What Halloween treats would you suggest making this year for the dessert table at the Halloween Party?

Dirt cake - instead of flowers and a trowel you could add a skeleton hand to look like someone coming out of a grave.

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,

softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla

pudding mix 3 1/2 cups milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped

topping, thawed

32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with

creme filling

Directions:

1. Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.

2. Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.

3. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.

4. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.

5. Layer in flower pot, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.

6. Chill until ready to serve.

7. Add artificial flower and trowel. Enjoy!

Also, Caramel apples are a favorite of mine. You can add nuts, sprinkles, etc to make them look more festive.

Eyeball cupcakes - make any flavor cupcake you like, frost with white frosting. Use a green lifesaver and a black jelly bean to make the center of the eye. Draw red squiggly lines using red gel to make the eyes look bloodshot.

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction...

Chocolate Carmel Apples

1. Rinse 5 or so apples and insert a popsicle stick.

2. Cover a baking with a piece of wax paper that has been coated with butter.

3. In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, place about 55 unwrapped caramel candies into a bowl with two tablespoons of water. Stir until the caramel is not only melted, but also silky smooth.

4. Dip each apple into the caramel. Make sure there is an even coat on each.

5. Refrigerate apples for about 5 minutes on the buttered wax paper

6. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 with chocolate bars.

7. Enjoy!

Ghost Sticks

1. Melt down white chocolate into a bowl. You can use a microwave or the method listed in the Chocolate Apple recipe above.

2. Dip about one third of a pretzel rod into the melted white chocolate.

3. A moment or two after dipping, use three chocolate chips to make two eyes and a ghoulish mouth.

4. Enjoy!

The above answer is what I would say too. But, a really great presentation is putting the pudding in a flower pot (new one obviously) and putting the crushed up oreos or other chocolate cookie crumbs on top. Then put the gummy worms on the top and place a large fake flower in it. It will look like a regular potted flower from a distance and the kids will love to eat it! Also, you could do the pudding and cookie crumbs in a 9x13 pan. Mix the gummy worms into the "mud" and/or place them on top. Then use a piping bag of Cool-Whip to make ghosts (make a circle and keep going upwards to a point. Use mini chocolate chips or a teethpick with chocolate syrup on it to make two eyes.) This makes a spooky graveyard.

Here's a cool trick for a punch bowl. Take a rubber glove and turn it inside out. LIGHTLY coat it with vegetable oil and turn it right side in again. Fill it water or fruit punch or whatever, tie off the wrist, and freeze it. When it's done, you'll have a frozen hand to stick in the bowl. You can glue fake fingernails on it or make it out of green or red liquid -- whatever. The cooking oil helps you remove the glove more easily, but you can cut it off if you have to. If you get a little dry ice at the grocery store, the effect will be even better. (Dry ice won't make anyone sick) Another thing my son, whose favorite holiday is Halloween, used to do is make Rice Krispy treats and mold the mixture into skull and jack o lantern shapes, using chocolate chips and strips of licorice for the features. (You can add food coloring to Krispy treat mixture) It's easier to mold if you butter your hands a little first. My son also made a shrimp platter in the shape of the "Scream" face with cocktail sauce dribbling out of the eyes, but you wanted desserts. (He's 23 and an artist) Anyway, your question brought back lots of memories -- I hope your party is fun!

Here's my favorite one that is a huge hit at Halloween parties. Both kids and adults can't resist! I will try to think of a second recipe and edit in a bit....

Kitty Litter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter/margarine

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 TBS vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.

3. Shape into kitty poo shapes and put on waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container untill you are ready to assemble.

Buy a new (medium size) kitty litter pan and a poop scoop, pour grape nuts (as the litter) in the pan and place your kitty "poo" in (make sure to bury some). Guests scoop the cookies out w/ a kitty poop scoop. Place a big decorative black cat in the pan. I bought mine at our local Party City store. It's a yummy treat and looks great for a decoration too!

Here is my second recipe... I haven't made these myself yet, but I am going to give them a try! They look fun! And delicious!!

Peanut Butter Eyeballs

* 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth

* 3 Tbs. softened butter

* 1 1/4 cups powdered (icing) sugar

* 1 tsp. vanilla

* 1 cup white chocolate (chips, wafers, or coating)

* 1 small bag of M&M's

* red frosting - tube or make your own by adding some food coloring to plain frosting (canned is fine)

1. Mix together butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and blend thoroughly.

2. Form balls (eyeballs) as round as possible and place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or aluminum foil. Refrigerate or freeze about a half an hour or so.

3. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring each time - don't overheat).

4. Dip the eyeballs into the melted chocolate to coat. Return to cookie sheet. Press an M&M or similar candy in the center for the pupil and chill again.

5. Pipe lines on the eyeballs with the red frosting to make them appear bloodshot and gory.

SPIDER CUPCAKES - 24 cakes

INGREDIENTS

517 g chocolate cake mix

455 g black shoestring licorice

1 (16 ounce) can white frosting

48 pieces candy corn

48 cinnamon red hot candies

50 g orange decorator sugar

DIRECTIONS

Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool completely. (OR YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN)

Cut licorice into 3 inch sections. Working with one or two cupcakes at a time, so the frosting doesn't set before decorating, frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. Insert licorice pieces into the outer edges of the cupcakes to make the legs of the spider, 3 legs on each side (4 takes up too much space). Place two pieces of candy corn on the front of the cupcake for fangs and use two red hots as eyes. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

GUMMY WORM JELLY - 6-8 jellies

INGREDIENTS

6-8 gummy worms

1 packet lime jelly

1 packet orange jelly

6-8 plastic spiders, to decorate

DIRECTIONS

1. Put a gummy worm in the bottom of a plastic cup.

2. Make up the orange jelly according to the instructions on the packet. Add ice to make the jelly set faster and to ensure the jelly isn’t warm when you pour it on the worms (so they don’t melt).

3. Pour the jelly into the plastic cups to about halfway up. Leave to set for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

4. Once set, put another worm on top of the first layer of jelly.

5. Make up the lime jelly, again using ice to help it set.

6. Pour it into the cups on top of the first layer to create two layers of different coloured jelly, each with a worm trapped inside.

7. Leave the jelly to set for 1-2 hours.

8. Once set, decorate with plastic spiders or more gummy worms.

Also check out http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/5947 for more great halloween recipes and pics!!!

Do these cupcakes, but do chocolate cake mix and dye whatever frosting you use orange. Use Halloween liners, and last year I bought spider rings and put them on top for decoration, and everyone (even adults) wore their rings after they ate the cupcake:)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brownie-Batter--Cupca...

This cake looks fun:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/jack-o-la...

And you gotta have a tasty dip. I do this one every year now because people request it. So simple, but delicious! I buy black and blue corn tortilla chips to dip in it:

http://www.perfectentertaining.com/halloween/hr47....

Whats the age group of this party

Vodka cake :)