I've killed you? When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"

Molly: "You — will — never — touch — our — children — again!"

And let's be honest here, she's got one of the best lines in the entire series.

         Molly: "Not my daughter, you b!t@h!"

The Weasley family may have been poor, but they were never lacking in morals or love, thanks to Molly and Arthur. Molly also considered Harry her own. In Order of the Phoenix when Sirius proclaims that Harry is not her son, she replies back hotly that "He's as good as!".

So, basically... she's.. yeah. awesome.

Today is her birthday. She's normally making the food for people. I know how that feels, so, these, Molly, are for you.

I know Butterbeer Cupcakes have been done and done again, but these? So easy. They start with a box mix. I know, right? Just splash in a few extras, whip up some easy buttercream, and you are done.

Oh, yeah, they also taste AWESOME. Butterbeery. Good. Molly would like them, I know.

That is, if Ron left her any... You know how he is.


Happy Birthday, Molly!

Tina



See all my Harry Potter posts (recipes, crafts, and two massive parties!) here.

If you haven’t already,  you can ‘like’ my Facebook page here, and follow me on twitter here, and you can follow me on instagram here.


Easy Butterbeer Cupcakes
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Yellow Cake Mix (and eggs/oil it calls for)
Vanilla Cream Soda
1/2 teaspoon Butter Flavoring
1/4 cup Butterscotch ice cream topping

Prepare cupcake pan with liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Prepare cake as directed on back of box, except use the vanilla cream soda in place of the water that the recipe calls for. After mixing the cake mix, cream soda, eggs, and oil, add in the butter flavoring, and the ice cream topping. Mix again until distributed.

Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake for approx. 19 minutes. 

Allow to fully cool before adding Butterbeer Buttercream

Butterbeer (Butterscotch) Buttercream
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

3/4 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup shortening (I prefer Crisco)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch ice cream topping
pinch of salt
Milk*

Beat the butter and shortening until fluffy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Beat for about 3 minutes. Add in the salt and ice cream topping. Mix until distributed.

*you shouldn't need any milk with the liquid ice cream topping, but if you find the buttercream too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Drizzle extra butterscotch topping on top of cupcakes & add sprinkles if desired.

{One Eyed Monster Cookies}

Bean loves to dress up. He's very into drama, he's been in his drama club at school since 6th grade, he attends drama camp, and he performs in a local kid's theater in the summer months.

He hasn't actually Trick or Treated since he was in 5th grade, but dress up? YOU BET.

When he was little my favorite costume was this one

I mean, c'mon! My little stinker.

When he started choosing his own costumes, they were, well, not the norm. Like, seriously, what 8 year old begs to be D'Artagnan for Halloween? Just mine.

When he was 13 he wanted to be The Dread Pirate Roberts for a Halloween Dance. I'm so proud.

When he was 14 we went to the Ohio Comic Con. He wanted to be Doctor Horrible. Awesome.

I can't even begin to tell you how many people asked for photos of him. It was insane.


This amazing re-creation was made by my talented Mother in Law. (along with the skunk and D'Artagnan- as well as many others through the years). Rule 1 here. Tina doesn't sew. Ever.


And this, just last week at our Youth Group Fall Fest...

V from V for Vendetta.


There have been many, many other costumes in between, from dressing up for Ren Fest, to Eleven for our Doctor Who party, to Ron Weasley for our Hogwarts parties, to all his costumes for plays... He does enjoy a good disguise.

One thing he never dressed as? A monster. No idea why, but he never, ever dressed as anything creepy or spooky. Probably why my Monster cookies are cute instead of creepy, eh?

These guys are totally fast and easy. A great project for your little ones this halloween (or anytime, monsters are always in season!). Kids will love rolling these in the jimmies!

This starts with a basic Snickerdoodle cookie. You will tint the dough, then, instead of rolling in cinnamon and sugar, you will roll in jimmies. These could be any color you want, I just really liked my purple jimmies. I even think they would be totally cute if they were rolled in the (very easy to find) rainbow jimmies! Top with a big dot of buttercream, then with buttercream tinted black, draw on your pupil and mouth. Give him a lopsided grin, give him a wiggly mouth, big grin, little grin, it's all up to you!

Easy, no special skills required.

Done!

