"halloween baking" news and stories

Ghost blondie in the spotlight. Photo: Monika Bartyzel.

Zombies, ghosts, bats and creepy crawlies -- these are the gems of Halloween, the lone holiday that lets the masses get dark and scary, the only time of the year when ghoulish elements are actually welcome in baking.

One of the easiest ways to get into the Halloween spirit with minimal special equipment is baking Halloween-themed brownies and blondies.There's no special skill required, yet the resulting treats are just how we like them: dense, rich and classically sweet. They can also be embellished with frosting to give the witch creepy eyes, the pumpkin a green stem or the ghost the proper shade of white.

Read on for two recipes prime for the task, with little twists that make these treats thrive.

And we're talking literally - painted fingernails and everything.

Gael over at Pop Culture Junk Mail made these ladyfingers for her book club. Pretty easy instructions. You just shape dough into finger shapes (see pic), poach it in simmering water with baking soda. Drain them and sprinkle with rosemary (I love rosemary), use almonds for the fingernails, and bake them. She doesn't say what to bake them at or for how long, but you can probably figure it out and keep an eye on them. Or leave a comment for her and see what she did.

Anyone else making Halloween treats shaped like body parts? Maybe eyeballs or ears?