And lookit how cuuuuuuute.

However, Dear Monster, no matter how cute you are... you are going in my belly!

Sorry, not sorry!

NOW, for more eyebally goodness, step on over to Bakingdom and check out the Soft & Chewy Googly Eye Cookies  that Darla made! You won't believe your EYES. (I HAD to say it).

Tina

PS, tint these puppies green and roll in green jimmies and you have Mike Wazowski!


You can find lots of great jimmies at Bake it Pretty.


One Eye Monster Cookies
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I prefer Crisco)
1  1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2  3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
food coloring*
jimmies

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Add food coloring and mix until well blended. Shape dough (about a tablespoon) into balls. Roll balls in jimmies. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets (or parchment/silpat lined sheets). Lightly flatten. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. (I baked mine 8 minutes)

Allow cookies to cool completely. 

Make up a batch of  buttercream. Use this to pipe** on the eyeballs. Pipe the pupils and mouth from buttercream tinted black.

*I recommend gel colorings

**Wilton Tip numbers: Eyeball- 1A,  Pupil- 12,   Mouth- 13

.

slightly adapted from this recipe found at www.allrecipes.com.

{Craft: Mickey & Minnie Mouse Pumpkins}

Ready or not, folks, welcome to October!

I love fall, it has always been my favorite season. I love the crisp air, the falling leaves, the scent on the wind. Love. Love. Love. I love hayrides, bonfires, and Thanksgiving.

Today, incidentally, is the anniversary of the Magic Kingdom! It opened its gates Oct 1, 1971. Happy 42nd Birthday, Magic Kingdom! (See my Magic Kingdom Tips & Walk Through Guide.)

Just over a year ago we were taking our first steps ever into the Magic Kingdom.

Here we are...

 I was so excited when I learned they would be decorated for fall.

I knew as soon as I saw the Mickey pumpkins that I'd really need to make some for myself. I didn't get around to it until this year though. When it came time for me to make them, I decided to go with the iconic black Mickey head.

These are really easy to make. They are not, however, weather-proof. That is because the ears are made of this:

Basically, all you need are 5 things.

Cardboard, bamboo skewers, hot glue, black spray paint, and a pumpkin.

You'll need 6 for Minnie, because she, of course, needs her bow.

You can also add sprinkles of glitter like I did (you can see the black glitter on the Mickey photo above. Minnie had purple, obviously). I was having a hard time deciding what color to make Minnie's bow and glitter. Life decisions of this magnitude are really, really difficult. So... I deferred to my lovely bestie, (and fellow Disnerd) Lori, who I was shopping with. She picked purple for a Halloween, but not TOO Halloween feel.


You know what? I think it looks perfect. Well done, Lori, well done.

You'll start, of course, with a pumpkin. Spray paint it black. I used cheap flat spray paint. I love the color it made them. A very cool almost bluish black.  Then, grab some cardboard. Mine, obviously, was a Cheerios box. Try to sort of match the ears to contour of the pumpkin after you cut them out. It's pretty hard to get them exact, and honestly, it doesn't matter, they still look great. You can see my Mickey ears aren't perfect. Attach a dowel rod to the back, allow to dry (be careful, hot glue is HOT, this step is definitely for adults only). Spray the ears black as well. Sprinkle both the ears and the pumpkin with a little glitter when they are still wet (if desired). Using a knife or ice pick (again, a step for grown ups), make a guide hole in the pumpkin for the skewer. The skewer is too weak to pierce its way fully into the pumpkin. If making Minnie tie and attach bow (I used hot glue).

Stand back and admire your work.

So cute!

Since you've pierced the pumpkins they will eventually go bad, like a Jack-O-Lantern.

As I said, they are not weather-proof, but I like to put them out on the porch on nice days.

I really like the simplistic, classic look of the black pumpkins. I've scoured the internet and can't find any like them, so I'm feeling pretty happy with my decision to make them like this.

I really hope you enjoy them too!


Peace, Love, and Disney,
Tina

See all my Disney posts here.

If you haven’t already,  you can ‘like’ my Facebook page here, and follow me on twitter here, and you can follow me on instagram here.


Mickey & Minnie Black Icon Pumpkins
craft tutorial by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

Needed:
Pumpkin
Black Spray Paint (flat or glossy, I prefer flat) OR
Black Craft Paint
Bamboo Skewers
Cardboard (I used cereal boxes)
Glitter (optional)
Polka Dot Ribbon (optional)

Tools:
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue
Scissors
Pencil
Knife or Ice Pick


Spray/paint your pumpkin black. It will take at least 2 coats.

Draw ears onto cardboard & cut out. Try match the ears to contour of the pumpkin after you cut them. It's difficult to get them exact, and honestly, it doesn't matter, they still look great.

Attach a skewer to the back of the ear, allow to dry (hot glue is HOT, this step is definitely for adults only).
Spray the ears black as well. Sprinkle both the ears and the pumpkin with a little glitter when they are still wet (if desired).

Using a knife or ice pick (also a step for grown ups), make a guide hole in the pumpkin for the skewers. (The skewer is too weak to pierce its way fully into the pumpkin)

If making Minnie tie and attach bow (I used hot glue).

{Cinnamon Streusel Topped Pumpkin Bread}

I'd apologize for what I'm about to talk about, but I'm not sorry, so... No.

DID YOU HEAR??????????? THERE ARE GOING TO BE NEW HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE MOVIES! GAH. SIRIUSLY. I. CAN'T. EVEN.

Practically the second it was announced, my niece posted on my timeline and asked if it was true. So, OK. I love two things about this. 1. that I've made excellent nerd minions in my nieces and child and 2. I'm like the leading authority on all things nerddom to them.


I immediately started iMessaging Darla. She wasn't responding. I was losing my mind. FINALLY she responded (her iPad wasn't making alert noises! Dumb Apple, this is ALL CAPS IMPORTANT).

Yes, her iPad's name is the Marauder's Map. Mine is the Monster Book of Monsters. What?!


Any Potter fan will know that there have been rumors, "official" news, leaks, etc all saying there would be new Potter books, etc... never true. We've gotten our hopes up only to have them dashed far too many times. This, is ALL TRUE. A series of movies (with all the screenplays being penned by good ole JK Rowling herself) starring the character Newt Scamander will be an expansion of the Wizarding World. Not techinally Harry Potter movies at all... guess what? No one cares! Wizards, witches, magic, adventure, Fantastic Beasts... and where to find them! YESSSSSSSSS.

So, we continued to freak out. Then Darla said that she was weakened by the excitement and needed a snack. I thought that was an excellent idea.

This is her snack. She posted the photo on her instagram.


My snack? Well, it was also tea. And bread. Pumpkin bread. This bread in fact, but wait.. there's MORE.

Then SHE messaged ME with news

We are going to Orlando next September. We'll be doing Disney and, of course, Potter World (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal Studios). There was always speculation that the new London part of WWoHP would be done in the summer. We were PRETTY SURE that we would be in the clear and able to see it, but honestly, NOT being there in time was a huge fear. Especially for Darla who is flying back from The Netherlands to go! So, confirmation that it will open Spring 2014 when we aren't going until Fall 2014? AWE-to the-SOME.

So, anyway, back to the bread... (Finally, right? Whatever.. POTTER!!!!!!!!).


What better thing to make for Potter than pumpkin....

This gorgeous, glorious, fall scented, flavor packed bread is a creation of none other than the crazed Potter fan above, Darla.

Just look at that wonderful streusel!

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

This is a quick and easy recipe. It's also quite large. It makes 3 full sized loaves.

You'll want to give two away. Otherwise you'll eat it. ALL. It's that good.

Mine are definitely finding new homes today. I really want to still fit into the seat on the Forbidden Journey next year at Potter World!

So, um.. I promise not to talk about Harry Potter for a while. It'll be a struggle for me, but I know I've had an influx of Potter posts lately (sorry, not sorry).

Well.... it most likely won't be about Potter anyway ;)

Until then...

Tina (a very, very happy Potter fan)

P.S. (See all my Potter posts here)

P.P.S. If you haven’t already,  you can ‘like’ my Facebook page here, and follow me on twitter here, and you can follow me on instagram here.

Recipe:

Cinnamon Streusel Topped Pumpkin Bread

The only variations I made were:

I didn't use the pepitas & I sprinkled the loaves with a bit of brown sugar fresh from the oven. This gave them a most excellent crunch when cooled.